《Wizards of the Otherworldly Court - Multi-World Multi-Protag Isekai Stories》 Alicia Description "Why are my hands getting warmer?" As far as Alicia was concerned, she was the daughter of a rich businessman attending high school. Then, she feels off and at the same time, she''s not. One week later, her best friend brought her to another world(s).
(Royal Road wants more than 500 characters per chapter, so my short description won''t cut it. Here''s the main description pasted here just for that) Wizards of the Otherworldly Court is a multiple worlds and protagonists isekai web novel series about the Otherworldly Court, an inter-dimensional (or world-hopping, you get the idea) organization made up of people of all ages, gender, and race from many parallel or different worlds. They are granted elemental-like magic powers and called themselves ''Court Wizards''. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They are tasked to watch over the many worlds they come across and step into these worlds on ''missions'' to preserve the balance, life, order, anything to make said worlds better places in the shadows but may reveal themselves if necessary. However, these missions may partially or even fully oppose their nature, personal interests, and ideals. Yet, most of the Court Wizards are aware and willing to complete even the worst missions that would shatter their true selves that they will never cast aside regardless, either growing or regressing because of it. Basically, it''s isekai to multiple worlds but each book after Wizards of the Otherworldly Court: Alicia focuses primarily on one world while also discussing its lore in detail. Book Alicia is the introduction containing the essential worldbuilding of the Otherworldly Court universe you need to know while shoving in as many characters and worlds as I can. Also, each book will have a different main character, sometimes more than one in a single book, like Jojo. Epigraph Once upon a time, a merchant in the state of Chu tried to sell a spear and a shield. When asked, "How good is this shield?" The merchant boasted, "No weapon can penetrate this shield, no matter how sharp the weapon is!" When asked, "How good is this spear?" Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The merchant boasted again, "This spear can penetrate any shield, no matter how hard it is!" When asked, "If you strike your shield with your spear, what would happen?" The merchant could not answer. The word ''spear'' in Chinese is m¨¢o (ì) and the word ''shield'' in Chinese is d¨´n (¶Ü). Together, it makes the Chinese word for ''contradiction'' m¨¢od¨´n (ì¶Ü). An idiom for this is z¨¬ xi¨¡ng m¨¢o d¨´n (×ÔÏàì¶Ü) meaning ''use one''s spear against one''s own shield''. Alicia Chapter 1.1: An Unusual Morning - Part One BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP "Why are my hands getting warmer?" Alicia Bell wondered as she stared at her two hands. "It has been a week since I am like this, why?" And for the whole week, she felt her body temperature was rising by several degrees than normal. She thought that she caught a bad fever or something but... She pulled the neck of her red nightwear and rummaged inside it to take out an electric thermometer resting in her armpit. "Still thirty-seven degrees..." the girl muttered, staring at the display in celsius. As the most accurate and cheapest device she procured showed a discrepant value, she thought of sleeping the whole night with the thermometer - she was confident that she wouldn''t break it in her sleep. However, it still showed the same result. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP Alicia sighed as she put the thermometer to the table beside her bed and stared at her surroundings. Her room was, for the lack of a better term, economical. It was a relatively wide room with a red theme. It consisted of a double-sized bed, a desk for study, a wardrobe and many others that you would find in a young lady''s room that was arranged in such a way that it made the room even more spacious. Incidentally, all of it was centuries older than the current occupant, these were old relics that still kept their quality after repainted red. Well, there is no time to find out now, she thought as she grabbed the remote for the air conditioner, set to the coldest possible temperature despite the snow having yet to melt in this month of March, and pressed the power button. Laying it down while getting out of the bed, she felt soft fabric on her bare feet. "Ah." Looking down, Alicia glanced at the blanket that she had tossed away. Calmly, she lifted the blanket up and laid it neatly on her bed before slotting her two feet into the slippers beneath it. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP Grabbing her smartphone that has been alarming her to wake up and turning it off, she checked the time. It was still early, but a girl like her needed more time to get ready anyway. Standing up, she took her school uniform, a white buttoned shirt, a red skirt that reached her knees, black leggings, and a red blazer out of her wardrobe and walked out of her room.
"The water still stings," Alicia muttered as she tapped the showerhead. It was another unusual thing that''s happened to her. For some reason, she felt an uncomfortable sensation when the water from the shower came into contact with her light and healthy skin; the same thing also happens when drinking too. It was like pressing your hand softly against a board with thousands of tightly spaced needles sticking out. Just like it wouldn''t hurt to touch them all at once, the sting from the running water was ignorable. Except it was not to be ignored at all. Sighing again, Alicia got out of the shower, her naked body wrapped in a towel, and went over to the sink. Taking a toothbrush and pushing toothpaste out of the tube, she gazed at the reflection of herself in the mirror. Standing around 160 cm, she was already at the average height for an adult woman at the age of fifteen nearing sixteen, she was bound to get taller. She inherited her mother''s facial features and most importantly, her bright blue eyes like a clear lake. As for her hair, she didn''t really prefer any particular hairstyle and simply let it down to her waist; her mother had a vibrant blonde hair while her father had dark red, those genes had somehow resulted in their daughter attaining a bright red hair like a burning flame, but perhaps the brighter red color came from her grandfather on her mother''s side''s platinum blonde hair. "Well, at least the strawberry toothpaste did not taste weird," she mused as she brushed her teeth.
CREEK Out of the bathroom, Alicia was fully dressed in her uniform and was ready to head downstairs. "Good morning, young mistress Bell." A woman with a brown ponytailed hair resting on her shoulder greeted Alicia on the stairs. She wore a black dress with white details and a white frilly headdress. "Good morning, Tia." Alicia greeted back. "Your breakfast has been prepared in the dining room, your mother is also waiting for you there." "I see, thank you." Tia was just one of the maids working in her house. Yes, maids and in plural. Alicia lived in a small mansion, so extra hands were needed. However, there were too many of them. She doesn''t know why but there were more maids and other house workers in this mansion than needed, some of them wound having to find something to maintain. Also, they would also refer to her as ''young mistress Bell'' as if she were a daughter of an aristocratic family of old. Even their speech was archaic. Even so, Alicia grew up with them so she got used to their behavior. As for having a personal maid, Alicia tended to do things herself most of the time for self-discipline. But if she has to consider one, it would be Tia. "Good morning, mother." Reaching the dining room, Alicia greeted a woman who looked like a blonde forty-year-old version of her sitting in one of the chairs of the long wooden dining table meant for a large family. She took the seat opposite to her. "Oh, good morning, dear," Alicia''s mother, Irene Bell, greeted back. A butler pushed a tray into the dining room and served them breakfast, a well-made toast with the side of margarine. Afterwards, he poured them a cup of tea and promptly dismissed himself after a ''thank-you'' from Irene. While Alicia was spreading the margarine on her toast. "Father should be back this afternoon, right?" she asked. Alicia''s father, Ronald Bell, ran a company called the ''Bell Conglomerate.'' As the name suggests, it was a family-run business for three generations now. Within that timeframe, it had become one of the largest companies in the country with numerous branches all over the world. It also expanded from a simple ''buy and sell'' businesses to entertainment, medical, services, and had enough money for social welfare. When Alicia''s father took charge, he opened up a high school, Bell Academy, which she was attending. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Currently, he was on a business trip out of the country and was going to be home later this day. "Yes, indeed," Her mother answered. "Also, are you fine, dear?" "Hmm... Yes, I still feel the same as yesterday, but I think so." Of course, Alicia wasn''t one to hide her circumstance that happened. When she told her mother of her apparent condition, she brought her straight to the doctor. However, the doctor couldn''t find anything wrong with her at all and simply write it off as her being tired which caused hallucinatory effects. So Alicia went to bed earlier but the results are still the same. It was only because there were no apparent symptoms to her health that she went to school. "Very well," Irene rolled her eyes, slicing off a piece of toast with her knife. "We can tell your father about it when he gets back." Speaking of Alicia''s father, he had gone on a business trip last week. But, Alicia had only started to feel her body heating up after Ronald flew off in the airplane so he didn''t know his daughter''s predicament. And they couldn''t call him either. His smartphone broke so he had to use an old Nokia and it was out of range when Irene tried to call him. "Anyway," Irene continued. "Today should be Matilda''s funeral day, correct." "...Yes," Alicia said solemnly. "I will go to the cemetery with Owen after school if that is alright with you." Owen Ruze, Alicia''s childhood friend. Being the same age as her, he led a rough life. His mother died giving birth to him and Owen''s father, Joshua Ruze, suddenly went missing on work overseas when he was eight years old. Since then, his grandmother looked after him but she sadly passed away three years later. However, Owen''s father and Alicia''s father were close friends, so he would naturally help his son. Now, Ronald is currently Owen''s legal guardian so he could be considered to be Alicia''s step-brother or something, but he wasn''t fully adopted. Also, Alicia''s father covered his tuition fee and other expenses and his apartment rent. Owen insisted on staying there. "Of course it will be fine," Irene said. "But I will have to come to pick up your father at the airport so I could not come with you, forgive me, dear." "It is alright, mother."
"I am going now, mother." Alicia greeted as she puts on her shoes. Her res school bag over her shoulders "Do you need your coat, dear?" "...No, I do not think so." Even though there is still snow, Alicia doesn''t feel cold as the blazer was sufficient. Owen doesn''t even wear it. As she passed through the door opened by a butler, the gardener sweeping away the snow in the front yard gave a nod to her as she entered the black antique car that existed for generations. "Good morning, young mistress Bell." The old man driving this car, Liam, greeted her. "Good morning, Liam. After school, I am going to visit Matilda''s grave with Owen. So he will be coming with us by then." "Understood, milady," Liam nodded with respect for the deceased as he turned the car key. The engines howled violently like how an old car should. He pushed the clutch down, pulled the gear, and droved the car out of the gate opened by the house guards. As the old car went down the bustling street towards Bell Academy, it passed through a car that was all too similar to it. Inside, two figures eyed the old car maliciously.
SCREECH CLICK "Here we are, young mistress Bell," Liam said as he opened the door lock. "Have a nice day." Ten minutes before class starts, the old car arrived at the front gate of Bell Academy. Bell Academy''s building was designed to be that of an old European school. Well, it was more like a university. Right now, it had two separate buildings to house so many students enrolling and a third building was in the works. The second building even had a large belltower on top of it, ringing its bell when it''s time to learn. It was primarily a business school as it focuses on teaching business, economics, and the like as the root of this school was of business. But it still teaches science-related subjects though not as intensive but knowing them will be useful in businesses in that area. "Yo, Alicia!" In the front gate, a boy greeted Alicia while lifting his hand up. She knew this boy, he was her childhood friend, Owen Ruze. He was shorter than her, ten centimeters shorter. He had a short spiky hair as white as snow and a pair of ice-blue eyes. He wore a white buttoned shirt emblazoned with the Bell Academy crest, light-blue trousers, and a pair of white shoes - another uniform of Bell Academy. VROOM "Hello, Owen." As the old black car drove away, Alicia greeted back her childhood friend wearing a different uniform than her. Bell Academy was a school that enforces the dress code of a uniform. It was to prevent any rift between students due to what they are wearing. However, because schools in this country normally don''t enforce uniforms, Alicia''s father decided to get creative For the emblazoned shirt, you have a choice between black and white. For blazers, there are over eight different colors to choose from. These are blue, light blue, red, light green, yellow, brown, black and white. Then are three more absurd color schemes like a half white half light green, half black half dark red, half dark green half brown with one half on one side and the other half at the other side. Naturally, no one picked these. Oddly, a green color doesn''t exist. This also applies to trousers and skirts. You can mix and match those colors according to your tastes. Blazers are optional to wear and female students have the option to wear trousers instead. Expensive accessories and the kind are not allowed to prevent loss. "It is still unusual for you to greet me in the front gate," Alicia continued as Owen accompanied her to the main building. "What is with the change?" "Uh... Why not?" Owen shrugged. "That is not a good answer." Alicia sighed at her childhood friend''s recent demeanor. Usually, he would be in class, sitting in the back row near the window, minding his own business. Alicia would sit at the desk next to him. Now, why would the daughter of the founder of this school sit in the back row? Well, Owen liked the back seat and Alicia was used to sitting beside him for... personal reasons regarding him. "Let''s just get to class before we''re late," he said as he brushed off her question. And there it is again, she thought. But since last week, since she experienced these weird sensations, Owen too has been acting unusual such as waiting for her in the front gate and dodging her questions. Well, I will have to trust him to have a very good reason for it.
"Alicia! Your hand!" Owen shouted. "Huh? Ah!" Alicia, who was droning off, yelped as she realized that her hand has been over the fire from the stove that was a little too tall. CLICK Quickly, she turned off the stove and then ran her hand over the tap water that Owen opened. She felt the stinging sensation as the cold water soothes her hand turned red by the fire. Why did I not feel it? Is it leprosy? To find that out, she lightly pinched the skin of her same hand and felt pain. So it was not the case. "You alright?" Owen asked concerningly. "Y-Yes, I am." But her mind was not. Apparently, she could not feel any sort of pain when her hand touched the fire. This was definitely a first as the cooking class was done once in a while. Well, I suppose it is more things to ask father about it, she thought as other students whose attention was diverted to Alicia and Owen resumed their work.
DING DONG DING DONG As the bell tower of the second building tolled, Alicia saw the familiar black antique car right in front of the open gate. "Ah, crap!" Owen cursed. "Language, Owen," Alicia scolded. "What is it?" "I forgot something, I''ll catch up to you!" Owen answered as he ran back to school. "Alright, I will wait in the car then," Alicia said as she continued on to the car. CLICK "Hello, Liam." Slumping her school bag on the seat, she greeted the- "Who are you!?" Because instead of the elderly man in the driver''s seat it was some large bald man. Alicia could see from the bare reflection of the front glass that he was grinning ear to ear. "Agh!" But then, someone from behind wrapped his arms around her neck. But she only felt pressure on one part of her neck. Alicia struggled for a bit, but soon darkness enveloped her vision. "Got her," he said, laying the unconscious Alicia down. "Let''s go!" VROOOM And the black antique car drove away. "Damn, couldn''t find it anywhere." Owen groaned out loud as he ran back to the gate. "Huh? Where''s the car?" SCREECH And right on cue, the black antique car stopped in front of him. "Apologies, young master Ruze." The car window was lowered to reveal the elderly driver, Liam. "Due to an encounter with some... hoodlums I have arrived late for five minutes." He looked around, not finding Alicia. "Where is young mistress Bell?" Alicia Chapter 1.2: An Unusual Morning - Part Two "What do you mean the call is unreachable!?" "It says here, ''the number you have dialed cannot be reached''." "What the hell, did he change his number or something?" As blood circulated enough oxygen back to Alicia''s brain, she heard two men arguing amongst themselves. They were two men wearing matching grey winter jackets and jeans. One of them was a large man, wearing a beanie under what she assumed to be his bald head. The other was a skinny man, at least half the size of the former, holding a smartphone. Her school bag was also there. Looking around, she was in a large room, probably meant for huge gatherings. But it seemed unused for a long time; there were piles of chairs on the corner and several parts of the wallpaper decorating the hall was torn off. Alicia tried to get up but felt resistance. Looking down, she was tied to a pillar in a sitting position. She also found her mouth covered with a cloth. And despite wearing stockings, she still felt the ceramic floor in the last days of winter under her thighs. What happened? She asked herself, recollecting her memories before falling unconscious. I entered the car and saw someone else driving a car instead of Liam. Then, someone from behind choked me. Ah! She was abducted by them. The large man was the fake driver and the skinny man had choked her from behind. But why? "C''mon," the skinny man said frustratingly. "We''re getting close making a huge buck!" Ah, of course.
"What''s wrong, Alicia?" Ronald asked, seeing that his daughter was down. "Did something happened in school?" "I broke up my friendship with Kathryn." "Why? She seemed to be a nice girl." "And that is why. She is only nice to me because my family is rich!" "...Ah, I see." "Did I do the right thing?" "Well, it is for the best." He rolled his eyes. "It is better to end a friendship bought with money than letting it continue when you know that it would end if you lost the money." "Then who would be friends with me for just me and not for money?" "Hmm, I know it''s hard to find people who would be friends with you for who you are. But, you do have someone who is your friend for who you are, right?" "...Yes." Little Alicia cheered up. "Owen is friends with me for what I am. "And I pushed him away..." Upon the realization, she clasped her mouth. "Oh no... I-" "And that is why you should cherish the few true friends you have," Ronald said as he pulled his handkerchief and wiped his daughter''s tears. "Come on, we''ll go to Joshua''s apartment so you can make up with him."
"Oh, I know!" the skinny man exclaimed. "Go grab that girlie''s phone, it''s got her mom''s contact. We''ll just call her!" "Right, boss!" The large man said and rummaged through Alicia''s school bag. "It''s not here, boss." "Then it''s on her person." The skinny man stood up and turned around. "Oh hey, the lass is awake." Oh no! "Now don''t be scared, girlie," the skinny man said in an unsavory tone as he approached her. "We just need-" BASH But suddenly, the double door was busted open and revealed a boy in a white buttoned shirt and light-blue trousers. Owen? "Get away from her, ugly!" he shouted. TZANG Hearing a noise resembling a magical gunshot, Alicia watched Owen, who was still shorter than the skinny man, made an impossible jump high enough for him to place his knee on the skinny man''s face.
A few moments ago... "Apologies, young master Ruze. Due to an encounter with some... hoodlums I have arrived late for five minutes. Where is young mistress Bell?" Suffice to say, the old driver''s innocent question had turned both men young and old into a frenzy. Owen, having realized that Alicia had entered the wrong identical car, that meant one thing. She was abducted. From what Owen guessed, the kidnappers somehow got a replica of the old car and knew that Liam would always arrive on time down to the second. So their idea was to somehow cause Liam to arrive late, arrive at the school with the fake car themselves, trick Alicia into the car, and knock her out. Owen assumed that they didn''t account for himself joining since it''s only for today. Damn it, of all time he had forgotten his favorite pen that somehow ended up in the bathroom and went back for it. Explaining it to Liam was easy as now Owen was in the speeding car. The elderly driver, whose face is white as a sheet, pushed the pedal hard and furiously switching gears to accelerate the car even further. "Turn right!" Owen instructed the elderly driver. "It''s got less traffic!" "Yes, sir!" Liam turned the wheels without losing speed, making a solid drift. SCREEE~ However, while that road has less traffic, it was only comparable and they were forced to stop for a red light with a bunch of cars in front of them. "Curse you traffic jams appearing just because I''m five minutes late." Liam curled his hand to a fist. Now, your asking, how do they know where they are going? GPS Alicia''s father, Ronald Bell, installed a freaking shoe tracker, hooked up to multiple gadgets including Owen''s phone, under her shoes like she was some child. Owen swore that he had definitely put one in his shoes too. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But, no matter how Alicia wouldn''t like her father for doing so, it has certainly proved useful for finding where she was taken to. SCREECH "We''re here," Owen declared, the res dot on his phone had already stopped at one location for a while. "There''s the car," Liam pointed out. Owen could see the fake car parked under a building. He could see how Alicia would mistake that car for her own if the license plate was not read. As for the building, it was an abandoned building, its paint had worn out and the walls are covered in moss, a perfect place to hide hostages. "Liam, I''m going in." Owen declared. "Go home and tell Irene about it." "Right, I will get to the manor as fast as I can." The elderly driver nodded. While any sensible adult wouldn''t let someone like Owen go into a criminal''s hideout, Liam knew him well that he would be fine. "Should I call Oswald when I''m back to the manor too?" Liam asked since he doesn''t carry a cellphone with him and was too illiterate to use Owen''s smartphone (and Owen doesn''t have time to make a call). "Yeah... we probably should''ve called him from the start." "...Yes, we should have." "Oh," Owen stopped halfway out of the car. "There might be a chance that she''ll be back much later." "...Ah, of course." Liam said, knowing what he meant. "Best of luck to you, master Ruze. Do bring back young mistress Bell back." "I will." VROOM Jumping over the fence, Owen dashed into the building. Fortunately, the kidnappers were making enough racket to know which room. Obviously, the door, which was a double door, was locked. "Oh, I know!" A raspy voice was heard inside. "Go grab that girlie''s phone, it''s got her mom''s contact. We''ll just call her!" "Right, boss!" a deeper voice replied. "It''s not here, boss." "Then it''s on her person," the raspy voice said. "Oh hey, the lass is awake." Oh no you don''t, Owen thought. In situations like this, not even his Maneg Soul would be able to hold back his feeling of rushing to his childhood friend''s aid. Looking at the slit between the double door, he placed his hand upon it. I order you, attach to solid structure that I touch with my right hand, spread to 30 cm diameter of object, lower temperature to absolute zero, thus is my order. [Deep Freeze] Owen felt his ice maneg performing his signature Order, stripping away all the thermal energy within the part of the double door he touches. BASH And then, he made a solid kick to the double door, busting it open, surprising every occupant. Inside Owen saw one of the kidnappers, the skinny one, getting too close to Alicia, who was tied up to a pillar with her mouth gagged. "Get away from her, ugly!" Owen shouted as he pushed his legs towards the skinny man. [Eject] 0.01 percent from my left foot. Although he doesn''t want Alicia to see him giving Orders, it should be fine if it''s subtle. So, he quickly gave an [Eject] Order from his left foot to give himself a jumping boost. TZANG And landed his right kneecap to the skinny man''s face.
Upon impact, the skinny man writhed to the floor pass Alicia in agony as Owen landed from his high jump with two feet on the ground. "W-Who the hell are you, kid!?" the larger man screamed, taken aback as his boss was taken down so suddenly. Owen, what are doing here? It is dangerous! was what Alicia would "Don''t worry, Alicia," Owen assured her as if knowing what she wanted to say. "This time, it''s my turn to protect you."
"What happened to you, Alicia!?" Ronald shrieked for his beloved daughter came home with a bruise on her arm. "Owen got picked on again," little Alicia replied. "Tony was going to punch him so I got in front of him to block the punch from getting to Owen. And I also threaten him that if he does not stop, I will not be friends with him. But I do not think it worked."
"Whoever you are," the larger man exclaimed. "You''re not getting out of here!" And he charged at Owen with his fist pulled back. Look out! Alicia''s heart skipped a beat as the larger man thrust his arm to Owen''s face but Owen skillfully ducked under his attack and... CRACK "Argh!" Swung his leg upward between his two legs. But the larger man had only stagger as he held his groin. Owen simply prepared for the next round. SLASH But a slash came at Owen instead. It was the skinny man, whose face was bloodied by the kick, holding a knife. However, Owen dodged the attack by reflex. But as he was distracted by the skinny man''s assault, the larger man came behind him, tackled and pinning him to the ground. "Gah!" Owen groaned. "Well, well, well," the skinny man said in a delirious state. "So you''re a piss boy hiding in the back of a girl!"
"I see, why would Tony pick on Owen?" "It is because of Owen''s hair color. He said Owen looked like a grandpa." "Ugh, this has happened for a long time, me and Joshua had already talked this over with the principal," Ronald complained. "I believe I will have to resort to more... drastic measures." An evil grin formed in his face. Alicia shivers as her father chuckled like a villain.
"So now you wanna be a knight in shining armor, huh!? "Give some space, you big oaf," the skinny man shouted at his partner. "I''m gonna teach this kid what happens when you mess with my face." "Sure thing, boss," the larger man replied as he moved the position of his hold that Owen''s back is exposed. STAB "Gah!" Owen shrieked as the skinny man plunged the knife to his back. No! STAB Stop! But it is useless and Alicia could only watch her only friend being killed. And as if time slowed down with each stab, she recounted her memory of him as to what got them both in this place. STAB He, whose mother''s life was forfeit to bring him to the world. STAB He, whose loving father was lost to the unknown. STAB He, whose grandmother answering to the natural cycle of life. STAB He, who is all alone. STAB He, who regressed into coldness. STAB He, who was not completely cold, for he has a friend. STAB She, the girl who was with him since the beginning. STAB She, who has always shielded him from harm. STAB She, who endlessly done so even if it means dragging her into further solitude. STAB She, who is now in peril and now it is his turn to protect her. STAB He, who had done so and this is what happened. And there is nothing that Alicia can do but simply wallow in despair as her only best friend dies. And slowly, her vision darkens as if to shield her away from witnessing the tragedy that folds. Don''t give up now, Alicia! But then, she heard a voice. He''s still alive! You can still save him! Huh? W-Who? W-Where? Look in front of you! In front? Ah! As she turned her head up, Alicia saw a small but bright tongue of flame. Normally, we should introduce ourselves to each other! But we don''t really have time for that, right!? Then can you help me? Right to chase, eh!? But yes! I''m here to give you a superpower to save your friend there! Then I accept it. Whoa! Not asking why I''m helping you or whether there''s a string attached or something!? I don''t care! Alicia spat, ignoring the voice''s weird antics. I want to save him! Right! Right! Lemme at least make this dramatic. Ahem, now then, step forward and take my Eternal Flame! And Alicia did just that. Oh, and remember to scream REALLY loud! CRACKLE CRACKLE At once, a burst of fire erupted upon Alicia''s bondage, it did not hurt at all. She forced herself up, breaking the burning rope. Looking down, she found her two hands were set ablaze, but it did not hurt. It felt as if it were an extension of her. In fact, her clothing doesn''t seem to be damaged by the flame. But that wasn''t important for Alicia has a friend to save. "Haaaaaaa!" And taking the voice''s last advice, she shouted at the top of her lungs while running to the kidnappers. Surprised by her shout, the skinny man stopped as he was about to plunge another stab to Owen. "What the?" The skinny man turned to the source of the sound... PSHHH Only to be met by Alicia''s burning hands grabbing his face. "Argh!" the skinny man screamed. "Aah!" And the sudden turn of events shocked the larger man backed away, releasing his hold of Owen. "Agh! Let go you b*tch!" The skinny man tried to yank Alicia away from him, but she held on. But because Alicia did not have a proper hold of the skinny man, he was able to push her away. THUD Unfortunately, when the skinny man tossed her away, she hit the back of her head against the wall. Oh no. I can''t pass out now, Alicia thought as her vision began to blurry. "My face! My beautiful face!" The skinny man staggered as he held his face. Between his fingers, the swollen skin of his face was red and full of blisters. "You''ll pay for this! I''ll kill you!" As Alicia falls into unconsciousness yet again, she felt a cold chill. Looking at the skinny man approaching her with pure rage, Owen was right behind him. "Thanks, Alicia," Owen said to her. "I''ll take care of the rest, for real this time." And you did great! Alicia Chapter 1.3: An Unusual Morning - Part Three For as long as he knew, she was with him his whole life. When he was alone, she was there. When others struck him, she shielded him. Sure, she left him at one point. But hey, that was normal school kid stuff and she came back. But he knows that can happen again because of who she is. So, he worked hard, becoming strong himself, strived to make every day full of effort. So that he may stand beside her.
Great, just great. Owen recalled his entire day, or rather the entire week before this whole mess happened. After Ronald Bell flew off from the airport, he felt the presence of a hostless Maneg Soul flying about and landed on Alicia. So, he started showing up at the front gate to escort Alicia instead of slumping his cheek on the table in class. And because he did it on a whim, he can''t explain it to Alicia inquiring him about it. Four days later the thought of telling her mom about the Maneg Soul finally crossed his mind. But Irene already suspected it and he affirmed it. She told him to watch over her daughter and to only tell Ronald via [Telepathy] when the Maneg Soul fully merged. And then it was the day of his grandma''s funeral and Alicia got kidnapped. Fortunately, Ronald''s overprotectiveness of his daughter made it easy for Owen to track her down. But unfortunately, Owen, aside from the first two, with his big brain decided not to fight the kidnappers with Orders. And that resulted in him getting stabbed thirteen times, and the skinny kidnapper probably missed his vital organs on purpose. Then suddenly, the Maneg Soul had successfully merged with Alicia and she burst into flames, burning the rope tying her. She then pounced the skinny kidnapper with her hands covered in fire maneg, burning the guy''s face and frightening the big kidnapper to release him. And for some reason, she did all of that while screaming really loud, but it did spare him from the fourteenth stab. And here he is today. [Coat] all. Considering what happened, this pointless endeavor has to be let go. Getting up, he instinctively used [Coat] to plaster his wounds with ice maneg. Slowly, Owen felt the lumps of ice forming on each stab wounds he has. Again, there was no sense of chill since he''s always cold, but only the searing pain that was still there. Then, he looked toward the skinny kidnapper approaching Alicia who was knocked to the wall with the intent to harm her. Owen knew that he has to stop him. "Thanks, Alicia. I''ll take care of the rest, for real this time." Getting up, Owen thought he might as well thank Alicia and assure her that it''s going to be alright. Follow as I Order, attach to big kidnapper and skinny kidnapper... Two trails of light blue motes that only Owen could see came out of his Maneg Soul and each latched itself onto the two kidnappers. ...do not absorb heat onward... But first, this step was declared. It wouldn''t do if they were killed from the Order itself. ...form 10 cm thick layer on entire body except head... Then, a decimeter-thick layer of ice grew from all over the kidnappers'' bodies up to their necks. It froze the skinny kidnapper as he moved and the big kidnapper in the middle of getting up from the ground right in their tracks. ...repeat last step, repeat last step, repeat the last step... Finally, he uttered the same step over and over which only made the icy prison denser and last longer. And Owen kept doing so until he''s satisfied. "Wha- What the hell is this!?" the skinny kidnapper shrieked, registering the ice forming around his body, pausing him like a photo of a man walking. "I-I don''t know, boss!" the big kidnapper said, his cold bondage left him in an awkward position. Now then, Owen thought as he proceeded to the next step; scaring the living hell out of them. Emotion suppression on. "You won''t be getting out of it," Owen announced in a cold flat voice. He would have cringe for saying that but his suppression prevented such a feeling, at least until it was off. "Wha, y-y-you did this?" the skinny kidnapper muttered in pure terror. "H-How are you still alive!?" After all, he was stabbing the boy a few minutes ago. Rather than telling the skinny kidnapper verbally, the Ice Court Wizard merely showed his back. "Wha, what are you!?" the skinny man exclaimed with shock. The big, who had already seen it, seemed lost for words. "[Rapier]." Ignoring him, Owen uttered one word. And in Owen''s hand, his favorite maneg creation was materialized. He had spent a lot of time designing it and then have his Maneg Soul memorize it so he wouldn''t have to say every decoration step meant to increase its lifespan. He recalled when he was making a new design, Master Alice came by but tripped over the carpet and was almost impaled by his [Rapier]. "Now then." Owen lifted his rapier of ice parallel to his body. "You have tried to kill me, so you must be ready to killed too." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. And Owen pointed the tip to the skinny kidnapper''s neck, touching it. A trickle of blood seeped out which showed how deadly the crystal-like weapon is. "W-Wait! Wait!" the skinny kidnapper pleaded. "I-I can-" "The dead should not speak," Owen interrupted him coldly and he pulled his [Rapier] back for a swing. "N-No! No! Plea-" "Die." SLASH "Aaaaaaaaugh!" He knocked himself out. Of course, Owen didn''t actually kill him. After all, it would be bad if Alicia woke up to find her childhood friend had murdered the kidnappers on top of freezing them. What he did was simply grazing the skinny kidnapper''s burnt cheek. However, that did not destroy the illusion for the big kidnapper that Owen had killed his boss. In combination with Owen''s speech, the rapier had still whipped away some blood away to give the impression that the skinny kidnapper''s throat wad cut. Factoring the angle at which the big kidnapper was looking meant that he wouldn''t know that it was just the cheek. Now, all Owen needed to do was to walk to the big kidnapper linearly to keep it hidden. And that he did. "M-M-Monster!" the big kidnapper shrieked, convinced that his boss was dead. "...Is that all you can say?" Owen asked the rhetorical question. His fellow Court Wizards had been given better or worse insults. "I''ve been called much worse," he continued, but that was a lie as he hadn''t be called anything lower than ''monster'' yet. "P-Please! Spare me! I-I have a-" "This monster doesn''t discriminate." "No! Aaaaaah!" SLASH And just like the other, this man went out cold. Suppression off. And the feeling of embarrassment spread through him like a sour taste in the mouth. You have tried to kill me, so you must be ready to be killed too; the dead should not speak; this monster doesn''t discriminate? Why did I say all of that like some edgy anime protag? Owen thought while palming his face. If Alicia heard this, he would perish from embarrassment. But still, that went better than expected. If the kidnappers weren''t scared to unconsciousness, he would probably have to drop a huge chunk of ice on top of them or something. It was a good thing they don''t have guts. Now that this whole mess was dealt with, all Owen needed to do was to wake up Alicia and he froze. Crap. For he has realized something; how is he going to explain all of this to Alicia once she wakes up? Looking behind the carnage he had caused, Owen plunged himself into the depths of his mind. Let''s see here, two guys frozen from the outside with their head spared like a Yin Yang fish. Not an exact analogy and disgusting but whatever. Both of their faces are slashed with my rapier but are still alive. I just need to explain to her that they''re not dead. No point keeping her from freaking out, if it''s the blood on their faces then it''s the ice. The skinny kidnapper''s face was grilled but that was on Alicia. And Owen turned to see the unconscious Alicia with the back of her two hands resting on the floor still bathed in fire maneg. Wait, her hands are still burning. Now that was unusual. Even out of instinct by the fully merged Maneg Soul, a simple one-step coating command class Order should have expired already. Well, at least she will be more inclined to believe what he will have to tell her if it still persists. In any case, I''m gonna need to show her my [Coat]ed back and convince her to come with me to the Court. Then, I can go to the infirmary. Hopefully, Russel''s not on duty. That guy''s really annoying. As there was nothing else for him to ponder on, Owen steeled himself for what''s to come. He approached Alicia sleeping with her back on the wall. She had hit the back of her head too hard but from experience, Owen was sure that she''s fine. Welp, here goes nothing. "Alicia." Owen grabbed both of Alicia''s shoulders and shook her lightly. "Alicia," Owen called her name again. "Oi, wake up!" "Wha? Uhn..." Alicia groaned as she came to belligerently. "Oh, thank goodness." Owen sighed in relief. "Are you alright, Alicia?" he continued. She''ll probably ask about her hands or the entire scene I made. "Y-Yes... Ah! Owen, your injuries! We have to get you to a hospital!" ...Or that. Owen turned around so that she could see his back. "I''m fine, look." He pointed his frozen back and further explained, "I won''t be dying from blood loss anytime soon and I know a better place to get myself healed." Besides, he had worse than this. But thirteen stab wounds to the back does rank in the top five. "I see. If you say so..." And Alicia gazed down on her burning hands. "Aah!" she yelped, but she had probably realized by then it didn''t burn at all. Then, the fire on her hands extinguished by itself. "O-Owen, what... is this?" she looked at him which inadvertently led her to see what Owen did, "w-what happened here?" "Uh, they''re only out cold, no pun intended. But I kinda had to scare them a bit." "I can see that. You are not the kind of person who would kill people." What Alicia said was true; as far as he could remember, Owen has yet to kill anyone... since his partner stole all the kills. "But what... is all of this?" "...Uh, uhmm." After a moment of silence, Owen could only say one word, "magic." "M-Magic?" Alicia queered. Oh boy, Amelia''s gonna grill me for this. Owen sighed internally but he still has something else to say to her. CREEK But then, the double door made a sound, catching the attention of the two high schoolers. And a bunch of police officers entered the room. Their appearance was surprising, to Alicia. Also, Alicia and Owen knew the officers personally, especially the chief of police in their town itself, Oswald - both of their fathers were acquainted with him. "Apologies, the traffic was too heavy so we had opted to traverse on foot," Oswald said. "But it seems you have taken care of everything, Owen." "Huh? Chief Oswald?" Alicia quipped. "Why did you-." But she instead cycled through the scene that Owen made. "Uh... this is-" "Oh, don''t worry, young mistress Bell," Oswald assured. "We are... in this too." Owen nodded to her when she turned to him. So she switched her question, "Then how did you all find me?" "Your father installed a tracker inside your shoe," Oswald explained. "That''s how we found where you are. That includes Owen too." And Alicia stood there silently. "Father..." she said with an eerie tone. "Hmm." But before she could say anything else, Oswald found the opportunity to change the subject. "I think I know these people," he said, looking at the frozen kidnappers. "Huh, you do?" Alicia asked. "Yes." Oswald pointed at the skinny kidnapper, "this man was a doctor but lost his license." Then he turned to the big kidnapper. "And the other was a hotel owner but went bankrupt, I believe this building was the hotel he had owned." "How do you that, Oswald?" "Well, I have my ways, young mistress Bell." "I-I see..." [Telepathy] John, I''m requesting a transfer. I got a new Court Wizard recruited. Declaring coordinate. While the chief of police and Alicia were talking, Owen decided to take the time to send the message. He put his two fingers behind his ears which Alicia saw. "Hmm? What are you doing, Owen?" she asked. Then... PIING A few moments later, the bright circle of kaleidoscopic light surrounded Owen and Alicia with the later making a cute yelp. "Oh?" Oswald raised his eyebrows. "Leaving already?" "Yeah, gotta bring her there." "I see. Oh, do end your magic on these poor fools." "Right, I end my Order." SHATTER And the maneg formation trapping the kidnappers dematerialized into ice-blue motes. "Thank you." Oswald thanked him. "Owen," Alicia interrupted. "I- What is this?" "Yeah, about that better place to get myself healed, I need you to go there too," Owen said with a smile. "Huh, what!?" And now that he thought about it, he remembered that his transfer to there was without his consent. Apparently, it happens frequently. As the thicker line fully overlapped the thinner one, Owen cleared his throat as his vision was covered in the seizure-inducing visage and said to Alicia. "Welcome to the Otherworldly Court." Alicia Bells Poem O fair maiden How your everyday has withered Your peaceful, mundane life shattered Your eyes to existence you know is no more But worry not little girl For ''they'' will assist you Never abandoning You will find friends there But how shall your pure heart not waver The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.For what ''they'' do You shall hate it Yet the bonds with them makes you stay Tread between choices, woman One or many Vengeance or forgiveness The spear or the shield So grasp your inner self, Alicia With I, within your soul I, who has taken its place in you Granting the eternal flame That takes your soul, not by your will Alicia Chapter 2: The Otherworldly Court PIING The Otherworldly Court Year 1421 As the light died down and the high-pitched sound turned low, Alicia was met with dimness. Turning to her side, Owen was there, thankfully. But he was still gravely injured, yet acted as if he was the picture of health. As much as she wanted to get him to be treated immediately, he did tell her not to worry. He had used ice magic, as he called it, to cover the stab wounds, preventing blood loss. So, Alicia will trust his judgment, hoping that none of his organs were damaged. Gazing down, Alicia was standing on a circular platform. It looked wooden¡­ well, the color anyway. She had softly tapped the platform with her shoe and it felt metallic, hence she looked down first. Focusing her sight, the circle was split into multiple layers of smaller circles with each layer engraved with a similar set of some sort of runic arrays. Looking around, Alicia was in a small circular room, though definitely wider than her room in her small mansion. The room was poorly lit, the only source of light were those monitors around the wall. Wait, those monitors did not have a physical frame around them! It was just a holographic screen floating mid-air, like in those sci-fi movies. Looking up, there was a second floor. Alicia could see this because there was an open space in the middle of said floor. There were railings around the edges to prevent falling, it was perpendicular to the perimeter of the ¡®wooden¡¯ circle Alicia was standing on. She did not see any stairs to go up the second floor, it was probably outside this circular room. Alicia looked at the hovering screens again. Below them were curved desks. There were about four of these desks, and each desk contained six holographic monitors. A similar setup was present on the second floor. There were people in lab coats operating each desk. And all of them are staring at her and Owen. ¡°Welcome back, Owen.¡± One of the operators greeted, then he looked at Alicia. ¡°Is that girl the new Court Wizard?¡± ¡°Court Wizard?¡± Alicia muttered. ¡°It¡¯s what we call ourselves, Alicia,¡± Owen explained. ¡°Yeah, she is.¡± He looked at the operator that asked. In an initiative, Alicia made a bow. ¡°My name is Alicia Bell,¡± she greeted, ¡°nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Bell?¡± Another operator quipped. ¡°Yeah, she is.¡± Owen went silent for a moment and then had the look as if he had forgotten something. ¡°Cr*p, I forgot to tell him. John, notify him for me.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± the operator named John replied and turned his swivel chair back. Who? ¡°By the Mother Souls! Owen, what happened to your back!?¡± a female operator shouted, pointing out Owen¡¯s frozen bloody shirt. ¡°Uh¡­ recruitment process,¡± Owen excused. He suddenly grabbed Alicia¡¯s hand but then paused. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her out.¡± ¡°H-Hey, Owen!¡± Alicia exclaimed in surprise as Owen pushed her back out of the room. He probably opted for that instead of having Alicia see his back. ¡°Will he be fine?¡± the same female operator asked. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re new here,¡± an older operator said. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s been much worse.¡± ¡°But the others didn¡¯t come back like him before¡­¡± ¡°Well, injuries like that are uncommon. But they do come back in a mess from time to time, you haven¡¯t seen it before and now you do. You¡¯ll get used to it. Oh, but I will contact a Life Court Wizard to stand by in the infirmary.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The female operator rolled her eyes. ¡°Still, Alicia Bell, huh? She seems to be a nice lady.¡± ¡°Yeah, best not to disrespect her. It¡¯s her dad paying us and eventually, her,¡± a skinny operator commented. ¡°What? What do you mean!?¡± ¡°Let me explain.¡±
Alicia saw a spiral staircase to her left as Owen pushed her to the right, out of the cylindrical room. He didn¡¯t push her to fast that she would stumble and fall. Similar to the room before, she was met with an empty poorly lit corridor. But slowly, the light at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter. In the middle of the corridor, there was a green glow coming from the sign of an entryway to her right that said ¡®Infirmary.¡¯ However, Owen kept dragging her on, skipping over the place that Owen should¡¯ve been right now. ¡°I¡¯ll go there later,¡± Owen said, guessing what his childhood friend was thinking. SHIING A brief, blinding light washed over Alicia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Whoa¡­!¡± she muttered. It could only be described as a grand courtroom. On the white marble floor, were eleven stands, arranged to make a half-circle. Each stand was decorated with a banner. Starting from the farthest to Alicia were: A white and light green banner, white on the outside and green on the inside. There was a cross in the middle of it. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A white banner, with a circle and a four-edged star overlapping it. A blue banner with a picture of a simple water droplet. A bright yellow banner with a lightning strike. Though the color of the banner made it hard for the symbol to be recognized. An ice-blue banner with an intricate snowflake pattern. A light green banner with a tornado. A banner with dark green on the left half and a brown on the other with half of a leaf on the green side and a half of animal footprint on the other. A brown banner with a mountainous picture sewn to it. A red banner with an insignia flame. A black banner with just a hollow circle, colored white to contrast the banner. And finally, a black and red banner, black on the outside and red on the inside and a skull in the middle. In front of the stands was what gave Alicia the impression of a courtroom. Two desks for a lawyer and prosecutor and a witness stand in the middle. However, she could not see a stand higher than the rest as if there wouldn¡¯t be any individual to be in charge of any session in this courtroom. Looking up, Alicia could see a second story, similar to the circular room. There were stairs leading to it in the dim corridor. Inside the wooden balustrade were at least five rows of benches made of wood, each row was elevated to the previous. Oh, there¡¯s also a huge chandelier made in gold hanging in the ceiling, providing the majority of the light source in this hall. However, amidst the elegant hall, there was a podium in the very center of the room. It looked very old, made from stone, and was covered in dirt and mosses. On top of it was a scale that looked unmaintained for years, it has completely rusted that it is unknown what the metal it is. It was like a stain on a pure white sheet of paper. TAP TAP TAP TAP Interrupting her time to marvel, Alicia heard footsteps coming from the same hallway. It sounded like a person who was in haste yet keeping grace. TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP Then he came to view. He was a man, 181 cm tall, with a dark red hair and blue eyes. His chin was poorly shaven, and his face looked like he had not drunk his coffee yet. He wore a red suit which looked fine, but it was not ¨C it was bought in a cheap clothing store. How did Alicia know this? Because¡­ ¡°F-Father¡­!?¡± Alicia gasped. The red suit man stopped dead in his track. ¡°A-Alicia¡­?¡± he muttered, a shock in his face. Yes, the man before Alicia was her own father, Ronald Bell. He turned to Owen. ¡°Owen, what is the meaning of this? Why is my daughter-¡± he paused. He took his breath and calmly said, ¡°Owen, since when a Maneg Soul attempted to merge with her?¡± Maneg Soul? Alicia thought, unaware of what term her father was saying. ¡°A week ago,¡± Owen replied. ¡°Then why did you not inform me?¡± ¡°I forgot.¡± The white-haired boy deadpanned. ¡°Y-You f-forgot?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t John told you about it?¡± ¡°Well, he only told me that a new Court Wizard was recruited from our world, so I rushed here!¡± Our world? Wait, we are in another world right now!? As in those Japanese and Chinese Light Novels? ¡°What? John only tell you that?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Alright, time to stop this. ¡°Father? Owen?¡± Alicia interrupted with a smile, but the tone was harsh. ¡°¡±Y-Yes, Alicia/my daughter?¡±¡± Both of the boys weakly turned their heads towards her. ¡°Do you mind explain¡­ what is happening here!?¡±
¡°I thought of coming in to surprise the new Court Wizard,¡± Alicia¡¯s father, Ronald, meekly explained. ¡°You know, meeting a famous person they¡¯re familiar with, but I didn¡¯t expect it was you, my daughter.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Alicia said, her blue eyes are completely unamused. They were in the infirmary back at the dim hallway. Unlike the hallway, the infirmary was brightly lit. It had everything that an infirmary should have like cabinet filled with medicines and the like. There was also a door to another room labeled ¡®Scanner Room¡¯. ¡°Damn, Owen. Thirteen stabs in the back and you¡¯re still alive?¡± Said a man in a white poncho. He was 15 cm taller than Owen and had a short brown hair and eyes. ¡°What? You expect something else, Russel!?¡± Owen yapped in an annoyed tone. ¡°It¡¯s a compliment,¡± Russel replied with a taunting voice. ¡°Grr¡­¡± Well now, Owen holding a decent conversation with someone else, albeit in an aggressive manner, was something new to Alicia. He had only ever talked to her. In the infirmary, Owen sat on a stool with his bloody shirt taken off, exposing his skinny figure (Alicia was unfazed looking at her childhood friend half-naked, definitely). The ice covering his wounds had also melted, though Alicia could have sworn that the ice evaporated instead. The man in the poncho, Russel, stood behind his back and waved his hand over it. LAAA~ In a clear angelic like sound, green light came from Russel¡¯s hand along with green nodes. The nodes landed on Owen¡¯s back and slowly, the holes on his back began to close up. Soon, they were gone, no scars remain. Alicia stood there in awe as the ¡®healing magic¡¯ healed her childhood friend. But Russel happened to glance at her and ¡°Hey Owen, is she your girlfriend?¡± To that, both Alicia and Owen flustered at his remark and shook their heads profusely. ¡°Then can I-¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Ronald coughed. ¡°You are a man in the cloth, correct?¡± he calmly said, but a popped vein on his forehead said otherwise. Awkwardly, the priest stammered as he tries to shift to a different topic and looked at Owen putting on a fresh shirt. ¡°A-Anyway, how did you get these anyway?¡± Russel asked, pointing at Owen¡¯s healed back. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Owen looked at Alicia and then to Ronald. Russel made a look like he had made a bigger problem, as he realized it just now. Alicia simply nodded. Her father will know anyway. In resignation, Owen took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alicia got kidnapped.¡±
Suffice to say, Ronald overreacted upon hearing the first sentence from Owen. But he eventually relented after hearing the story. ¡°I see,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are safe, Alicia.¡± Ronald turned to Owen. ¡°And thank you, Owen, for rescuing my daughter.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Owen shrugged. Ronald looked at Alicia. ¡°I should¡¯ve sent Clint and Alexa to watch over you,¡± he sighed. Father¡­ Alicia internally cringed. As much as Alicia loved her father, he was too overprotective. Last year, she busted Clint and Alexa, her house security staff (who happened to be married to each other), secretly watching her and Owen visiting the local orphanage. She had berated her father to not do that anymore. Well, now that she actually got kidnapped, her father definitely wished he didn¡¯t cave in to her demand. After her father calmed down, it was time for answers. And Alicia¡¯s father noticed it too. ¡°All right.¡± Ronald took a deep breath in defeat. ¡°This place¡­ this world is called the Otherworldly Court.¡± The Otherworldly Court is an inter-dimensional organization made up of people of all ages, gender, race from many different worlds. What makes them common is that they are granted mystical powers which source is from the very world the Otherworldly Court is based. And because the powers granted looked like magic, they called themselves ¡®wizards,¡¯ Wizards of the Otherworldly Court, or simply called ¡®Court Wizards¡¯. ¡°Then are you a Court Wizard too?¡± Alicia asked. ¡°Yes. Your grandfather was too.¡± Court Wizards are tasked to watch over worlds and protect them from whatever that could spell their demise. ¡°I see¡­¡± Alicia gasped in awe. A group of people granted magic and transferred to many different worlds to preserve its balance? It is something straight out of a fantasy book. ¡°There are more things you should know,¡± Ronald continued. ¡°But this isn¡¯t exactly a good place to discuss about it.¡± ¡°I understand, father,¡± Alicia said. For one thing, Alicia is one for being patient and open-minded. ¡°Thank you for understanding, my daughter.¡± ¡°But one more thing.¡± ¡°Hm? What is it you want to know?¡± ¡°Does mother know about this?¡± ¡°¡­Y-Yes, and all the maids and butlers too. In fact, I would like to talk this over at home. It¡¯s also getting late anyway.¡± ¡°I see. Then let us go home.¡± Alicia stood up from the bed she was sitting on, there weren¡¯t any more chairs. ¡°All right,¡± Russel interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m gonna head out.¡± He looked at Owen. ¡°And props for taking a knife for your girlfriend, Owen.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Owen shouted, cheeks red. But the priest was long gone. But Owen did not exactly deny his statement though¡­ Alicia pondered for a moment before blushing deeply. What am I thinking? There is no way, right? And thus was Alicia¡¯s first day in the Otherworldly Court. Alicia Chapter 3: Conversation in the Evening PIING ??? Earth Year 2018 CREEK "My little girl!" "Eek!?" Alicia yelped as her head was pulled into the darkness. It felt soft and there was the smell of shampoo that she was all too familiar with. She had finally got back to her home after visiting Owen''s grandmother''s grave when someone suddenly embraced her. "Oh, I am so glad you are safe!" Alicia''s mother hugged her tightly. "I almost lost my heart when Liam told me you were kidnapped. Thank you, Owen, for saving my daughter." "Eh, you''re welcome." Owen shrugged. "Irene," Alicia''s father, Ronald, called. "Perhaps you should release our daughter before she suffocates." "Oh my! You are right." And Irene, Alicia''s mother, lifted her head from her cleavage. Why does my mother have such... maturity when I have not developed at all, Alicia internally complained as she gasped for air. Glancing past her mother''s shoulder, Alicia could see Liam, her old driver, with a bandage on his head, sobbing his eyes out. She could also see all the other mansion staff she grew up with, looking behind the walls. "Young mistress!" Liam cried, blowing his nose with a handkerchief. "You''re safe! Oh, forgive this old man for his incompetence. I should have turned those ruffians away when they asked me for directions! I''m such a fool...!" "Okay, okay." Alicia tried to calm the elderly driver down. "It is alright, I am safe now." "Oh, thank you, young mistress. You are too kind." Liam bowed down profusely. He turned to Owen. "And thank you, Owen. For saving the young mistress," he said, and he received a shrug from Owen. "Liam, you will get dizzy." "Apologies, young mistress. I''ll take my leave immediately, excuse me." And he turned to the staff, in a butler fashion. "Everyone, chop-chop." Clapping his hands. "We must prepare our lords'' nightly supper." And the mansion workers dispersed. "All right." Once Irene composed herself, she turned to the boys, demeanor changed. "Owen, Ronald, is my daughter a Court Wizard now?" ""...Yes, ma''am/Irene.""
It was decided that the discussions about the Otherworldly Court will be out off until dinner. In the meantime, Alicia went on her usual routine that was interrupted when she returned home. Taking a shower, she thought about that healing magic Russel did on Owen as she was cleaning off the dirt on her body. She scuffled a bit towards the skinny bald man that did those injuries to Owen. Putting on her casual nightwear, Alicia remembered the uniforms the operators on that circular room worn, a baggy hooded robe which color she could not identify due to lack of lighting. Quite an odd choice considering what manner of technology they are operating. Setting up her school books for tomorrow... she realized that she had lost her bag after her kidnapping, but then she saw it beside her desk. Well, she did saw the family limo that was hijacked by those kidnappers parked in the garage. Speaking of those kidnappers, Alicia wondered about the voice that sounded into her mind, that powerful voice that compelled her to ''take its flame'' which granted her the power to fight those kidnappers and save her childhood friend that tried to save her. Well, Owen did freeze the kidnappers in the end when she was knocked out. And what was that name Owen said? Ah, Court Wizard. And she paused. "I really can not stop thinking about it..." Alicia muttered, slotting her books into her red bag.
"So tell me, father," Alicia asked, pausing her motion of cutting her supper. "Why did you never tell me about this? About the Otherworldly Court, Court Wizards, and everything else." They are now in the dining room eating dinner prepared by the chef. Tonight''s menu was grilled sirloin as cow meat was discounted in the supermarket. Owen was invited too, with some insistence from Alicia herself. Everyone was silent when Alicia finally started what was left off in the other world. Her father, Ronald, stood there silently. Putting his knife and fork on his plate, he folded his hands and said, "It''s... because of the nature of being a Court Wizard itself." "Why is that?" "Well, it is not... the best kind of job." "Is it because it is dangerous?" "...No, not really. We, Court Wizards, don''t go down and directly fight. Rather, we operate in the shadows. Doing subtle changes that impact the events of a world, but we can go public if we need to. However, it is how we do such changes is what I don''t want you to go through. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "I know it firsthand and it''s a rather sensitive subject for me, so forgive me for not wanting to tell you my experience." "I see." In other words, the Otherworldly Court is the secret organization type that made its members do horrible things to preserve the world, or in this case, worlds, that her father would rather not talk about. "I don''t want you to be a Court Wizard," Ronald continued. "But I can''t stop you. And I''m not talking about how you are a Court Wizard now." "Then what is it?" "Hmm... Call it fate if you will. There is no stopping us from leaving the Otherworldly Court, but no matter what, you will still get involved in the Otherworldly Court, one way or another. Heck, I''m supposed to be retired by tradition, but came back from time to time." "I see..." "And it also pertains to why I never told you of this. Simply knowing the Otherworldly Court heavily increasing the chances of becoming a Court Wizard." "Is that why you never told me?" "Yes, and please forgive me for never telling you this." "We do not want to shoulder the burden of a Court Wizard," her mother explained. "I know what your father has gone through." "I see," Alicia rolled her eyes. "I understand, it is alright, father, mother." "Thank you, my little girl." Irene smiled. "Now then," Ronald continued. "We will move on to the next topic." Ronald laid his fork down and presented his left hand facing up. CRACKLE CRACKLE And a tiny red flame appeared on his hand. WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH It then twirled around, resembling a tornado. "...Aah~" Alicia gasped in awe. The flame was real and its movement could not be a simple trick, her father could definitely not perform magic tricks. "We call this power ''maneg'' and what gave us this power is called a ''Maneg Soul''." Maneg Soul... father did say this in that world. "I will have Owen explain in detail later, like how Maneg Souls work. But what I want you to know is that Maneg Souls... alter our mind." "Alter our mind?" "Oh, but don''t get the wrong idea. It''s not in a bad way. Maneg Souls only hypnotize us in two things. The suppression of our fear when confronted in danger, allowing us Court Wizard for level-headed judgment. The second is to easily bond with other Court Wizards, friendship essentially." That does not sound bad at all. "Now then," Ronald said. "Even though we always ended up going back, we thought it will be good for each of us to give ourselves a reason for staying. But you don''t have to find it now, most of us only have the reason months after service. I''m telling you this to let you know." "Then what is your reason, father?" "Er... Family tradition." "...Um, what?" Ronald cleared his throat "It started from the founder of Bell Conglomerate eighty-six years ago, he was a Court Wizard too. At that time he was pretty much penniless, and so kept on being a Court Wizard as he doesn''t have anywhere to go. "He went to many worlds, learning values and hardships along the way. He learned a lot, especially marketing which is how he came back here and started the Bell Conglomerate and build the company into success in a single generation. Afterwards, he decided to make it so every time a descendant of the Bell family becomes a Court Wizard, they do the same as him. "But, family tradition was the initial reason I stayed. But eventually, I have discovered even more." "I-I see..." Alicia smiled wryly. So that''s how Bell Conglomerate came to be? Her family must''ve been deeply rooted in the Otherworldly Court. She glanced at Owen quietly eating his meal and got curiosity the better of her and asked, "Then what is your reason to stay, Owen?" Pausing, Owen took his time registering his childhood friend''s innocent remark. Putting down his eating utensils, he answered one word, "Dad." "W-What?" Alicia widened her eyes. "I''ll... explain," Ronald interrupted. "Joshua''s a Court Wizard too, we were even partners back in our day. It was eight years ago, we were minding our business when a rupture suddenly appeared and whisked him away. We have never found him since." "Ah..." So that was how Owen''s father, Joshua Ruze, was missing? "But then couldn''t he just used telepathy magic or something?" Alicia asked. "I saw Owen do it." "Erm... it''s not so simple." Ronald rebutted. "You see, if a Court Wizard travels to another world not with what Otherworldly Court uses, the Transporter Room that brought you in, that Court Wizard will lose his power temporarily and will find it difficult to recover it, very difficult. Also, there are also additional penalties to it that you would rather not hear." "Really?" So for eight years, Owen''s father was stranded in who-knows-where without any means of contact? "But nevertheless, he is definitely out there somewhere. We have a system that allows us to know that he is alive and I have been searching for him until Owen became a Court Wizard. Since then, I gave the task to him as he should do it as my longtime partner''s son." "I see." Alicia turned to Owen. "Have you have any luck finding him, Owen?" "...Not really. Right now, I''m just going to random worlds and ask around where dad is." "I see..." "Well then," Ronald continued, moving on from the subject. "I still haven''t explained all that you needed to know, such as how bad the administration the Otherworldly Court has." Really? Alicia mused, how bad could it be? "I will not ask you about joining, you have to. But, I will ask you this." Alicia noticed that her father started to speak sternly. "While being a Court Wizard doesn''t mean you will risk your life, it isn''t all fun and games. But, will you still stay in the Otherworldly Court?" With that declaration, Alicia looked over the facts. A Court Wizard does dirty work in the shadows that her father would rather not want her to do. Maneg Souls, the thing that granted her ''fire magic,'' gives subtle mind alteration that would suppress her fear in the midst of danger and makes her more friendly to other Court Wizards. Glancing at her mother, she was unusually silent in this whole manner. By intuition, she sensed that her mother had longed accepted the fact that her daughter might become a Court Wizard, yet a hint of sadness And so, she decided to ask a question. "Owen, how long have you been a Court Wizard, searching for your father?" "...Five years. Since grandma died." "Ah..." So for five years, her childhood friend has been searching for his father, right after his grandmother passed away. That also meant that he had been a Court Wizard since he was eleven, since primary school. And I never knew about it... It''s decided then. "All right," Alicia declared. "I will do it." Granted, she was also curious about the world(s) that her childhood friend got into. Also, she could help him find his father, like she always did since young. And whatever that Owen had to do could not be that bad, right? "I see..." Her father sighed, rolling his eyes. "Then I will welcome you to the Otherworldly Court." "Thank you, father." "Oh, please be careful, dear." Irene suddenly hugged her daughter again. "I do not want my little girl to be hurt." "M-Mother, it is too tight!" And thus, Alicia Bell became a new Court Wizard into the Otherworldly Court. "Dear," Irene called her husband, releasing her daughter out of her hold, a bit. What was it that she wants? "Yes, I know," Ronald replied. "Hm? What is it, father?" Alicia asked. Glancing at Owen, he looked like he knew what was going to happen and simply rolled his eyes. "Well, my daughter," Ronald begin. "It''s... about your mother." "What about mother?" Taking a deep breath, her father dropped this, "Your mother is from another world, and a former noblewoman at that." "...I see. Wait, what!" Alicia Chapter 4: Mother Is From Another World! CRACKLE CRACKLE "Aah!" Irene screamed as burning wood fell upon her. "Irene!" her relative shouted in despair. WHOOSH BLAST However, another flame in the shape of a sphere flew towards it, destroying the would-be end of the blonde woman. She looked to where the fireball came from. "S-Sir Ronald!? Sir Joshua!?" she gasped, seeing the familiar men. "What are you doing here!?" "There''s no time to explain!" Ronald shouted. "We''re getting all of you out!"
Ronald reminisced for a moment before looking back at her daughter, Alicia, with her mouth agape and in shock. Well, it was how you expect her to react. "Hmm," he hummed. "Where to begin?" "I believe you should explain to her about my homeworld first, dear," Irene, his wife, said. "Right." Ronald faced his daughter and paused in awkwardness. "Um..." Alicia too was a bit embarrassed after shouting in surprise. Owen simply sipped his tea, waiting for the long night silently. "You know your grandfather, Allister?" Ronald asked. "Yes," Alicia answered. Her grandfather, Allister Illyer, was her mother''s father. "...You mean?" "Yes," Ronald nodded. "He''s a duke from a world called Spiri Raia in a kingdom called Kirash." "Kirash?" Alicia muttered, not repeating the last word her father said but because she has heard that name before. "Now, there''s a complicated situation happening in that kingdom. But long story short, this Kirash kingdom was in a political war as the king at that time was about to pass. There were two princes that were heir to the throne, the first prince Albert al Kirash, and the second prince Van va Kirash." "Wait," Alicia stopped. "Albert... Kirash... Uncle!? And what is with the ''al''s and ''va''s between their names?" Albert Kirash was Alicia''s uncle who was a part of the family for marrying Alicia''s aunt, her mother''s younger sister. "Yes," her father nodded again. "Your uncle was a prince. Also, nobles and royalties in Spiri Raia have two or three letters of their first name as a middle name, no capitals. "Anyway, simply put, the first prince, your uncle, was the good guy while the second prince, his half-brother, was the bad guy. "Now you do know your uncle correct?" "Yes." As far as Alicia remembered, her uncle was a good, hard-working, and honest man. "And that''s the problem," Ronald deadpanned. "He was too good. "The second prince, Van va Kirash, was the opposite of your uncle, unscrupulous and manipulative. However, that made him quite the schemer too. "In the battle for the throne, he managed to coax a lot of nobles taking your uncle''s side to him be it bribery, blackmail, promises, and the like. Those who refused suddenly found their household ''mysteriously'' destroyed. "And that made Albert''s power to claim the throne weaker as his number of supporters diminish. To make matter''s worst, the king preferred the second prince over the first - as he favored the mistress who gave birth to him-, so that didn''t help him either." "So what does grandfather have to do with this?" Alicia asked as her father catch his breath. "Was he uncle''s main supporter or something?" "Well yes," Ronald said. "In fact, it was the reason Albert''s held out for so long. "For some context, the Illyer duke family started by the brother of a king many generations ago. Meaning they have royal Kirash blood. "Now, that isn''t the only thing that made the Illyer''s powerful. They also happen to be very accomplished. A couple of decades ago, the Kirash kingdom was at war with the invading Fichs empire, and it was three to one in Fichs'' favor. However, your grandfather happened to lead the defense and was able to push them back. "And that made the Illyer family more powerful and popular with the masses. Unrealistically enough to shoulder an entire faction." "And I am assuming that grandfather did not fall into the second prince''s tricks?" Alicia deduced. "Correct," Ronald said. "In fact, I recall him openly expressing his dislike for the man." "Why yes," Irene nodded. "In fact, I never remember father bringing me or my sister to the palace. He said that a ''big bad wolf'' was out to get us there. And usually, Albert comes to our home himself." "I-I see..." Alicia smiled wryly. "Then Van must have tried to get rid of grandfather." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "Even though the Illyers were very important to the Kirash kingdom, it seemed that the second prince decided to remove them as they were uncooperative. And it is here where we open the second can of worms." He then took out his smartphone and showed this picture, the logo of Bell Conglomerate. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Huh?" Alicia tilted her head. "What about the company?" "My father, your grandfather, Alan, thought it would be a good idea to set up the company in not just Spiri Raia, but other worlds as well." Ronald deadpanned. Alicia blinked. "...What?" "Because as we," Ronald explained, "the Otherworldly Court, discover more worlds, we found it harder expending the resources we have to gather information in all of those worlds. And that was when father had the idea. "The plan was to install a ''Bell Branch'' in major towns or cities in a world. Then, we hire a manager, and anyone else necessary, native to that world that we can trust our secret with and sympathetic to our cause. "As a mercantile business, it wouldn''t be strange for the workers to gather information, though nothing too sensitive - we''ll gather those ourselves-, and then give it to their superior unknowingly that they''ll compile them and hand it over to us. "It was a bold idea, but we always welcome such things if it meant to pursue our goal and so it was approved. "Besides, it also meant we can obtain those world''s currencies so we don''t have to keep paying Court Wizards gold bars or jewelry - but not too much taken that it would collapse the economy. And yes, we are paid for doing Court Wizard work." Well, Alicia had the impression that being a Court Wizard would risk your life, so at least compensations should be given. "But then what does it have to do with grandfather Allister, father?" she asked. "Because we decided that Albert should take the throne. You see, we have observed that Van wanted to go to war with the Fichs empire, and long story short it could cause consequences that go against our tenet. "And conveniently, the Bell Branch I set up in the Illyer territory happened to thrive really well, so much so that Allister invited the manager. And me and Joshua invited ourselves as well." "It was surprising," Irene added. "We all expected the old manager, but then you two came as well, introducing yourself as the heir to the company and the branch''s true purpose. Then you scrambled to make a follow-up before father gets a bad impression. You must have not thought it through." "Well, I didn''t realize revealing yourself being a member of an organization from another world would be very suspicious," her husband smiled wryly. "Even with good intentions." "Well of course!" Irene snarked. "You offered support for Albert''s faction and protection for my father with absolutely nothing in return. Why it sounded too good to be true." "And we still held our end of the deal, right?" Ronald tried to reason. "We did repel those ''bandits'' and assassins Van sent. And we even saved Allister after he was poisoned." "Yes, and I am thankful for that." "Anyway." Ronald turned to Alicia. "What do you think?" "It was... very surprising. But uncle is here," Alicia remarked. "And all of you as well. Does that mean?" And all were silent as she said the crux of this conversation. Ronald spoke, "We were... caught off guard." "What do you mean?" Alicia asked. Her father took a deep breath and said, "He burned the Illyer mansion." "What!?" "He even ordered his goons burning the mansion to dress up as Fichs soldiers to give himself an excuse to declare war on the empire. Heck, even Albert''s there. So that''s three birds in one stone." "Yes," Irene nodded. "It was very frightening. I almost died from falling debris when you showed up and destroyed it. Then, you got all of us teleported to the Otherworldly Court." "It was unprecedented," Ronald said. "Me and Joshua were at other businesses when the operators told us that the mansion was burning." "That is horrible," Alicia grimaced. "But then what happened after that. As I said, uncle is still here, so that means Van won. Why did you not send them back to Spiri Raia?" And then another silence occurred before Ronald revealed, "We didn''t allow it." "...What!? Why?" Ronald sighed as he explained, "You see, Alicia, we-"
"We explained it to your grandfather and your uncle and they reluctantly accepted," Ronald finished. "They lost, he won. They were supposed to have peri- died in that burning mansion. We cannot intervene further." "I see..." Alicia nodded solemnly, though the slight change in words her father did pique her interest, but there were more important questions to be asked. "But if that is the case, what happened when Van took the throne?" "Well, fortunately, the war he was looking for didn''t happen," Ronald said in a joy-er tune. "You see, Spiri Raia, if the name didn''t suggest, is a world of spirits and there are ''greater'' spirits that essentially ruled the world like deities. One of them, the greater water spirit, favored the Illyer greatly. So she was furious when she found out the ''fate'' that befell them. "So, just for that instance, we sent back Allister to tell her that they were alive Otherwise, she would have destroyed the kingdom in rage. But since we were trying to prevent the war and doing it by getting Albert to be king failed, we decided to ask the greater water spirit to do it for us in the least destructive way. "She accepted and proceeds to split the kingdom and the empire by filling the border with an entire ocean." "She created an entire ocean!?" Alicia exclaimed. "Yes," Ronald nodded. "And the Kirash kingdom was landlocked so they didn''t have ships to cross the ocean, effectively preventing Van from going to war - not to mention the bad PR he got from angering a greater spirit." "I see... So that is what happened..." Alicia muttered. She was astonished, to say the least. It was an incredible story that''s for sure. "Then what happens next? How were grandfather, mother, uncle, and everyone else here?" "Well, you see, since your mother, Allister, your uncle, and everyone else was ''dead'' in Spiri Raia, they would have to live in the world where the Otherworldly Court is based in which we called it ''Manegia.'' But, we... didn''t have the housings ready, we just had another batch of refugees before them." "And so you offered to let everyone stay here?" "Precisely! It took a bit of throwing my name around, but I managed to convince my superiors to have everyone to migrate here. "After that, we got everyone their identifications and such, quite a hassle since there were a lot. Then comes getting them appropriate jobs, but that wasn''t before getting necessary degrees and qualifications through proper means first." "Ah yes," Irene interjected. "There was so much studying that I could still remember all those complicated material... And kids much younger than me learned these." Alicia could only smile wryly at her mother''s complaint. Coming from a presumably medieval-aged world, knowledge of the 21st century would shock her. "Anyway," Ronald continued. "Remember chief Oswald? He was the head Illyer guard along with the subordinates who were always with him." "I see..." Alicia nodded in understanding. So that''s why her father was particularly ''close'' with the police. "Are there any problems with the migration?" "Well, the Illyers have too many servants. Even when some of them went to the mountain villa, where your grandparents are, there''s still too many that they don''t have enough shares of work. But you already know that." True, peering at the open entrance to this dining hall, some of the many house workers were eavesdropping behind the entrance to the dining hall. That was fine since there were already a bunch of maids and butlers standing inside watching them eating - they really had nothing to do. Then came the important question, "That was... very incredible, to say the least. But why would you go through all of that, father?" Alicia asked. "Simple," Ronald rolled his eyes. "Because I have fallen in love with Irene ir Illyer ever since I''ve met her at the Illyers." "Oh, stop it, dear," Irene clasped her rosy cheek. "You are making me blush." And the ever-increasing gloomy atmosphere turned its head around. "But," Irene continued, rolling her eyes and then opening them. "I will never forget the first time entering this mansion; seeing a middle-aged man sweeping the floor with a broom who turned out to be your father. And he even dressed up for the occasion!" They then talk about a lot of other stuff like how skewed Ronald''s sense of purchasing is when the husband and wife were dating before Ronald finished with, "Tomorrow, you will go to the Otherworldly Court. Owen, please guide her as according to the custom." Alicia Chapter 5: Maneg 101 Manegia (World where the Otherworldly Court resides) Year 1412 KABOOM "What was that!?" Alicia shouted. "I think that was Hans throwing [Explosion] over there," Owen commented as a giant red-orange spherical dome rose over the distance. "And there goes the [Missiles]." BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM "Anyway," Owen continued, unfazed by the explosions. "Welcome to the Training Grounds." "What do you mean by that!?" Alicia exclaimed further. "This is an entire wasteland!" She was right. Everything around them is completely desolate. The ground is entirely ashes and there are many large holes including the [Mini Nuke] and [Missiles] the Court Wizard named Hans set off. It was a stark contrast to the building of the Otherworldly Court behind them. It was that of a three-story castle similar to an ice palace made by a princess (though she should be a queen by that time) in a movie whose studio that made it had a mouse for its mascot. Well, only the bottom part of it, the middle part was of rectangular segments of many different colors: red, green, light blue, brown, black, crimson from where Alicia can see it; the very top of the castle, however, was dull grey and seemed to be an observatory. The castle was surrounded by a moat though no walls are surrounding the castle. Incidentally, Alicia and Owen passed through the western bridge and into the Training Ground (wasteland). "Well, it''s supposed to be a site of a huge battle which made the place completely wasted," Owen explained. "Afterwards, the Court decided to make it more of a wasteland by making the whole area the spot where we can throw whatever Orders we want on it. It''s got a sound-absorbing barrier around it so the neighbors wouldn''t get disturbed." "I see..." "Anyway, recruited Court Wizards like you usually learn everything about the Otherworldly Court in a little over the course of a year, mentored by me, the one who ''recruited'' you, and one other person." "So it is like a school term." "Yeah... that sums it up pretty neatly. Well, for now, I''ll start by explaining to you what Maneg Souls are, and maneg in general." "Maneg Souls? You and father have thrown that term frequently... What is that you pulled out?" Owen simply showed her the cover of a book with the title ''Maneg 101, by Amelia Rickens'' and what seemed to be a bunch of... abstract doodlings by this Amelia Rickens. "Uhm..." Alicia looked at her childhood friend. "Uh... Just in case I forget some terms," Owen excused. "Right..." "If you don''t mind, I''ll go over this with my own words. You can ask me what you don''t understand." "Alright then, sounds good to me." "Okay," Owen flipped the book open, reading it for a moment. "Right, so if we wanna talk about Maneg Souls, we gotta talk about maneg." "Is that the magical source of our powers as Court Wizards?" "Yeah, pretty much. But some of us think that it''s not magic, especially the one who wrote this book, Amelia, even though she described it as magic and then going through an entire paragraph to tell that it''s not." "That... is peculiar." "I know, even I still think it''s magic. Moving on, maneg exists in pretty much every part of the world. When we, the Otherworldly Court, make contact with a new world, through various methods in which only one of them is intentional by us, it gets ''filled'' with maneg from this world, Manegia, the source of all maneg. So we can technically say every world we come across has maneg." "So that means our world originally did not have maneg?" "Yeah. Anyway, before I can explain about maneg further, I need to explain what a Maneg Soul is. "A Maneg Soul is a mass of Maneg formed in a special way that''s very concentrated that it becomes sentient. Now the lifespan of these things is really short. About a day or so." "Wait so then-" "It''s suspected as the reason why it would merge with our souls. The act of merging with us, the ''host''s'' soul allows it to live longer, as long as we are still alive." "So then it wanted to live longer?" "Precisely. And it''s also why it gives us these powers. To keep us alive longer. "When a Maneg Soul enters our soul, it will begin to merge with it. The time taken to merge with the target in which by that time its short lifespan gets prolonged. How long it takes to merge depends on our soul. I took about two weeks." "I see..." So Alicia''s Maneg Soul merged with her twice as fast as him. "Also in the process, we will feel weird things that were never actually there. I''m pretty sure you felt it, right?" "Right." So those fake sensations were her Maneg Soul merging with her soul. Probably relating to her having fire magic. "Then what was yours?" "Eh, my skin feels cold, really cold. And even though I put on the heater on full blast and actually sweat a lot, I still feel cold." "I see..." "Anyway, once the Maneg Soul fully merged with us, whatever makes our soul, our lifeforce or whatnot, gets turned into maneg. Also, those feelings still persist even after our Maneg Souls fully merged with us, but it''s toned down so we can just ignore it. And to give us the edge, the maneg inside our souls will go out to circulate in our bodies like our blood cells." "I see. I understand." "Right. Now we''ll continue with maneg," Owen continued. "Maneg is actually an abbreviation of the words ''mana'' and ''energy.'' Mana because when using it, it looks like magic and mana is the most common term for magical energy. Energy because it acts like energy for some reason." "Huh? What do you mean by that?" "You still remember the conservation of energy back in middle school, right?" "Yes... So that means maneg cannot be destroyed or created, therefore the amount of maneg is constant? But what of this world''s maneg not be constant since it has to fill other worlds with its maneg?" "Well, ''fill'' isn''t the correct word. The process is more complicated and not something for you to learn today. As for your first question, yeah that''s right, in a given world. Also, the maneg stored inside of our Maneg Souls are included as well." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Wait, then what would happen when we travel between worlds? Would our maneg leave us to keep to constant, or not? Or did that already happened to us?" "Yeah, you''re right about the maneg leaving us. But remember the dark room where we transfer to here? That''s a special transfer device that mitigates the problem. "But if that''s not the case, well, you will be in deep trouble because it''s literally your soul leaving you. And... that''s what happened to dad..." "...Wait," Alicia widened her eyes. "Does that mean-" "No," Owen shook his head. "Not all of our maneg will leave. You see, our Maneg Soul consists of two types of maneg, ''loyal maneg'' and ''disloyal maneg.'' Disloyal maneg is the one that will leave us but our loyal maneg stays with us no matter what; what these two are is a topic for another day. So my dad''s fine. But regardless, depending on the disposition of disloyal maneg we have, the effects of having all of them suddenly leaving us can be bad news." "I see..." "Anyway," Owen continued regardless. "Maneg exists in 11 different ''Elements:'' life, light, water, lightning, ice, air, nature, earth, fire, dark, and death. Each of the Elements maneg takes makes it so that the maneg''s properties are that of the element. For example, water maneg will have the properties of a liquid, and light maneg will emit, well, light. "How maneg change its Element depends on its environment it''s in. To turn into a fire maneg, it would need to expose itself in fire or in places with a very high temperature. The maneg then will slowly take its properties as fire. To become air, it would need to be continuously get buffeted by the wind. "Also, our Maneg Soul can only have one Element only." "Wait, since I can use fire magic that means my Maneg Soul is fire correct? And what you said before, I have fire Maneg in my body and since it took fire properties it should be on fire. That would mean I would be constantly on fire inside, then why am I not?" "I''ll explain that. It''s the theory on the structure of maneg." "Its structure?" "Maneg has two parts. An inner core and a shell. The inner core houses the elemental properties and the shell keeps the inside separated from the environment." "I do not understand?" "...Think of it as a plastic bottle of water." "Okay." "The plastic bottle itself is the shell. It makes sure the water inside, the inner core, not leaking out. In shell form, maneg will practically be invisible to whatever form of vision and unable to interact with the environment in whatever form be it physical or not. It can even pass through walls. Does that make sense?" "I think I can understand that." "Right then, now that I''ve covered the outline, let''s start your training. "Let''s start with the basics. Make a generic [Fireball]. It should be easy. I''ll make an example, it''s basically the same thing but it''s ice." Then, Owen put some distance and postured himself. "I order you," he said, "form sphere 30 centimeters in diameter from my left hand, travel at linear direction parallel to my left arm, thus is my Order, [Iceball]!" WHOOSH A light blue ball 30 centimeters in diameter forms from his left hand. The ball of ice immediately shoots out from his hands pointing nowhere and get reduced in size by chunks every two seconds and disappeared completely after twenty seconds. "Oooh..." "Our spells are called Order. Because, unlike normal magical spells incantation that involves a single word mantra or a paragraph of extravagant words that makes it sound like poetry, Orders are like step-by-step how-to''s. Hearing it will clearly tell you what it does. When the Order is given, maneg inside our Maneg Soul will come out and cast aside its shell, becoming visible and intractable. Once it''s over, the maneg used gets ''tired'' and enters a ''rest'' period for a while so you can''t pick them back up immediately." "Wait," Alicia stopped. "Once merged, our souls become maneg. That means we are taking away a part of our souls for attacks. That is counterintuitive when you said our Maneg Soul tries to keep us alive!" "Yeah, I know. This is why Orders will only take the bare minimum for it to work unless ordered otherwise. Also, because of that, we are told to rely on our own magic or abilities we''re born with. But since we don''t, we gotta be efficient with our usage. And remember that we can recover them, though our Elements would make it tricky." "...I see. I understand." "Right," Owen continued. "An Order starts with ''I order you'' and the necessary steps, separated by a comma when written, and ends with ''Thus is my Order'' followed by the name of the Order. In each step, you need to completely specify one ''action'' that you want the Maneg to do and any number of necessary ''parameters''. "[Iceball] takes two steps in which the first forms the ball, one single action, with two parameters, the size and where it should be formed, in front of my left hand. The second step''s action launches it with two parameters determining its direction, linear and parallel to my left arm." "Can we do it without aiming our arm?" "Yeah, you can..." Demonstrating this, Owen tucked both of his hands into his pockets. Then, another [Iceball] manifested in front of him, farther from him compared to the first. Alicia noticed that it appeared to be smaller as it flew at an angle this time, to the ground, and dispersed upon impact, leaving a small crater. "But you''re gonna have to describe where it shows up by triple coordinates with your center of mass as origin," Owen explained. "And the horizontal and vertical angles to tell the direction it should travel." "That... would be complicated." "Yeah, but you can if you practice. I know one guy who can do it with his eyes closed. But for now, just use hand gestures. "Anyway, after the closing, you say the name of the Order you give. Doing so can help your Maneg Soul remember and anticipate it, allowing the Order to come out faster. If you give the exact same Order and name, the Maneg Soul can memorize it. Then, all you need to do is say the name." "Can you still alter a memorized Order without having to memorize it again?" "Only the parameters of an Order with one or two steps, otherwise you''re stuck with it unless you wanna memorize it again. Also, most of the time, we usually keep modifying our Orders on the fly so we rarely use memorized Orders. We only memorize the ones that create weapons out of maneg and that''s about it. "Also, stuff like mentally imaging the Order doesn''t exactly work, our Maneg Soul won''t have a clue how to simulate the image unless you show each verbal step to that image which would then be the same thing. And no ''flair'' in the Order that will confuse it." "Alright then," Alicia said as Owen''s explanation seemed to be over. "I will try it then." "Yes. Oh, you can also just say the Order in your mind, no need to say it out loud. It''s also bad to let your enemies know what you are ordering." She points her right hand to the nothingness of the wasteland and weaves together an order in her mind. I order you, form sphere 30 centimeters from my right hand, travel at linear direction parallel to my right arm, thus is my Order, [Fireball]! A bright ball of flame appears from her right hand and it shoots out at rapid speed. It soars through the wasteland without any signs of stopping unlike Owen''s. "It''s not stopping." "Is that not normal?" "Yes." Owen''s face looks bewildered and then over the horizon, there was a spectacle of ice being ordered in succession. And the ball of flame is heading right towards it. "...Crap! I think that''s Alice over!" TZANG He then suddenly bends over and a burst of ice suddenly ejects from his feet launching him into the air chasing after the fireball. "Ah... wait for me, Owen!" Alicia frantically chases him as he soared through the air ejecting more ice maneg to propel himself forward to take over the flaming ball heading towards the wizard named Alice.
"..!" SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK AK 10 giant needles of ice formed in a circular formation. One by one, the needles charged towards the ground at the same point rapidly. However, two of the needles did not comply with its Court Wizard''s orders and simply stood there and disperse. SHATTER SHATTER "Tch, another failure." Said the Court Wizard. She was a young girl, a nine-year-old girl with platinum blonde long hair tied to a braid fluttering in the air. She wore an ice-blue cloak that covered her entire body and a hood. The back of it has a symbol of a snowflake behind a shield, spear, and a scale in front of it, the snowflake, shield, and spear in white, and the scale in gold. "Let us try this again." As she was preparing another Order she heard a male sound coupled with the sound of bursts of maneg. "Alice!" he shouted. "Watch out!" "Huh?" the girl, Alice, turned around. "Owen is that you? Ah!" A bright red sphere soaring through the air is what she saw. Heading straight towards her. She hastily ordered her maneg to form a protective barrier in front of her as it was too close to dodge. The maneg didn''t comply with her Order and the fireball headed towards her face. Then Owen caught up to the fireball and formed a barrier of ice in front of her in a split second. The fireball exploded in front of the barrier. BLAST And then Owen tumbled down to the side. "Owen! Are you okay?" Alice went over to Owen. "Yeah, I''m fine," Owen replied. "Are you?" "Yes, I am fine thanks to you." As Owen got up he saw the fireball was still there in a scattered form. "Owen. Why is that maneg? Ah!" The broken fireball or it should be said a mass of fire maneg suddenly moved towards where it came. Back to Alicia who was running after Owen who suddenly launched himself catching up to her fireball. The mass of maneg came in contact with Alicia and entered her body which startles her for a bit but kept running nonetheless. "Owen," Alicia panted. "Why did you suddenly... um, what''s wrong?" She saw the faces of Owen and one other girl beside him. Faces full of surprise. "Alicia, you didn''t do anything to the [Fireball], right?" Owen asked. "N-No, I did not," Alicia answered sheepishly. Owen held his chin. "Then it''s not just having a hundred percent efficiency on your dominance since the maneg returned to you then..." "You are using loyal maneg!" Alice exclaimed pointing her finger at Alicia. "I-Is that not normal?" Alicia nervously asked. ""Yes!"" Both Owen and Alice shouted in unison. Chapter 6: Hundred Percent Loyal Maneg "Yep, she''s a hundred percent loyal." The man in a white robe said it with confidence. He was the same man who healed Owen''s thirteen stab wounds yesterday, Russel. "What does that mean?" Alicia asked as she came out of a giant cylindrical machine that apparently can check the content of her Maneg Soul. "Care to explain Owen?" Russel taunted. "She''s asking you," he retorted. "You''re her de facto mentor." "Well, you''re the one who analyzed her Maneg Soul. You''re the doctor, explain it to her!" "Don''t wanna." "What kind of priest are you!?" "Well Master Gabriel forced me to and I''m a templar." "That doesn''t make any difference!" "Um, please calm down you two," Alicia mumbled, trying to calm down the two bickering boys. "Please do not mind them too much. Russel enjoys getting into arguments with Owen." In response to Alicia''s attempt to calm both of the bickering boys down, the little girl with a platinum-blonde hair tied to a braid that is resting on her shoulder, Alice. Right now, she has taken off her cape revealing a simple white one-piece dress down to her lower knees and a pair of white slippers. "If you do not mind, I will explain it to you in their plage but I believe we have not introduced each other." Alice stood up from the swivel chair and pinched the hem of her dress. "My name is Alice Es. A pleasure to meet you." "Nice to meet you too," Alicia greeted back in a similar fashion taught by her mother. "My name is Alicia Bell." "Oh, so you are Ronald''s daughter!" "You know my father?" "Everyone here in the Otherworldly Court should know each other but your father... or rather, your family should be well-known." "Huh?" "After all, the Bell Conglomerate has helped us a lot in our effort in safeguarding worlds." "I see..." Alicia widened her eyes. She didn''t know these Bell Branches her father talked about last night were that important. "Ah, we are straying from the topic You have not been explained in detail about loyal maneg, correct?" "Yes, Owen said that it is something I will learn later." "Yes, but in this situation, you should know now." And Alice began, "I believe Owen had already taught you that a Maneg Soul is composed of two types of maneg: disloyal maneg and loyal maneg. "Well, disloyal maneg is what we mostly refer to as just maneg. It is the one we normally use for Orders. But, they do not stay as Orders forever." "Um, what do you mean by that?" "...Here is an equation." Alice took the same book lying on a table and flipped it before showing it to Alicia. Order Duration (s)= Initial maneg (100%) / (Initial maneg (100%) - Efficiency (x%)) * Time Interval (s) "Basically," Alice continued. "Once an Order is given, a part of the maneg used ''breaks off'' in a Time Interval until it eventually disperses completely. Time Interval depends on how many steps you give the Order. "Take an [Iceball] for example. Usually, it has two steps thereby making the Time Interval is two seconds. Meaning every two seconds the ball of ice will have a whole chunk of it break off instantly and the same size for the next." Alice put her finger on the word ''Efficiency,'' "Efficiency is the amount of maneg performing an order retaining itself after every break-off." She pointed at Owen, who was still bickering with the grinning templar. "Owen''s efficiency is 90% meaning every two seconds 10% of the initial maneg performing level two [Iceball] breaks off. "In conclusion, every two seconds 10% of the maneg expended for [Iceball] from the initial amount breaks off thereby after ten break-offs all maneg abandons the order. So, the iceball lasts twenty seconds, or it hits something." "I see," Alicia said in understanding. "So then what is loyal maneg?" "To simply put, the original contents of your soul that was turned into maneg." "My what?" "...To help you understand, think of your soul like a glass of water where the water is the ''lifeforce'' that makes our souls ''alive'' and the glass is its ''container.'' When the Maneg Soul merges with your soul, it ''compresses'' the water." "Um, water cannot be compressed." "Please do not nitpick that detail." Alice deadpanned. "Anyway, with your soul compressed, this gives room for disloyal maneg while the original becomes loyal maneg. "On a side note, this causes beings who can perceive souls or anything similar would get the impression that a Court Wizard''s soul is incomplete, yet at the same time is complete. "However, it seems that this was not the case for you." "So is that why my Order did not end until it hits Owen''s shield?" Alicia asked. She was unsure what the Order Owen had used. "Yes, because it is your original soul, so it will never leave you and has a hundred percent efficiency. It also will not tire after performing an Order, unlike disloyal maneg." "I see..." "But the thing is, Maneg Souls will always use disloyal maneg so the use of loyal maneg is difficult. But it appears that because you are incapable of storing disloyal maneg, your Maneg Soul must have been forced to use your loyal maneg and treating it as one. "Also, this is about how we count maneg in a Maneg Soul. For example, if a Maneg Soul has forty percent loyal maneg and sixty percent disloyal; when we say twenty percent disloyal maneg was used, it refers to twenty out of sixty, not twenty percent of sixty which is um..." Stolen story; please report. "Twelve." "Yes, twelve. Thank you, Alicia. And the same applies to loyal maneg. Also, we never count the raw numerical amount of maneg we can store. It is the percentages that matter." "I see. I will keep that in mind." "Good, do you have any questions?" "Hmm..." Alicia understood so far, but there was something that nags her. Ah, it was that. "I do have something I need to ask." "What is it?" "It is about the voice that I believe came from my Maneg Soul." "Huh?" Apparently, Alice did not expect that. "A voice from your own Maneg Soul?" Alicia then proceed to explain from when she got kidnapped and then watched as her friend gets stabbed repeatedly- "Eh! Owen got what!?" "Wha! Uh..." "Sorry, please continue." Moving on. As Owen got stabbed repeatedly. She hears a voice telling her to take its power which she then proceeds to burn the rope bounding her and attacked the kidnappers. "I see. But I never heard anything about Maneg Souls talking to the person before. Maybe it has something to do with your Maneg Soul''s composition?" Both girls are lost in thought while the two boys near them are still arguing away. Then suddenly. "I can help you with that!" A clear-bell-like voice resounded the air. Both girls got surprised. Not that the two idiots ever noticed it. Then something came out from Alicia''s chest. "Hello! I am-" The tiny creature coming out of Alicia''s chest burst out and went right into... "You wanna go?" Owen growled. "Sure," Russel smirked, "let''s do this!" Both boys bashed each other''s heads at each other. Right as the critter went right between them. "Ugff!" And it got squashed like a bug. "Huh?" Owen said. "I think there something between our foreheads." "Hmm? I don''t feel anything," Russel replied. "Guess it''s my imaginations. Moving on." ""Hrrgh!"" "Urrghblf!" The pair calmed down for a moment and then ignored the critter stuck between their foreheads and proceed to press their foreheads even harder. "There is something between your foreheads!" Alicia yelled at both boys grinding the poor critter away. "Oh, you''re right."
"Uguhhh..." "Are you alright?" Alicia asked the poor critter. "No worries! I am always fine!" the little critter got itself right back up quickly and gave a confident statement. She appeared to be a tiny girl, tiny enough to completely fit and crushed with your hands. She has a short red hair and a pair of red eyes plastered on her mischievous face. She wore a red one-piece dress and no footwear. On her back are a pair of slightly transparent red butterfly-like wings. "A fairy..." Alicia muttered. "Alicia," Owen interrupted, "here in the Court, we call these things pixies. Fairies are the human-sized ones. Not this tiny thing." "What! I ain''t tiny, shorty!" the pixie insulted "Excuse me?" "Yelp!" Owen grabbed the little pixie with his hands and begins to apply pressure to his grip. "Oh yeah? You''re so tiny I can make you meat soup out of my hands!" "I will not succumb to your cold hands!" "Is that supposed to be a pun!? You asked for it!" "Owen!" Alicia exclaimed. "Let her go!" "...Fine." At Alicia''s command, Owen released the pixie. "Pwahh! Thanks a bunch, me!" "Um, what?" Alicia pondered at the pixie saying ''me''. Owen then asked, "Alright, so what are you?" "Why I''m Alicia of course!" "Don''t give me that crap! The Alicia I know doesn''t have a really annoying personality!" "Um, the pixie came out of Alicia''s chest so..." Alice commented. "Then she is something related to Alicia," Russel concluded. "Right?" "Obviously, Russel," Owen retorted. He turned to the pixie. "So, what are you?" "Allow me to explain!" The pixie began explaining in a bell-like voice. "I am the representative of Alicia''s Maneg Soul!" "Um... what?" They all got confused over the statement. Then, Owen gave his hypothesis. "So in other words, if Maneg Souls can come out and talk to you, you would be it." "Pre~cisely!" "Then why a pixie?" "Alicia here is into fairies. So, I made myself look like one!"" "It''s pixies. Well now that you think of it, it kinda makes sense." Owen recalled Alicia''s liking for fairy (pixie) literature. Whether in books, movies, whatever. "Then if you''re the loyal maneg of Alicia''s soul, you''re using some loyal maneg to make yourself," Owen concluded. "How much?" "Thirty percent!" "Wha- that''s the average percentage of loyal maneg on a Maneg Soul! The most a Court Wizard have was seventy!" "Well, Alicia is now the new record folder with a whopping one hundred percent, so it''s A-OK!" "The hell! Having thirty percent of her soul outside is still not okay!" "Now that''s a pot calling a kettle black," Russel interjected. "You''ve wasted half your maneg to completely freeze an erupting volcano big enough to wipe out countries and you survived!" "Eh! Owen did that!?" Alicia yelped in surprise. "You''re exaggerating, Russel," Owen denied. "It only took a third of my maneg supply." "What happened?" Alicia asked. "Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to wipe an enemy nation by casting magic to erupt a volcano sitting right in their capital," Owen explained. "The problem is, the volcano is technically big enough to supply enough lava to cover both nations and several more. So the Otherworldly Court told me to freeze it outright." "T-That is impressive..." Alicia spoke in amazement. "H-Hey, we''re getting off-topic here.", Alice interjected. "Right," Owen looked at the pixie. "What to do with you." "I wonder...!" "We''re talking about you annoying little pixie!"
And so they come up with three rules: The pixie can only come out during the non-combat time. The pixie will regulate Alicia''s maneg usage on her orders to ensure her well-being. And finally, the pixie must always listen to Alicia''s command. And finally... "We should come up with a name for you," Owen said. "Alicia, give her a name. She''s your Maneg Soul." "Alright then..." She racked through her brain looking for a good name. Bell? No, that is my surname. Little Fairy? That sounds too generic. Tinkerbell? She does not look like her one bit. Think. She is the persona of my Maneg Soul and I first met her through a voice... that''s it! "Voice!" "Um... what?" Alice muttered. "Voice!" Alicia said it again. "That will be her name!" "That''s a peculiar name," Alice mumbled wryly. Alicia then explained her reasoning. "Seriously?" Russel complained. "She always had a bad naming sense," Owen explained. "She once named a hamster ''Harry'' when she knows it''s a girl just because it got a marking that looks like a lightning." "Ha..." "Anyway," Alicia interjected. "Her name is now Voice! And it is final!" And thus the fairy''s (pixie) name is Voice.
"Alright then," Owen said, "for now, let''s continue on your Order training. Voice, regulate the amount of loyal maneg she uses." "Kk!" The pixie returned to Alicia''s body. In the wasteland, Alicia was then trained to perform a few more basic Orders that can be remembered after being ordered once. Although it is using loyal maneg, Voice will produce normal Orders as if it was disloyal maneg. [Javelin] A javelin made of maneg formed thrown with hand or used for melee. Order: Create line x in thickness x in length in x, sculpt edge of line increase sharpness. ''Create'' lets maneg be controlled by hand and used as a weapon. [Fire Burst] A burst of maneg in a cone. Suitable for striking multiple foes at once. Order: Burst in a cone of angle x horizontally x vertically on x. [Barrier] A square shield covering the entire front of the body. Order: Form rectangle x in width x in height on x, reinforce. [Eject] Ejects a mass of maneg out-of-body on a specific part of the body to launch the body using the momentum from the ejection. Order: Release x percent of maneg to launch on x. an: ''x'' is a placeholder for whatever parameter. Also, these Orders above and the ones to come are subject to change as I figure out a better wording for them. "Lastly, since you can only use loyal maneg, you need to be able to command it to return to you. In case you missed or other circumstances," Owen concluded. "Alright then," Alicia nodded curtly. "You need to say ''loyal maneg, return,''" Owen explained, "and all loyal maneg out of your body will immediately drop whatever Order and return to you." "Got it," Alicia nodded, concentrating. Loyal maneg, return! At that moment, all of the Orders suddenly stopped and then traveled in the opposite direction back to Alicia. Her body absorbed the maneg. "That was good Alicia," Owen praised. "It took me a while to do that. Nice one!" "T-Thank you?" Alicia muttered. Truth to be told, this was a first, she never heard her childhood friend ever praising someone, not even her. "My my! What happened to the cold shoulders!?" "None of your concern!" Owen snapped. "Go back to master, Voice!" "Pffft!" "Now don''t you sulk!" Owen grumbled before turning to Alicia. "Anyway, it''s time to meet your leader. Follow me, Alicia." "Leader?" Alicia blinked, forgetting about the previous charade. "Alright then." The two then went back to the Otherworldly Court where a certain greater spirit was watching the two from one of the balconies, the red one, of the castle for a while.
an: all of Voice''s dialogue ends with an exclamation mark (!) except for a few cases in which I will clarify it was the pixie who spoke that dialogue Alicia Chapter 7: Aqua, the Fire Guardian "The Mother Soul is the entity that creates Maneg Souls," Owen explained. "Each of the eleven Elements has its own Mother Soul." With Alicia''s first training completed, they went back inside the Otherworldly Court. "Is it a bigger Maneg Soul that is stored somewhere in this place?" Alicia asked. "Yes and no," Owen replied as they went into the large double door at the back of the main hall, the courtroom. "At some point, they got damaged that they could get destroyed." "And what happens if they get destroyed?" "Every Court Wizard with that Element dies and all maneg with that Element gets turned to another Element and can no longer become that Element." He deadpanned "What!?" she exclaimed. While his answer was confusing with the use of the same word four times, she still understood how grave the consequence if it happens. "Yep, and so their solution was to create a Maneg Soul that it takes residence in and have it merge with someone. And the result, you get a Court Wizard that carries the Mother Soul in their Maneg Soul." If you were to use the glass of water analogy, the Mother Soul would be the jar of coloring inside the glass of water - the coloring is the Maneg Soul that turns the water, the soul, into maneg. "And these Court Wizards are called Guardians," Owen continued. "And they also act as the leaders of the Otherworldly Court." "I see," Alicia muttered. "I wonder what they look like." "You already met one." "Huh?" Confused, she recalled the Court Wizards she met so far, Alice and Russel. Russel does not look like one, given how Owen interacts with him, she thought and so concluded, "Alice?" "Yeah, she''s the Guadian of the Mother Soul of Ice, Ice Guardian for short. In other words, my direct superior. She didn''t tell you?" "No, she did not." "I see. So she didn''t even introduce herself as one," he mumbled quietly. "How is she a Guardian?" Alicia asked, breaking Owen''s deep melancholy. "She is so young." "Well, about how she became a Guardian, it''s complicated. We don''t have time to explain it and well... it''s a touchy subject." Seeing his demeanor as he explained it, "Ah, sorry. I will wait when you feel like telling me," Alicia apologized. "It''s fine," Owen brushed. "Anyway, you''re gonna meet the Fire Guardian." As they walked through the corridor, they seemed to have entered the middle part of the first story, a cross-shaped hallway. There, Alicia saw the steps to the next story of the castle and it was the most beautiful piece of architecture she has ever seen. It was a spiraling staircase with a crystal-like transparent structure in which the hallway''s lighting reflected a kaleidoscope of colors inside. It was supported by a pillar decorated with a mural of some kind, depicting what must be the history of the Otherworldly Court. Stepping through each step invoked a sense of- "Alicia, over here," Owen called. Alicia faced to her right to see him in the right corridor of the hallway according to her perspective. He pointed his finger at something on that wall. DING And as she got to where her childhood friend was standing, it opened. "Oh," Alicia reacted as she saw it and entered it before Owen. Inside, Owen pushed a button labeled ''2'' among the myriad of its kind. GOING UP A seemingly automated sound came from a speaker of some kind after the shutter closed to bring its passengers up to the second floor. Yep, it''s an elevator. Alicia could feel Voice inside her Maneg Soul either seemingly laughing until her stomach hurt or in a scowling mood as if her expectations were shattered or both at the same time.
DING SECOND FLOOR, THANK YOU Alicia and Owen stepped out of the elevator. By how long the elevator ride was and other things she observed, she noticed that each floor of the castle of the Otherworldly Court was unnecessarily tall, tall enough for two stories if the courtroom and the circular room were anything to go by. This floor was no exception, she gazed upwards to see the ceiling was as high as two floors. "The second floor is the chambers where the Guardians live," Owen explained as they walked. "Though only a few actually live there. Also, it doubles as the office where you report to, which only a few of the chambers actually serve that function." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. And then they came upon an ashen-red door with a hanging sign saying ''Fire Guardian''s Chamber''. "Come in," a feminine voice was heard behind the door even though it wasn''t knocked. "I have been expecting you both." CREEK Opening the door, Alicia was greeted with a red-themed room, or perhaps a fire-themed one. Passing through the short corridor as to her right was a set of stairs (so the high ceiling wasn''t wasted), a bathroom, and a kitchen; she saw a wide room with an office desk, a red carpet in the middle that is slightly burnt, a slightly singed pair of sofas between a low table. It was, minimalistic at best, giving a sense of a wide room. Then, she saw the Fire Guardian. She was a middle-aged woman 170 cm tall with a slender build. She has a long wavy red hair that looked like it was liquid, glowing red eyes that are very observant. Around her are red spherical-shaped fluids floating about her red glowing skin under an attire similar to a roman toga which was also glowing red as if it were a part of her body. "Greetings," the Fire Guardian said. "I am the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Fire." However, she stopped after that and just stared at Alicia intently which unsettled her. "Um..." Alicia mumbled nervously, wondering if she did something. "Teehee," suddenly, the Fire Guardian chuckled. "You looked just like your mother, only with red hair and..." Again, she stopped mid-way and gazed Alicia at some part of her. But it was what she said earlier that got Alicia''s attention. "You know my mother?" she asked. "That is right. Oh, I forgot to introduce my name. You may call me Aqua. Usually, we are addressed with ''Master'' first, but I do not like the sound of that, so just Aqua is fine." "Alright then. My name is Alicia Bell, nice to meet you, Aqua." "Pleasure to meet you too, Alicia." "And I''m Voice!" Surprised by the pixie''s sudden intrusion, Aqua inquired, "Who is this?"
"I see," Aqua nodded. "Well, good to meet you, Voice." "Your welcome, ma''am!" "That said," Alicia said. "How do you know my mother?" "I am from the same world as your mother''s, Spiri Raia." "I see..." And considering her appearance, Aqua must be a fire spirit of some kind. But her name doesn''t match for some reason. "By the way," Owen interjected. "She''s a water spirit." "Eh!" "Huh?" Alicia looked back at Aqua. "But..." "Yes," Aqua chuckled again. "My formal name is First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia. I am the greater water spirit that rules over the water spirits in Spiri Raia." "But why are you the Fire Guardian?" "I know right? Maybe it is because the Mother Soul of Fire saw the potential of a vessel with the highest grade of water spirit arts could work in tandem with fire Orders or it did it just because. And it also turns my body red like the greater fire spirit, he really teased me to no end about it. "Frankly, I did not exactly give a warm welcome when Court Wizards first entered my world, before I became the Fire Guardian. I was simply minding my own business when my subordinates saw a flash of rainbow light and a bunch of humans in brown robes appear, they are in my territory. I appeared before them personally and ended up in a fight." "What happens next?" "I was surprised by their Orders as I have never seen anything like it outside of spirit arts. In the end, we got to an understanding and I let them do as they please considering their objective. "And then, a few decades later, fifteen years ago, I became the Fire Guardian." The greater water spirit sighed. "I see. But you have not explained how you have known my mother," Alicia said. By Aqua''s monologue, she must not be a Fire Guardian before Alicia''s father rescued her mother and was simply just the greater water spirit... "Realized it now, dear?" Aqua said. "I have known the Illyers since its founding. Long story short, the first Illyer had done an extraordinary service that I decided to give him my blessing. That made the Illyer family so great as I, the greater water spirit herself, favors them. "However, it appears that fact was forgotten with the flow of time when that little brat of a prince thought he could snuff out the people I gave my blessings to by burning their estate with them inside. He even used an artifact to prevent my subordinates from performing spirit arts to douse the flames! "I was at a meeting with the other greater spirits and only received the news after it was over, I was beyond furious. I was considering between causing a drought on the land or just flood the whole place until your father showed up with Allister alive and well, I am quite thankful for that. And I agreed his proposal to split Kirash and Fichs to deny that little brat''s war." "So that is what happened," Alicia muttered. That said, she was quite on edge with how Aqua casually speaks about bringing forth extinction on the Kirash kingdom and calling the second prince a little brat. "Right," Owen interrupted. "You do know why she''s here, right?" "Oh right, I got carried away there. Come now, Alicia," Aqua beckoned. "We will need to give your ID."
Name: Alicia Bell Age: 15 Sex: Female Species: Human World: Kaomagi Earth Element: Fire Element Color: Red Cherished Armaments: - Rank: New Wizard A red metal sheet was presented to Alicia. It had a text bearing Alicia''s information in white carved into it. But from the process, it could be recarved as much as she likes without ruining it. "Ooh, shiny!" "Right then," Aqua said, running her finger over the sheet. "The first four should be obvious. "This," Aqua pointed at ''World,'' "is the world where you are born in." "That is because there are a lot of worlds called ''Earth''." "As in multiple parallel Earths?" "...Sort of. So, we had to differentiate each of them. And this does not apply to other worlds as far as I am aware." "I see..." So apparently, multiple Earths were a thing. "This shows your Element and Element Color is the color of your maneg. A Maneg Soul of an Element can have a different color. For example, Hanz, who you know by the [Explosion]s he set off, actually has a ''rainbow'' colored maneg, but he usually sticks to red." "Wow! He''s certainly a colorful guy!" And they all stared at Voice and her bad joke. "Anyway," Aqua continued. "Cherished Armaments are weapons based on objects holding a significance to the Court Wizard in which the loyal maneg possesses and modify for combat. Since you do not have one, it is written with a dash symbol. "Finally, this shows your Rank as a Court Wizard. The order is from the lowest: New Wizard, Wizard, Grand Wizard, Duke or Duchess. "We Guardians are also subjected to this though they will be a bit higher than the fourth rank once they''re there." "I understand," Alicia nodded. "Right, usually, you will report directly to me as your Maneg Soul came from me. Though I should tell you that in reality, Court Wizards usually goes to whoever Guardians are present at the time, I happen to have a timetable that complements yours." Aqua explained. "And me along with your mentor, Owen, will teach you everything you need to know over the course of a year. Also, I am in charge of giving you missions in which you will be accompanied by Owen when available." "I see. Are there any missions right now?" "Well yes. I was going to give it to Hanz but since you are here, I will give it to you." "Wait, if you are going to give it to Hanz, that would mean this mission is something that he handles, right? Would that not be too much for me?" "Oh, do not worry, it is not that dangerous. Besides, our way of things is that recruits like you are to be thrown into the action, you need experience. This is why your mentor, Owen, will be with you, doing most of the leg work." Aqua took a file of paper that laid on the desk. It was already there the whole time. "Well then," she announced. "This is your first mission." Alicia Chapter 8: The First Mission, Slaying Skeleton Goblins "I am quite curious," Alicia confessed. "How does the transporter device worked?" "Well, first," Owen began as he flipped the book again. "It''s called the Transfer Circle though the room is called Transporter Room. Essentially, it works by switching the maneg in our body with ambient maneg in the target world, and somehow it''s so instantaneous that the constant is maintained. The long delay of the transfer is due to the circle having to gather up maneg on the other side. "Element doesn''t really matter, just the amount of raw maneg. But that does mean if the area has a lower concentration of maneg, usually only happens after a lot of Orders are thrown about there, we can''t transfer there."
PIING Kaomagi Year 299 AGP As the rainbow light collapsed around her, Alicia was greeted with another wasteland. However, the soil was deep crimson as if it were painted with blood instead of the grey ashes and the craters were replaced with broken bones, swords, spears, arrows, and anything in between scattered all over the desolate land.
"Conveniently," Aqua mused. "The world that you are going into is Kaomagi." "Hey, that''s on our plate!" "Why is that?" Alicia asked in conjunction with the pixie''s conjecture. "Because Kaomagi is connected to your world," Aqua answered. "Connected?" "It means that there is a possibility for travel between these worlds without us being involved. In that case, they are called ''sister worlds.'' Many ''Earths'' have this trend so we decided to name them with their sister world''s name in front of them. As your world''s sister world is Kaomagi, it is called Kaomagi Earth." "I see... I understand." "Well then," Aqua continued. "Let me tell you a bit about Kaomagi." And then, she went over the desk, pulled one of its drawers, and took out a metallic rectangular box which she set in on the low table between the sofas. "Is that... a projector?" Alicia asked. "Correct," Aqua said as she hooked it up to the computer on the desk. Then she grabbed a pole resting on a corner, laid it in front of the projector horizontally, opened its tripod, and unrolled it upward. A screen. "It gives a good visualization of where you are going to," the greater water spirit said. "I supposed you are right about that," Alicia mused. The presentation begins. "Kaomagi is your typical world of swords and magic you read in those fantasy novels." The projector showed an overview of the world''s landscape. It then zoomed into the red wasteland. "However, in the southeast part of the world exists a Lord of Vengeance who, at every start of the century, rises up and attempts to destroy the world. "He was supposed to return by the year three hundred AGP, but four years ago, his army, the Vengeful Remnants, suddenly appeared and start marching towards the nearest kingdom. "It was fortunate that the operators happened to look through the world and spotted them mobilizing only the day before, so they had yet to start invading." In that instant, Alicia grimaced at Aqua''s last sentence. She implied that the Otherworldly Court had a streak of only detecting problems like this long after it had first appeared, thus not weeded out in its infancy. Regardless, Alicia continued listening to Aqua''s briefing. "And we have confirmed that the Lord of Vengeance has not returned despite that. As their sudden arrival was not supposed to happen, we came down and eliminated the army ourselves." "And so right now, our mission is to suppress another wave of enemies?" "Correct," Aqua nodded. "Incidentally, this whole thing is kept under tight wraps. The people of Kaomagi will undoubtedly panic if news got out that the Vengeful Remnants had come early. We also have help from the church of the religion there as their pope happens to be the Life Guardian." "I see, that is... quite convenient."
Right now, Alicia donned a hooded red cloak with the symbol of the Otherworldly Court to its back, the scale over the spear and shield, resting upon a large, yet faint, symbol of a flame. Owen wore a similar cloak, except it''s light blue, a snowflake instead of fire, and the scale had a silverish color to it. She also noticed the silver outline on his cloak and recalled the cloak that Alice wore had it too, but it was gold-colored. RATTLE RATTLE Not a moment after they have transferred did they hear the sounds of bones rattling.
The screen showed another image, bones. It was a bunch of skeletons of many creatures from humanoid ones to that of giant reptiles and the ones that could fly (though they probably couldn''t know that they nothing but calcium). What was common with all of them was the sickening red orb visibly glowing inside the area where their hearts would be. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Eek! Scary!" Voice screamed as she flew behind Alicia''s shoulder. "These are the Vengeful Remnants. Vengeful for singular," Aqua explained. "Basically, they are skeletons held together by the red orb inside them. All you need to do is destroy the orb, or just destroy the entire skeleton with sheer brute force."
Emotion suppression on. "They''re here," Owen announced. His tone of speaking was monotone, however. There were no emotions in it. One of the traits of a Maneg Soul is that when the Court Wizard is in combat, it would suppress their emotions so that they act on logic and keep their composure. "Right," Alicia said monotonously. Let''s go! Though it seemed that Voice did not adhere to the suppression despite being a part of the Maneg Soul that''s responsible for it. Voice? You can talk while inside? Well, duh! RATTLE RATTLE The two Court Wizards prepared themselves. RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE "Revenge!" "Murder!" "Blaaargh!"
The projector then showed one particular group of Vengefuls. They were humanoid, the size of a child. They carried clubs, swords, bows, and staves. "Observations told us that only the goblin-type Vengefuls are coming out." "Skeleton goblins!?" "Correct, Voice. And they are quite easy to deal with, you do not even need to break their orbs. Just make sure to not get surrounded."
"Kill!" "Destroy!" "$%#& the #$%#$@#!" "Gbflrfgh!" The sound of the skeleton goblins is becoming louder. While all they were shouting were gibberish at a glance, one of the boons a Maneg Soul gave was the understanding of languages. When the Court Wizard hears a foreign language, their Maneg Soul will shove the entire vocabulary, written alphabet, grammar... well, everything needed to speak, read, and write fluently as if it was natural into their heads. But Owen told her that the language needed to be recorded into the Mother Souls in which it then passed it to every Maneg Souls, meaning at some point, someone recorded the skeleton goblins'' language. As such, Alicia was able to understand what these skeletal remains of goblins are saying, there''s even one with a foul mouth er... jaw. Though one of them did literally speak incoherently. "Make''m pay!" "Yeah! Yeah!" "Kill''em! Kill''em!" "Blgrhfiwhtkgosjbrkhowj!" And the skeleton goblins revealed themselves over a mound of bloody soil. Just like the picture from the projector, they were no taller than children with completely dried white bones held together by a pulsing crimson orb was seen inside their chest. There were about twenty-two of them and most of them wore nothing but rags that couldn''t hide their orbs. There was one that wore a wooden helmet, but that''s about it. Fifteen of them carried clubs made out of bones, wood, stone, etc. Five carried bows and arrows. One carried a staff and was the most clothed. The one wearing the helmet carried a chiseled bone as a makeshift sword and wore leather armor, it was probably the leader of the group. They stopped in their tracks and locked eyes (though they had none) on both Alicia and Owen. They started to scream even louder. "Enemy!" "Kill! Kill!" "Desecrate their bodies!" "Kill #$%&@#$%&#$@#!" "Muahuhauhiao!" The sword wielder pointed its sword to the Court Wizards. The club wielders raised their clubs in the air screaming bloody murder as they rushed down. The archers took their arrows from their torn quivers and pulled the strings. The staff wielder got into a stance and softly muttering something. Owen walked ahead of Alicia. "Take care of any Vengefuls I let through, Alicia," he said as a javelin of ice materialized above his head. SHTAK The javelin flew straight into the orb of the skeleton goblin mage. Its chant was disrupted as it crumbled down with its orb shattered. Its crimson light faded. The others, however, seemed unfazed by their fellow''s demise and continued marching. 21 skeleton goblins left. Five club skeleton goblins jumped at Owen who just stood there. CREME CREME CREME CREME CREME "Grah!?" Out of nowhere, their white bones became light blue as they were frozen, reminiscent of what happened to those kidnappers yesterday. Though in this case, they can no longer control their trajectory mid-air as Owen simply sidestepped out of their way. They crashed into the ground with a SHATTER, breaking their orbs and their bodies into pieces in the process. 16 skeleton goblins left. Then, Owen ordered five more [Javelin]s around him. It flew past the skeleton goblins and towards the five archer skeleton goblins taking aim. SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK It hit their marks accurately and it caused the archers to release their arrows to nowhere. 11 skeleton goblins left. You know, he could easily destroy these guys all on his own! I cannot argue with that. "Muhahahaha!" Alicia saw a club skeleton goblin approaching her, it was further from Owen so it must have passed through him. Nevertheless, Alicia raised her hand. [Fireball] 30 cm diameter. When Alicia was training in the wasteland, she noticed that the five simplest Orders, which she had a feeling that she probably wouldn''t use all of them in this mission considering Owen doing the heavy lifting, she was taught seemed to have been memorized after it was first given. Voice explained that it was her doing (and by extension, the loyal maneg itself was able to instantly memorize it). And so, a ball of flame appeared in front of her hand. It flew to the attacking skeleton goblin. CRASH It did not strike the orb, however. Instead, it destroyed its spine, disconnecting it from its lower parts. With its momentum, it slid across the ground and eventually shattering the orb anyway. Just as Aqua had said, she did not need to hit the orb directly. 10 skeleton goblins left. Don''t forget to grab the loyal maneg back! Right. Loyal maneg return. The mass of loyal maneg hanging around where it hit the skeleton goblin jerked back and re-enter Alicia''s Maneg Soul. Technically, as it had already hit something, it would automatically return but with a delay unless ordered to. Alicia looked at where Owen was fighting to see him barely moving from his position. Around him were remains of even more skeleton goblins. Judging by the scene, the goblin-type Vengefuls had surrounded him wasn''t seemed to be a problem for Owen, even though Aqua told them to be careful not to. She looked at the remaining skeleton goblins to see four left, including the leader. 4 skeleton goblins left. The last four skeleton goblins stood their ground in a stance. The futile effort of their brethren must have been drilled into whatever limited intelligence they had as they no longer charge at the light-blue cloaked boy not much taller than them. "Get her!" "Yaaah!" Instead, all of them jolted to a run, keeping their distance from Owen and charged at Alicia. In return, Owen materialized four more [Javelin]s to launch straight at them. The Order he used to freeze them solid probably needed to be in closer range. SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK SHATTER The [Javelin]s hit their orbs in succession as they moved. However, the only sword skeleton goblin instinctively swung his sword, deflecting the [Javelin]. 1 skeleton goblin left. "Die!" And the last skeleton goblin lept forward, bringing down his sword onto Alicia. Use [Fire Burst]! You''re supposed to practice but I''ll handle the parameters this time, just say the Order! Okay, [Fire Burst]. Lifting both hands, a burst of flames came forth in the shape of a cone. The attacking skeleton goblin had no time to stop its momentum. The [Fire Burst], however, does it for it, pushing it back as while creating it in the process. SHTAK The skeleton goblin fell to its back, and Owen sent another [Javelin] to finish it off. All skeleton goblins were slain. Battle was finished. "Are you alright, Alicia?" Owen asked, still in a flat voice. "Yes," Alicia answered. "I am fine." RATTLE RATTLE "Right, get ready for the second wave." The mission, however, was far from over. Alicia Chapter 9: After the First Mission and Ranks Battle over. Emotions returned. After an hour or so, Alicia and Owen stood over the scattered remains of the defeated skeleton goblins decorating the red wasteland with even more broken bones. They lost count of how many skeleton goblins they defeated and Owen did most of the work. "Haa..." With the suppression lifted, Alicia sighed melancholy. Why? Well, the only word that could describe how she felt was... conflicted. Even so, there must be a better word to describe her predicament.
"Why are they called Vengeful Remnants and their lord is called the Lord of Vengeance?" Alicia asked. "It is as if their existence is to take revenge?" Both Owen and Aqua went silent to which Alicia noted. And for some reason, Voice kept silent. "To answer your question," Aqua spoke. "You need to know what AGP stands for." "AGP?" If Alicia recalled, Aqua had mentioned that the Lord of Vengeance would return in the year 300 ''AGP''. "It is short for After the Great Persecution." "...What?" "In Kaomagi, there are three races named based on the deities they served who created them. But informally, they are called humans; demi-humans, like half-animals, elves, and dwarves; and ''demons,'' like ogres, trolls, ... and goblins." "..!" "I see you have a general idea of it. Yes, at some point in time, aptly referred to as year zero AGP, with the help and command from their deity, the human race had committed genocide against the ''demons'' and the human deity even killed the ''demon'' deity. "However, for reasons even we do not know, the deity of the ''demons'' refused to die and became the Lord of Vengeance, and his children became the Vengeful Remnants. "In the name of revenge against those who wronged them, they ravaged the entire world, even killing the human deity. However, they also dragged the demi-humans with them too. "And at that time, the Otherworldly Court that had just been formed half a century prior stepped foot into Kaomagi, where the humans and demi-humans led by the last remaining deity, Eria, were in a desperate struggle to repel the Lord of Vengeance and his Vengeful Remnants." "And they helped to defeat the Lord of Vengeance?" "Yes, it took over half of the Court Wizards and all eleven Guardians, the First Guardians, to push back the Vengeful Remnants and seal the Lord of Vengeance inside the red wasteland." "Only sealing him? So can he not be defeated permanently?" "...He can be killed for good but... the First Guardians decided not to." "...Why?" "By letting the Lord of Vengeance rise once every century, he became a reminder of the Great Persecution and a warning for those who seek to harm others based on their birth. That was the First Guardians'' plan. "The Last Deity Eria even accepted the proposal and took the humans as if they were her children. She likely agreed with her experience before the Great Persecution, and it was her also called the Great Persecution its name and has her church to preach about anti-discriminatory practices. "The result? Kaomagi has become a world with multiple sapient species with ALMOST no discrimination between races. Since then, WE have yet to find another world with racial tolerance of Kaomagi''s level. For example, even though it is the humans who caused it, they were still treated equally with the demi-humans. The pope of Eria''s church, our Life Guardian, Gabriel, is human." "But that is extreme, why would the First Guardians do that?" "We... do not know why they did it. But, if I have to say something, it may be because of this: We, the Otherworldly Court also practiced taking revenge. We are not machines nor saints, we can still have selfish decisions."
"Alicia," Owen called from a distance. "Over here." "Ah, right." As Alicia went to where Owen was, part of the wasteland further from the recent battle site where the maneg concentration is more stable, she decided to put it behind the back of her mind. PIING And the rainbow light enveloped them to transfer them back to Manegia.
PIING Manegia Year 1421 "Welcome back, you two," John, one of the Transporter Room operators greeted. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Right," Owen shrugged and turned to Alicia. "Come on, Alicia, we''re going back to the fire chamber to report." "Right."
"I see you have returned with no injuries, good work you two," the Fire Guardian, Aqua, congratulated. "Thank you," Alicia replied. "As if a bunch of skellies can beat Alicia!" "You know I defeated most of the goblin Vengefuls, Voice," Owen retorted. "Anyway," Aqua continued. "Do submit your report." Then, Aqua booted up the computer on the desk and typed the streamlined version of the report that Owen gives verbally. It was then Alicia realized how Aqua could handle technology quite easily. She decided not to ask. Once it was done, Aqua picked up two envelopes and gave them to both Owen and Alicia. "Here you go," she said. "Ah, is this our payment?" Alicia deduced. "Yes, how did you know?" "Well, my father told me. Anyway, do we get paid for every mission, or do we have a fixed salary?" "Straight to the point I see, you are definitely Ronald''s child. As to your answer, to save the Otherworldly Court''s coffers, Court Wizards are paid for each mission. However, you can get a monthly income if you take up a post here. That includes our position as Guardians." "I see..." "Anyway," Aqua continued. "Can you hand over your identification sheet? I need to update it." "Huh? Alright then."
Name: Alicia Bell Age: 15 Sex: Female Species: Human World: Kaomagi Earth Element: Fire Element Color: Red Cherished Armaments: - Rank: Wizard Reading the sheet, Alicia only saw the changes made only at the last entry. Recalling what Aqua taught her when she first received this sheet of metal, she asked, "I got promoted?" "Yes," Aqua replied. "Well, I suppose I should explain how it works now. "Ahem. As you know, we have five ranks: New Wizard, Wizard, Grand Wizard, Duke/Duchess. And Guardians also have to climb up the ranks, but they will still be higher than the fourth rank regardless of their current one. "The first rank, New Wizard, is achieved after you learn the basic Orders that Owen taught you at the Training Grounds and then meet me. "The next rank, Wizard, can only be achieved once you develop an Order or anything involving maneg that sets you apart from the rest and then get the recognition by a Guardian which I did. Additionally, you need to complete your first mission which you did. "If you are wondering, the basis for your promotion is your pure composition of loyal maneg in your Maneg Soul and the ability to give normal Orders using it. It is in the category of unique technique involving maneg." "Why does that make it unique?" Alicia asked before realizing, "wait, how do you know about it?" "You see the balcony there?" Aqua pointed. "It is the best view of the Training Grounds. I happened to watch your training and saw you returning your loyal maneg. Naturally, during your mission, I went down and asked Russel for your Maneg Soul report." "I see." "Oh, I also forgot about you, Voice. You are also the reason for her promotion." "Obviously!" Voice gave a smug look "There ain''t a me as cute as I am!" "Now that we are discussing it." Alicia turned to Owen. "What was your justification for your promotion to Wizard, Owen?" "My Order, [Deep Freeze]," Owen answered. "It freezes bodies solid which was what I did to most of the goblin-type Vengefuls. And apparently, I was the first one who came up with it." "Really?" Alicia commented. "It does seem something very common." "I can explain." Aqua then operated the computer. "This is his general version of his Order." Attach to x body, lower temperature of x body to x temperature. "And what is wrong with this?" Alicia asked. "Well, the Order I used yesterday is [Ice Layer]," Owen said, not mentioning the kidnappers to not stray from the topic. "It''s the closest thing Ice Court Wizards got to [Deep Freeze]. It works by forming layers of ice outside the body to essentially trap them, which is the second step. [Deep Freeze] with its second step straight up freeze them from within, much cheaper but lethal." "Yes," Aqua nodded. "And it is the second general step of [Deep Freeze] that made it difficult to order. The thing is, Orders are based on science which we need to understand for our Maneg Soul to understand too. "Throughout generations, no Ice Court Wizard has ever understood how the temperature rises and drops. But as ''Earths'' progresses to the modern world, we now know that it happens because heat energy gets expelled which became the basis for the second step. "The Order [Deep Freeze] works by ordering ice maneg to absorb heat from the target, ultimately freezing their inner body. Additionally, as ice maneg absorbs heat, it converts to fire maneg as a by-product. "And as Owen became the first to ''invent'' this Order, he was promoted to Wizard." "Then what if you truly cannot develop a unique Order or skill?" Alicia asked. "Do you get stuck as a New Wizard until then?" "No," Aqua shook her head. "You can still be promoted by serving as a Court Wizard for five years. And it is also the case for the third rank, Grand Wizard, which in that case, requires ten years. "Normally, the requirement for the third rank is for you to make an ''achievement.'' It can be making a breakthrough in maneg research like Amelia Rickens," Aqua picked up the ''Maneg 101'' book and pointed at its author''s name. "But mostly, it involves performing a huge stunt during a mission, intentional or not." "Is that like Owen freezing a volcano?" "I see you heard of Owen''s achievement. Yes, and that was why Owen was promoted to Grand Wizard." "So that is your current rank then, Owen?" Alicia asked. "No," Owen shook his head. "I''m a Duke." "That is the highest rank," Alicia said. "Correct?" "Yes," Aqua nodded. "The fourth rank, Duke or Duchess, depending on your gender, is actually implemented about a century and a half after the Otherworldly Court was formed. The requirement to ascend to this rank is to receive the recognition by your Element''s Mother Soul that you are comparable to your Guardian, me, usually through a duel which you do not have to actually win." "So I have to fight you?" Alicia asked to which the Fire Guardian nodded. Then, she worriedly turned to Owen. "Did you fight Alice, Owen?" "No," Owen denied instantly. "The Mother Soul of Ice actually gave me the pass without ever fighting. And the same happens for the others once they got to Grand Wizard..." he mumbled the last part. "Why?" Alicia asked and saw Owen''s lowering expression. "Is it something sensitive?" "It is. But it is something you should know for Alice''s sake, but we have no time to explain it fully. So it will be a topic for another day," Aqua said. "I see, I will not ask further," Alicia complied, understanding their notion. "Moving on," Aqua continued in a better tone. "You can get demoted from the fourth rank. Every five years, you will have to take a ''re-test.'' If you fail or did not partake it within a month, you will be demoted. Additionally, if the Guardian passes away, all Dukes and Duchesses will be demoted automatically. "And that is about it. Do you have any questions?" "No," Alicia shook her head. "I believe I understand." "Good, now that we got that out of the way," Aqua pointed at the balcony. "There are some people who would like to talk to you, they have been waiting in the balcony as we speak." "Really?" Alicia said. "Who are they? I hope they did not wait too long." "They are your fellow Fire Court Wizards, and they are only relaxing there so they do not mind the wait. You will see once you enter the balcony." And thus Alicia''s day in the Otherworldly Court continued. Alicia Chapter 10: A Vampire and Its Hunter, a Knight and Another Knight Opening the red curtain of the balcony, a wide balcony can be seen. A balcony viewing nothing but plain ashes. To the left, there was a round table with an umbrella covering it. Two women were sitting there having tea and biscuits. One of them, sitting closer to the Training Grounds, was a woman in her twenties with an athletic build. She had the same fiery red hair as Alicia tied to a ponytail and a pair of red eyes. She wore a red steel armor from neck to bottom. A knight. The woman opposite to the knight was an albino. White hair, red eyes, and a skin paler than normal. She looked beautiful, wearing a white dress with a red outline and a sunhat. However, she was sitting in a wheelchair instead of a chair. They noticed Alicia and the others entering the balcony. The knight lady stood up and the wheelchaired girl rotated her wheelchair. "Good afternoon, I believe you are Alicia Bell correct?" the knight lady greeted, giving a salute. "My name is Jillianis Speris. Please to meet you. You can simply call me Jill." "And my name is Rosalie Bloodlight, but everyone calls me Rose," the girl in the wheelchair said. Pinching the hem of her dress while still in her wheelchair. "Pleasure to meet you." "Nice to meet you too," Alicia gave her reply while pinching the hem of her skirt (She''s wearing a white t-shirt with a red jacket over it, a red skirt, and a pair of white shoes). "And I am the super-duper adorable little fairy! Voice!" BOOM "Pixie!" Owen rebutted. The little pixie came about with a flashy entrance of twirling around in the air leaving red trails and ended with a tiny explosion.
The three girls (plus pixie) gathered around the table, having a pleasant conversation. Aqua has other business, saying something about registering Alicia''s recruitment to the other Guardians, Owen went to the Ice Guardian''s chamber. Their conversation went like this: Alicia inquires, "What happened to your leg, Rose?" "Hmm?" Rose lifted one of her eyebrows. "Is it something I should not ask? If so, forgive me." "I do not mind. It is a long story. For starters, I am what you call a vampire." Rose revealed her teeth-baring two sharp fangs. "A vampire..." "Do not worry, I will not suck your blood. In fact, I cannot." "Why is that?" "I simply hated the taste of blood. Every time I drink some, my stomach screamed to me to vomit it out." "I see..." "I was the youngest daughter of the Bloodlights, a powerful vampire family. Because I could not drink blood, I was ostracized by my family. I am also weak as a vampire so, that did not help either." "Then what happened?" "A long time after I became a Court Wizard, the Bloodlights went to war with a vampire hunter clan and I was sent to die. I have put an impressive fight as with my experience as a Court Wizard but then my left leg was splashed with a new type of holy water," Rose pulled the hem of her dress to reveal bandages over her left leg. "It is capable of spreading through the body from any point. A perfect vampire killer." "That is horrible. How did you survive?" "James, a water wizard who was at the vampire hunter''s side saved me by staking my leg preventing the holy water from spreading. Long enough for the court to decide to transfer us out." "I see... So who is this James? "He is the youngest son of the vampire hunter clan. He was the same as me, incompetent as a vampire hunter. He was also sent in the war to die, he found me and saved me but, our fathers saw this, so I am sure they took it as a betrayal. We have not returned to our world ever since." "Can your leg be healed?" "Yes, but, I do not want to..." "Why?" Alicia raised her eyebrow at her response. "It is a custom in the Otherworldly Court, an unusual and dangerous one mind you. If we have a lost limb or injury which is the result of an important memory, we keep them as the symbolization of that memory," Jill explained. "Yes," Rose nodded. "This leg here is how James saved me and our resolve to leave our family." "I see..." "Also, we can temporarily replace lost body parts with maneg so, it is not a problem for us." "Yes, I can use maneg to support my legs like this." Rose stood up for a few seconds, still revealing her bandaged leg, covered in red light, fire maneg supporting her left leg. "Incredible... So then-" "Do you like James!?" The pixie, who was happily munching cookies, suddenly asked Rose such a question. "Voice! Don''t ask her something like that!" Alicia scolded. However, the vampire simply said, "Yes." "Whoa! An instant answer! Tell us about it." "When we first met, he was still a young boy. He was so cute! He was half my height and had a girly voice!" "Ooh! Tell me more!" "I remember him gazing at me attractively and then freaked out when he figured out who I am. He fell on his butt tried to grab his stake but he kept slipping his fingers." Meanwhile, James was fishing somewhere and suddenly sneezed. Scaring the fishes off. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "He also really likes fishing so much so that his fishing rod he uses got turned into a Cherished Armament." "Ooh! Does it hook people!?" "Yes, it does." The conversation goes on and then Voice looked at Jill. "So, Jill, do you have a guy you like!?" "Phbuw-what!?" Jill almost spit her tea "N-No! I don''t particularly like anyone!" "I believe he is a knight named Richard, no?" Rose interjected. "Hii! Do not tell her that, Rose!" "So, who is this Richard?" Alicia curiously asked. "..." "Come on! Te~el u~s!" "He is only a knight from an enemy kingdom in my world," the knight huffed. "I would never dream to be fond of a knight from my kingdom''s archenemy! That is all!" "Really?" Rose quipped. "You went into battle with him quite often. You were both make a really good team. I also saw you blushing around him often, no?" "Wha- I did not blush around him!" Jill denied, but her expression said otherwise. "You''re to~tally blushing!" "I did not! You idiotic pixie!" Somewhere in the Light Guardian''s chamber, a knight named Richard suddenly sneezed. He had heard that if you sneeze for no apparent reason, someone must be talking about you, perhaps it is? "Then how about this? What do you think of Owen, Alicia?" Jill redirected the center of the conversation to Alicia "Owen? Well, I think he is a sweet boy." "Huh? Really?" Jill questioned. "Um... what do you two think about him?" "A very quiet boy," Jill said. "Letting action speak louder than words," Rose added. "A cold personality," Jill continued. "No pun intended." "Well, other people said that," Alicia commented. "But I do not think he is." "How is that so?" Jill asked. "Hmm... Well, one time he climbed a tree to save a kitten stuck on a tree, he fell. He still saved the cat though," "Go on." "And he got along well with the children at an orphanage." Alicia took out her smartphone. "Here, I got a picture of it." The smartphone shows Owen with little kids around him smiling happily. "My goodness... It is so sweet!" Rose exclaimed. "I did not know this." Jill examined the photo. "So, he is quite warm!" Voice exclaimed. "Oh! And also..." In the Ice Guardian''s chamber... "Achoo!" "Ah! Do you have a cold, Owen? I''m sure the air conditioner isn''t too cold." "No, I''m fine Alice, I think someone''s gossiping about me..."
"Oh! Look at the time!" Rose exclaimed. "It is past one noon. Shall we have lunch?" ""Sure,"" the two other women answered. "I will call the boys."
Here in the Otherworldly Court, Manegia, if you don''t have the motivation to cook your own food then the only other place to eat is a place with a lot of tables and chairs scattered around an open field between a line of food stands. There, you can see many kinds of food being cooked. Some are recognizable by Alicia and some completely alien to her. It was closed off by a wooden fencing 1 meter high and the entrance has a huge sign on top that said, Some Food Court "That''s a re~ally lazy name!" Voice complained. "True," Rose interjected. "I still could not fathom what the people who built this place were thinking when naming this." "Well, I do not think it matters much," a male voice commented. The voice belonged to a man about 20 years, 171 cm in height. He had a short, blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an article of blue noble-like clothing that was slightly damp. This is the person whom Rose talked about and liked, James. He was pushing Rose''s wheelchair. "James, should you not get a change of clothing?" Rose asked in concern. "No need," James replied. "It will dry under the sun." "James, you are getting less nobler further and further." Another male voice came in. He was 181 cm tall with a chestnut-colored hair and brown eyes in his twenties wearing a white full suit of steel armor without a helmet. He was the knight Jill was talking about, Richard. His family name was Sworsis when he first introduced himself. There were: Alicia, Alice, Jill, James, Owen, Richard, Rose, and one other person. He was a boy 16 years in age. About the same height as Alicia. He had a skinny build. He had a black hair and eyes. He was wearing a white hoodie and blue jeans. On his neck was a white muffler. Not sure why he would be wearing it on a sunny day. He was from Kaomagi Earth. And he was also the Guardian to the Mother Soul of Air, William Trust. And apparently, everyone called him Will. This made Voice laughed until her stomach hurt. "Your name is Will Trust! Oh, the irony!" Especially after the pixie had discerned him to not trust others easily. "The hell''s with this thing?" "Yelp!" Will immediately grabbed the annoying little pixie and increased the pressure on his grip to crush her before prompted to let her go. "Will has gotten over his lack of trust," Rose assured Alicia. "But mostly to us Court Wizards." Now, all eight Court Wizards all gathered in a large round table fitting 8 diners. Well after they had all ordered their food in different stalls, no waiters will come to deliver your food here. Alicia had something like a steak, though the stall owner said it''s like cow meat but it doesn''t look like one. Alice had a piece of ham. Rose had chicken with veggies and potatoes. There were two similar dishes near her plate. Apparently, due to her inability to consume blood which was essentially food supplements for vampires in her world, the vampire had to eat more than normal (recently, she was able to replace blood with something else, but it was not as effective). It was a wonder as to how she was able to maintain her body curve with that much food, it probably got dumped into one place. Owen got a sandwich. James got a fried salmon-like fish using the fish he caught which he asked the fish stall owner to cook it. Richard and Jill had a dish consisting of a foreign-looking meat, potatoes, lettuce. She had stammered something about only having a matching dish with him because it was purely a coincidence when Richard asked. Will also had a sandwich except it has no meat in it. They had a pleasant time eating until... "YEEAH!" "OOOH!" "What was that?" Alicia asked. "Well, I think someone is having a fistfight," Rose said. There was a circle of a crowd cheering about. "Hmm... I feel that presence in the middle of the crowd is Fire Court Wizards. Hanz and... Blaze?" Jill muttered. "How do you know?" Alicia asked. "We can train ourselves to ''feel'' the presence of other Maneg Souls," Rose explained. "With it, we can even tell the Court Wizard knocking in front of our door beforehand." "I see... What are they fighting about?" "Hmmm... I do not want to know." Jill scoffed. "The males of our Element are always like this." "Yes, a bunch of hot-headed children," Rose added. BOOM WHOOSH "Now they are throwing Orders around." Jill deadpanned "What! That is dangerous!" Alicia exclaimed. "I am going to stop them!" "What the? Alicia, what are you doing?" Rose asked. The group was surprised to see Alicia suddenly got up and rushed to the crowd. "Don''t worry. She always breaks fights and she''s good at it," Owen said, Reassuring them. "Um... Owen?" Alice asked, "Alicia can only use loyal maneg right?" "Yeah, what about it?" Owen wondered at Alice''s question and then widened his eyes. "Oooh... Crap!" Owen stormed off chasing after Alicia.
A man 18 years in age with a messy red hair and eyes as if on fire. 181 cm in height. He was wearing a red soldier''s uniform that wouldn''t be practical for camouflage. He was holding a red rifle with a bayonet. This is the Court Wizard who ordered all of those explosive Orders earlier this morning, Hanz. In opposition to the young soldier was a boy, wearing a red shirt and pants, who looked like he was six. As to why a man is fighting a little kid, well the kid''s not human, though that wouldn''t be much of an excuse. A pair of reddish-black horns stuck out of his short black hair. Scale-like skin and claws for the bottom half of his four limbs. Eyes that of a reptile. A not-so thick scaly tail sticks out on his buttocks. He was the other Fire Court Wizard Jill mentioned, Blaze. "Alright!" Hanz shouted. Readying the bayonet of his rifle. "Let''s do this, lizard!" "So are you, gun maniac!" Hanz thrusts his bayonet while Blaze imbued his claw with fire and lunged towards the army man. I order you, form rectangle 50 cm width and height right between them! Thus is my order! [Barrier]! Alicia just so happened to be breaking her way into the crowd and gave her Order. Alicia, wait! Don''t! Alicia ignored Voice''s serious warning as she exerted her dominance over her loyal maneg and manifested a barrier between the boys charging at each other. The bayonet and claw hit the barrier of fire and it shattered stopping the momentum of the two. "Huh?" "What''s this?" As the two hot-headed boys wondered, they heard a scream. "Aaagh!" It came from Alicia. The moment the barrier shattered, pain surged into Alicia, top to bottom. She then coughed up blood. It was painful. What... is happening to me? She thought of this as she collapsed and lost her consciousness. Alicia Chapter 11: The Price of Loyal Maneg and More Court Wizards? A lavish room Tattered A high-quality desk Rotated 90 degrees, destroyed An old man in noble-like clothing A husk without its life Beside, a robed one covered in the same shade as the earth with blood splattered over it A little boy, crying The robed one approached the little crying boy It spoke "Do you want revenge?" The crying little boy is an angry little boy The angry little boy nods "I won''t let you." SLASH The dreamer woke up. Dream forgotten.
A white ceiling. That was the first thing Alicia sees when she came to. She was in a hospital bed. A white blanket was covering her body. She was still wearing the same clothing. There was still a bit of a headache, but she could bear with it. She looked to her right to see Owen and Alice sitting on a chair beside her bed with their heads downcast. Russel was there too, resting his back on the wall. As Alicia raised her upper body, Owen noticed it. "Alicia! Are you alright?" Owen exclaimed as he stood up from his chair. "Yes, I am fine," Alicia said "I have a slight headache though..." "Thank goodness..." Owen sighed in relief. "Also, sorry." Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Why are you apologizing?" she asked. "We completely forgot the most important thing about loyal maneg," Russel answered her. "Yes," Alice added as she stood up. "Forgive us." "I''m sorry too, Alicia! I freakin'' forgot about it and I''m supposed to be your loyal maneg!" Even Voice apologized to her. "Alright, I understand," Alicia assured. "So, what was it that you forgot to tell me?" "You remember how your loyal maneg is your actual soul before becoming a Court Wizard, correct?" Alice reminded to which Alicia nodded. "When loyal maneg ''breaks,'' it will reflect on your physical body as it is your actual soul. Generally what constitutes as ''breaking'' is when the loyal maneg was forced into a state not intended by the Order given by an external interaction. "What happened when you ordered [Barrier] between Hanz and Blaze is that the Order was supposed to block attacks without breaking. When it was shattered, the loyal maneg was ''broke'' and thus was reflected to you. Another example is that a [Fireball] is supposed to ''safely'' hit a target and scatter due to the impact; but if it was deflected by a blade and the ball was cut, it will hurt you. "That is why a Maneg Soul compresses your soul to provide room for disloyal maneg which is much safer to use." "I see." Alicia nodded in understanding. "But then what should I do? I only have loyal maneg." "You could obtain a Cherished Armament," the Ice Guardian suggested. "Despite being of loyal maneg and is not supposed to be destroyed, you do not suffer physical damage should it break. What was broken was the base item of the Cherished Armament, which can be repaired over time, not the loyal maneg. "But do you have anything that holds something special to you? It is the requirement for it." Looking through her mind, Alicia tried to recall such an item. However, there was no such thing. "...No, I have nothing of the sort," she regrettably answered. "I see," Alice turned to the others. "Do you two have any ideas?" "We could get her a Catalyst," Russel suggested. Before Alicia could ask what it is, he already answered it, "it''s a tool that can store disloyal maneg and use one or two Orders, but it''ll take a while to build and you need a solution now." Finally, Owen spoke, "...I think the only way is well, using more loyal maneg." He pointed at the pixie. "I mean, Voice is using thirty percent, so she''s got it already." "What?" Alice quirked. "...That would be the only solution we have." "Yeah, that could work," Russel added. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Um, what does that mean?" Alicia softly asked, being thrown out of the loop. "To put it simply," Alice explained. "Loyal maneg of each Court Wizards have their own ''toughness'' to resist damage. But every loyal maneg will generally be more tolerant to damage if more concentration is used." "So when Voice used thirty percent of my loyal maneg, that was to minimize the chances of her getting hurt?" Alicia deduced. "Yes," Alice nodded. "But on the other hand, when she does, the damage you will receive will be as proportionate." She then turned to Owen. "So be sure to be careful when handling her," she warned. "Relay this to the others too." "...Right," Owen said, fully knowing what his Element''s Guardian implied. "Anyway, with that in mind," Alice continued. "We need to establish new rules." And so, they concluded with these: 1. Voice, being the representation of Alicia''s loyal maneg, will coordinate with her to use the appropriate amount of loyal maneg so that it wouldn''t break; but also not too much that when it does, the repercussions would not be too much. 2. Generally, what doesn''t kill you makes you stronger. Alicia losing consciousness was because it was the first time that her loyal maneg breaks, she shouldn''t experience that next time. But then again, it''s not a good idea to try getting used to breaking loyal maneg. So trying that is not allowed. 3. Depending on the situation, Voice can refuse Alicia''s Orders if she deems it too dangerous to use loyal maneg. Incidentally, while they were discussing about all of this, Alicia heard the sounds of women yelling at someone. Alicia finally decided to ask Alice about it. To which Alice answered, "It is Rose, Jill, Crea, and Luna yelling at Hanz and Blaze. Crea is Hanz''s partner and Luna is Blaze''s sister. We should introduce them to you."
Just outside the infirmary, four women were ganging up on two men kneeling in a Japanese ''seiza'' against the wall. The four women were yelling at the two poor males. The two boys were Hanz and Blaze. Hanz looked the same with his red army uniform, but Blaze did not have the horns, reptile limbs he had previously. Blaze looked like a normal 6-year-old now. These four women were: Jill, Rose, Luna, and Crea. Rose was standing thanks to loyal maneg supporting her damaged leg which she refused to be healed. Luna was a little girl, 110 cm tall, who looked six with a bright blue hair in a bob haircut and light blue eyes. She wore a blue one-piece dress and white slippers. Crea was a woman 151 cm tall. She had a dark blue hair in a bob haircut similar to Luna. She has dark blue eyes like the sea. She was wearing a brown dress, something a villager would wear, not a soldier uniform like Hanz. "You sir!" Crea scolded. "Stop ordering explosions every day! You are disturbing people!" "Brother!" Luna exclaimed. "Stop picking fights with Hanz over childish things! You too, Hanz!" While the girls were yelling at the two poor boys nonstop, there was Aqua, James, Richard, Will, and another Court Wizard Alicia did not know watching the girls verbally abusing their victims, their expression indicated that they have given up on the situation. They noticed Alicia and company coming out of the infirmary. The unfamiliar Court Wizard greeted her in a light tone first. The person was 190 cm tall with golden hair reaching the waist and bright blue eyes. The person was wearing an article of decorated priest-like clothing. "Greetings, Alicia," the person said. "Are you alright?" "Yes I am, thank you," Alicia replied. "You are?" "My name is Gabriel. I am the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Life. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you. My name is Alicia. You are a man, correct?" "Yes, I am a man." Raising his eyebrows, Gabriel answered. "How do you know?" "I heard that you are a pope in your world and I remember it to be a male title." "Wow, never knew that there''s someone who would notice Master Gabriel a guy right away," Russel interjected. "Even when he''s called pope, people still think he''s a woman." "I see. You are quite observant." Ignoring Russel''s remark, Gabriel praised her. "Anyway, I apologize for Blaze''s actions. He will reflect upon it as you can see." "I-I can see that," Alicia said wryly, looking at the poor boy. "So, who exactly... is Blaze?" "Blaze... and Luna too are called dragon-morph," Gabriel explained. "They can turn into dragons, a fire dragon, and an ice dragon respectively. However, the form you have seen is called a half-dragon form. They are still too young to morph into a full dragon." "I assume the morph comes from the fact they have human forms?" "Yes, that is correct. In my world, they are simply called dragons. However, here in the Otherworldly Court, we named them with consideration of the human form," Gabriel explained. He continued, "they are under my care as they are from my world, and also because I was requested to do it." As Gabriel finished, the others finally noticed Alicia''s recovery. ""Alicia! Are you okay?"" Rose and Jill shouted after noticing Alicia. "Yes, I am fine," Alicia replied. "Thank goodness..." Rose sighed in relief. Then, Luna spoke, "Hello Alicia, my name is Luna. I apologize for my brother''s action. Brother! Say sorry to her!" "S-Sorry..." Luna''s brother, Blaze, apologized. "It is alright," Alicia said. "I forgive you." Then the girl in the villager''s clothing approached Alicia. "My name is Crea Snows," she said. "And I also apologize on the behalf of my partner. Hanz," the girl said and glared at the red soldier, beckoning him to say sorry. "S-Sorry..." Hanz meekly apologized. "I understand," Alicia replied, "but picking a fight with a child is still unreasonable. Even if it is a kid who might actually be older, he is still mentally a child. Is that clear?" "Y-Yes ma''am," Hanz replied in a military-like fashion. However, Alicia did not know that dragon-morphs like Blaze and Luna of their world lived around a thousand or more of years. They grow and mature accordingly to the stretch of a thousand-year. Blaze and Luna who look six are actually in their sixties in human years. "Now that all of this is clear," Rose said."Ladies, shall we have a tea party to celebrate Alicia''s recovery?" """Sure!""" The rest of the women agreed and so they went. "Damn," Russel commented. "How did the girls suddenly from yelling at you two to having a tea party?" "Don''t question it," Owen answered. "We''ll never understand." "True," James added. "Hey, Owen," Will whispered. "Yeah?" Owen whispered back, knowing his partner wanted it to be between them. "How are we going to say to Ronald about this?" "About what?" Owen asked confusingly and realized. "Ooh... Right." "It won''t be just you, he''ll definitely show up in front of my house in a helicopter to kill me if he finds out that his only daughter got injured." "It should be fine as long as he doesn''t know." "Right, let''s hope so."
Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 BATABATABATABATABATABATA "What the hell?" Will cursed as he opened the door, hearing a loud sound coming from outside in the middle of the night. "What''s with the noise, Will?" Will''s father asked. However, he found his son to have stayed on his spot without moving at all. "...Son?" Unbeknownst to him, Will was having his life flashing before his eyes with what he saw. It was a helicopter, with the logo of Bell Conglomerate painted on its frame, flying just a meter above the grass. The door was opened, revealing a man as old as his father with crimson red hair and a red suit. His blue eyes, while not as bright as his wife, stared at the black-haired teen with furious intent. William Trust, the Guardian to the Mother Soul of Air, could only say one thing, "F*ck." Later, Hanz and Blaze were also met by the same inevitable fate despite being worlds away. Alicia Interlude 1: Tea Party 1 "Your eyes are just like your mother Irene, Alicia," Aqua said. "Thank you," Alicia replied. "How do you know about my mother?" "Well, your mother or more specifically, the Illyer family were adept in using water spirit magic, to communicate with the water spirits, my children, to lend their power to cast powerful water spells. You are a daughter of Illyer so you should be able to do it too." "Really? How do I do it?" "Well, one needs to be able to feel the presence of spirits. Then, communicate with them. You could ask your mother to teach you, but it only works in Spiri Raia since the spirits only exist there." "I see..."
"You know, I feel really uncomfortable here," Crea said. "How come?" Rose asked. "Hmm... It''s something like an aura of regality I don''t really belong into." Crea answered. "Mmhm." Luna hummed. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Let''s see here..." Aqua said. "I am the ruler of water spirits, Alice is a... from nobility, Rose and Jill are too. Alicia''s mother is a former noblewoman so that counts. Luna is a dragon belonging to a world where dragons are a noble existence. I suppose that is where the regality comes from?" "Yes! That''s exactly it," Crea said. "Me and Luna here are in a tea party full of aristocrats! I don''t really belong here." "Does it matter now?" Rose asked. "Two of us are former noblewomen. It doesn''t matter. All in the court is equal." "Yeah! We''re all friends!" Luna cheerfully said with cake stuffed in her mouth. "Yes!" Crea cheered.
"Why did we have a tea party on a balcony with a view of a wasteland?" Alicia inquired. "Hmm... Now that I think about it. Why did we choose this balcony?" Rose wondered. "Yes, whenever we girls decided to have a tea party, we always choose the Fire Guardian''s chamber''s balcony that looks over the training grounds," Jill said. "The balconies on the other side have better views." "And Hanz always ordered explosive orders there," Crea added. And a huge explosion was seen. The sound barrier absorbed the noise. "And there it is," she continued with a sigh. "I just scolded him not to." "Well, the tea party thing started with you Rose, and Jill," Aqua explained."You picked this balcony since you were both fire wizards and normally wizards of other Elements are not allowed to enter other chambers but their own Element." "Which no one really cared," Alice added. "And when the both of you started to invite other girls," Aqua continued, "it became like this." "True," Rose said. "Hmph, I do not mind," Jill shrugged. "I love the company." ""You''re welcome!"" Alicia Chapter 12: The Second Mission, Stealth-Killing Bandits PIING Beohar Year 483 All Alicia could see was a very lush forest. She could barely see the sky let alone the horizon with how tall and dense the trees were. The only thing she could make out was the ice-blue mountain... no, the volcano in the middle of erupting but was completely frozen mid-way.
"I see you are here, Alicia, Owen," Aqua said with a smile. James, Jill, Richard, and Rose were in the chamber as well. "Good, we can start the briefing. And since Alicia''s new here, I will go over the details all of you already knew, is that fine?" None had any objections whatsoever. Satisfied, Aqua blared up the projector and showed a topside view of the landscape of a world with the interesting landmarks of note being the ice-blue mountain-like area and the only large area of water south from it that''s still landlocked. Curiously, the picture was cropped in a circle. "This is Beohar," Aqua began, directing her explanation to Alicia. "The land inhabited with humans, half-animals, and dangerous beasts." Zooming to the icy mountain. "And this was the world where Owen froze this volcano when the emperor of the Palras empire tried to erupt it to destroy the kingdom of Vulgis." "Wow! Short Cream did that!?" Chuckling at Voice pretending it''s the first time she heard aside, much to the said Short Cream''s chagrin, Aqua continued, "That also meant the people of Beohar publicly know about us with the frozen volcano since then being called the Frozen Volcano of Vulgis." "Oh? They know about us?" Alicia blinked at that new information. But she supposed it would be impossible to hide something like an entire volcano frozen solid from the populace. "Yes," Rose nodded. "Although it is preferable to only let a few people know about us for smoother operations, sometimes it is unavoidable that an entire world acknowledges us and by extension, other worlds." "True, it is quite inconvenient when the whole world watches our every move." Aqua then moved the view of the world to the dense forestry where the only clearing was one long road. "Anyway, the mission today takes place here in the forest pathway connecting the human Palras empire and the half-animal Vulgis kingdom."
It was two weeks after her first mission in Kaomagi, now she has stepped foot in the second. That said, she didn''t sit by idly during that timeframe.
The week before. "Right, we''re gonna need to test if you can use [Telepathy]," Owen said. "Try using the first method." "Alright then." Alicia straightened out two of her fingers and placed them behind her earlobe. Then, directing her focus to Owen''s Maneg Soul''s signature, she said the name of the Order, [Telepathy]. Each Maneg Soul has memorized it since it was born as the Mother Souls deemed it too useful to not have it passed down. Incidentally, because it was memorized, the steps for this Order were lost as no one bothered to record it. ''Hello?'' Alicia said in the [Telepathy] to Owen. She felt a trickle of her loyal maneg leaving her. Then, Owen did the same gesture as she did. ''Yeah, I heard it clearly alright. Turn it off.'' (Owen) ''Okay.'' Releasing her fingers, the loyal maneg returned to Alicia in that instant. Explaining this to Owen, he concluded, "Looks like loyal maneg works just as fine. Alright then, we should try the second way just to be safe." "Right." Without placing her fingers, she instead focused her mind on Owen''s Maneg Soul. ''Do you receive this message? [Telepathy].'' Then, the same amount of loyal maneg left her Maneg Soul and came back in a fraction of a second. ''Yeah, I got it.'' (Owen) "So I assume I can use [Telepathy] just fine?" Alicia asked. "Yep, seems like it."
TUG Your sleeve got stuck, Alicia! Turning her head to her right, under her mask, Alicia saw the part of her brown robe that got stuck to a twig. Unplugging it, she mentally thanked the pixie, Thank you, Voice. No problem!
The week before. "Here you go, Alicia." Aqua presented a folded brown robe with a dull grey mask that looked similar to a hockey mask on top of it to her. "What is this?" Alicia asked as she received it. "The attire you are supposed to wear on missions. The mask and robe cover your identity and with the color being the same for everyone, enemies will have difficulty knowing which one is which," Aqua explained. "We did not have the size ready for you so you were given the cloak and its mask that was for ceremonial use first." "But Owen used his cloak when on the mission you gave us." "Oh, Owen just doesn''t like wearing it. He would use every opportunity to use the cloak instead."
Brushing through the trees, the Court Wizards made their way to the only road in this forest. Fortunately, no vicious beasts attacked them on the way, as expected of the safest route. There, they could see a carriage flanked by dozens of so guards in full armor. What''s peculiar about them was the animal ears, tail, and fur they have visible even under the protection they wore.
"On a brief note, you know what a half-animal is, right?" Aqua asked. "It is what we call a person with animal ears and tail, correct?" Alicia answered. "Correct. The Palras empire was at war with the Vulgis kingdom culminating with the volcano erupting Owen had to freeze which effectively ended the war," Aqua rehashed. "Last week, the Vulgis kingdom sent an envoy for a peace treaty which is why we are here today. A few days ago, we received a concerning message from the Palras Bell Branch through the communicator Catalyst, weirdly enough." "Hm? What is so strange about it?" Alicia wondered. It''s just a messaging device powered by maneg, albeit one designed to send messages across worlds, right? "The whole thing is outdated, it''s an invention from centuries ago that''s like best we have when your grandpa started the Bell Branches," Owen explained. "It''s only powerful enough to send like a dozen words across worlds before having to recharge maneg a whole day." "Specifically, about seventy-five to a hundred characters can be sent at a time," Rose added. "Depending on multiple factors including Catalyst quality." "Oh." "Amelia is developing a better design for the Catalyst," Rose continued. "One that would be more efficient in sending messages between worlds and perhaps even more." "I see," Alicia nodded. "Then is using the Catalyst like this unusual?" "Yes, they are normally used to notify us so we can come down and collect reports," Aqua explained. "If there is a potential mission such as this, they are still used to notify us and we would discuss with them in person, not through this directly." "It reeks of conspiracy," Jill spat with a disgusted look. "True," Richard nodded with his arms crossed. "Is it really that suspicious?" Alicia asked, still skeptical about it. "The full message is written ''Noble sends bandits to attack envoy in the forest in three days, don''t come to Bell Branch,''" Aqua stated. "Okay, that is suspicious," Alicia admitted. "We will start investigating this message''s origin once this is over, as well as the offending noble," Aqua continued. "In short, a Palrasian noble has sent his men posed as bandits to attack the envoy in this location," Aqua pointed at a forest with a long dirt clearing connecting Vulgis to Palras on the screen. "And the attack is happening today."
Confirming the carriage''s position, the Court Wizards retreated and moved on ahead of them, making sure that not so much as a rustle was made nor heard.
"As you can guess, the mission is to stop this attack," Aqua continued. "As a reminder from the beginning, the whole thing still needs to be concealed from the envoy, or anyone for that matter." "Hm? Do we still need to do that?" Alicia asked. "They already know us, right?" "You are right, but the first rule of the Rules of Engagement ''Let no one witness you should you not belong there'' still applies regardless," Aqua replied with her arms on her waist. "Also, there is an... impression the people of Beohar have of us." "That being?" "They are absolutely terrified of us!" Aqua smiled, practically beaming. "Huh! Buh! Wah!?" Loving Alicia and Voice''s expression, the Fire Guardian continued, "Anyway, how about you explain it, Owen?" to delegate the task to someone else. Standing there with an unamused look, Owen explained regardless, "Basically, when I froze that volcano, we kinda made a big show of it since everyone''s gonna find out anyway. Long story short, we also scared the crap out of both countries to make peace with each other." Eyeing at William, he continued, "well, it''s mostly Will that does the scaring." "I was beyond pissed off by the whole charade," William grumbled, crossing his arms with a scowl. "Yeah..." Owen agreed with him. ''Did something happen between them?'' Alicia wondered internally. Hearing the two''s conversation clearly indicated their involvement in Palras and Vulgis'' war leading up to Owen freezing the volcano was more than an unpleasant experience. "Anyway, letting the envoy know or anyone else on that matter may elicit unpredictable behavior that could potentially jeopardize the peace treaty, whether or not it was we who practically demanded it," Aqua continued. "Furthermore, even if they prove to act rationally, the peace treaty may still fail if the Vulgis kingdom found out their envoy had been attacked no matter what." "All because those two races hate each other," Owen quipped with an unamused look. "Hm? What do you mean, Owen?" Alicia wondered. "You know, the classic," Owen said with a scoff. "Hell, even if they''re both humans or half-animals, it''s not gonna stop them from raiding each other - that''s how the war started, by the way." "Then, is that why the noble sent the bandits?" Alicia asked based on all the information given. "Because he hated the half-animals?" "Basically, yeah," Owen shrugged as a matter of fact.
"Remember, we need to kill them quickly lest the envoy reaches us," Rose, with her legs under her robe reinforced by maneg as she marched, reminded the other two. "Or hear us if they are close enough." Of course, Alicia knew that this would happen one day. If anything, what she got from the conversation in the evening meant that she knew that killing people was going to be necessary. That said, the other part of her didn''t like it, much less want to do so, but fortunately...
"As your father, I absolutely forbid you from killing anyone, same goes for Owen. I will not let you take that burden."
However, she still has to watch others kill. This was something not even her father could do anything against it. For one, as she has heard, Crea, who was a complete pacifist, frequently worked with Hanz, who essentially was a ''shoot everything that moves'' type of person. As Alicia pondered about it, she felt maneg poking into her Maneg Soul. Ladies, the ''bandits'' are just up ahead. Use [Thermal Scan] to confirm their positions. (Aqua) It was a [Telepathy] from Aqua, all the way from Manegia through the monitors of the Transporter Room. Unlike the Catalysts that came after it, the equipment of the Transporter Room was state of the art, powerful enough to support inter-world communication which should be expected as the one responsible for the transferring.
"In short, we have a warning of an attack against a peace envoy from a Bell Branch through unorthodox means with no time to investigate it. As for the impending attack, again we have no time to know how it will be carried out beyond the location," Aqua concluded. "Well, it is not like we have never done a mission blind before and it could be worse, give or take." "Is it really that bad?" Alicia asked in concern. "Well, even after this is over, the following investigation will be as difficult," Aqua continued. "The emperor of Palras would sooner scare his pants off than cooperate with us and the message from Palras Bell Branch suggests that even they would be a bit of a problem." "I see..." "We should focus on the current mission for now," Aqua then turned to William. "Will, you take it from here." "He''s usually the one planning the missions if he''s here," Owen whispered to Alicia. "Right," William sighed as this was routine for him. "For starters, Aqua will be at the Transporter Room, monitoring the location of the bandits."
"I detect thirteen heat signatures," Jill reported after giving the Order [Thermal Scan], scanning for heat signatures within a radius with its maximum range depending on efficiency, a specialty of the Fire Court Wizards. "They are in a five-five-three phalanx formation." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. [Thermal Scan] 50 meters. Gotcha! Alicia did the same Order and, in the dense forest, could see three red marks on her vision side by side. Each mark indicated that it was a roughly overlapping stack of multiple marks, meaning there were thirteen marks in the formation Jill had said. "Alright then, I will take the first row closest to the road, you take on the middle, Jill," Rose turned to Alicia. "You will incapacitate the last row. We will interrogate them." "Got it." Then, Rose and Jill both lifted their right arm. Particles of loyal maneg began to converge under their hands. In Rose''s hands, a long pole half her height with a red spearhead on the tip appeared. A red cloth with a very intricate design covered most of the pole while the end of the handle where Rose held the weapon was crooked like a cane. Despite its extrinsic design, Alicia could tell it was a parasol of all things. On the other hand, Jill held a spear with a fiery design on the pole sideways as it had emerged. It was about the same height as its wielder and its spearhead was in constant flames.
"Whoa! Cool!" "That does not look like an ordinary [Javelin]," Alicia remarked with the spearhead being on fire and all. "It is not," Jill confirmed, twirling the spear in her hand. "This is my Cherished Armament. It is a special type of Order that gives us weapons out of loyal maneg. I believe Aqua had mentioned it in passing when you received your identification card." "Oh?" Alicia perked up. Hearing about loyal maneg made her interested even more. "Cherished Armaments are made when your loyal maneg possesses items that bear significance to you that are then stored in your Maneg Soul that you can call out anytime," Jill explained, lifting her spear. "This spear of mine is a family heirloom, the spear of house Speris passed down through generations since its founding. As its latest wielder, my Maneg Soul recognizes the spear''s importance to me and deemed it worthy enough to be my Cherished Armament." "Ooh!" "Cherished Armaments do not have to originally be weapons, by the way. Loyal maneg will modify the object into something battle-worthy," Jill continued, showing the intricate parts. "My spear is also modified to be more powerful than the original. I believe one of Rose''s Armament is a parasol turned into a deadly lance by her loyal maneg - you can have more than one Armament, by the way." "I see. What happens to the original item?" Alicia asked. "You said loyal maneg possesses it, so does it go into your Maneg Soul too?" "That is correct," Jill nodded. "As to how that exactly works, I am not sure myself." "Then, can you get the original item back?" "After you die," Jill said bluntly, resting the butt of the spear on the ground as she leaned on it. "When you obtain a Cherished Armament, you keep it for life." "Okay, can you have more than one Cherished Armament?" "You can. I believe Rose has at least three of them." "I see. Does everyone get Cherished Armaments?" Alicia then asked. "No, that is why I am the one tasked with teaching you this," Jill shook her head. "You have to have something that means a lot to you, so many Court Wizards go without one. It has to be something you cherish deeply, hence its name. So most commonly, it is either a keepsake like a pendant or a weapon passed down to you like my spear that gets picked." "Eh!? So how does a pendant work!? Do you swing it around!?" "Yes, there are many Court Wizards with mock flails containing pictures of their loved ones for an Armament," Jill answered the Pixie. "And because of that, it is tradition to name your Armament after the reason why it is important to you. I simply named mine [Speris Heirloom] but trust me, the naming convention can get out of hand." "How so?" "Rumor has it, someone had named their Armament a hundred words long. Amelia is still trying to recover that record." "I-Is that so?" Alicia smiled wryly. "But, if Cherished Armaments are from loyal maneg, would it not be dangerous if they break?" She still has memories of that [Barrier] she put between Hanz and Blaze that day. "That is true. If it breaks, it would cause a great deal of backlash back to you," Jill replied with her hands on her waist after dismissing her spear. "But that is why they possess physical objects. By having a material origin, Cherished Armaments reinforce themselves, making them unlikelier to break under duress than your typical loyal maneg Orders." "I see, it would not make sense to have them if they do not," Alicia muttered in understanding. "Besides, loyal maneg do not break so easily," Jill continued. "Souls are powerful things. It is of great effort for Maneg Souls to even be able to compress it to fit disloyal maneg and in your case none at all." "But what about when Hanz and Blaze broke my [Barrier] then?" "They must have put too much force in their strikes that it will seriously hurt each other. The knuckleheads."
Alicia, Jill, on the count to three, we strike. (Rose) Emotion suppression on.
RUSTLE RUSTLE "We are almost at the position. The other group should arrive by now," one bandit, who was in the first row, said to his colleagues. They were composed of five sword and shield wielders, five spearmen, and three archers with crossbows maintaining a solid formation of having the shielders in front, spearmen in the middle, and archers in the back. Their level of professionalism meant that they could maintain this arrangement inside this dense forest. They were dressed in green cloaks and their equipment was of high quality, making the word ''bandit'' inaccurate to describe them since actual bandits wouldn''t have that quality of weapons. But it was necessary to kill those animals as was sticking to this tried and true battle formation since there was no reason to fight as disorganized as real bandits. "Once the carriage arrives, we strike-" TZANG However, just as the bandit was about to finish saying that, an otherworldly sound reverberated through the foliage, stunning their bones in place. It sounded like an explosion, yet it had an inherent sense of wrongness to it. They never heard anything like it, yet they felt like they should have known where, or rather what it came from. SHIING Then, they saw it. A brown blur crossed in front of the sword and shield bearers. It was fast, unbelievably so that they could barely make a glimpse of it. However, some of the bandits have managed to ever so slightly capture a white mask donned by the blur... and a thin red line along their necks. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH Five heads rolled down. The flame of the spear cauterized both stumps, preventing blood from splattering the grass muffling the noises of the headless bodies, swords, and shields falling. It all happened so fast that the others couldn''t process what just happened.
8 bandits left. Jill slid along the ground, unrooting the grass along the way as she came to a full stop, having ordered [Eject] to quickly dash from the bandits'' left flank with [Speris Heirloom]''s flaming blade slicing through the first row of bandits like a hot knife through butter. Having done her part, she alerted the others. Rose, you are up. (Jill) Got it. (Rose) WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE Without even waiting for the first row of bandits touching the floor, Rose followed up by imbuing her parasol with fire maneg and launching it straight at the second row like a seasoned thrower. The burning parasol pierced through the second row by their torsos leaving only gruesome charred remains dropping to the ground like flies and eyes coming to shock too late. 3 bandits left. It is on you, Alicia. (Rose) Right. Alicia dashed to the battlefield, catching up with the others. Only three bandits remained and they were still reeling in shock by their comrades'' sudden demise. With their crossbows yet to be loaded for fear of misfire, Alicia wasted no time and started her Order. I order you, coat set trigger left hand, coat set trigger right hand, coat set trigger left foot, trigger: on contact attach form hollow sphere 50 cm diameter, do not transfer heat, oxidize inner hollow sphere, thus is my Order, [Burning Fist]. Coming right up! With Voice''s confirmation, Alicia''s hands and left foot were set ablaze. The fire did not burn her but was warm to the touch. Maneg Souls always make sure that their Court Wizard''s Orders will not hurt them, especially this kind of Order.
TAP Alicia practically gave the wooden dummy a headpat with her hand. That said, her hand was covered in fire maneg burning brightly as she did so. Then, her fire maneg attached itself to the wooden dummy''s head, forming a box shape from head to base. As the natural state of fire maneg activated, it began to burn the dummy inside it. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE ''Loyal maneg return!'' Soon, after Alicia stepped back, she recalled her fire maneg leaving behind the charred remains of the wooden dummy. As Alicia saw it, it had been reduced to little more than a black, half-burnt pole while everything else was turned to ash adding more to the Training Grounds. "Wow! Brutal!" "That is true," Alicia remarked, checking the damage to the piece of wood. Then, she looked at the piece of paper on her other hand with barely legible handwriting that she was all too familiar with. "And the Order father written out is quite complicated too." "It''s your family heirloom, Alicia. A complicated Order just to set someone on fire," Owen joked sarcastically. "Anyway, lemme have a look at it. I could probably tell how it works." "Alright then," Alicia said as she handed over the note to him. "Hmm, yeah. It''s a mess alright," Owen muttered as he scanned over the paper. "Can you explain it then?" Alicia asked. "Sure, this thing starts with two Commands, ''coat'' and ''set trigger,''" Owen began. "''Coat'' is easy enough, you wrap maneg around something which in this case is your arms and legs. ''Set trigger'' is a little more complicated; you''re telling your maneg to prepare for a condition which in here is on the coating." "Like setting up a trap!?" "You could say that. Once you repeat the step for every limb you want, you can then start telling how the trap is sprung," Owen continued. "Starting with ''trigger'' and a colon if you write it down, the trigger''s activated when the coating gets into ''contact'' with something which then ''attach'' and ''form'' fire maneg of some shape onto the thing you touched. To top it all off, you tell it to ''oxidize'' to burn harder, resulting in that," he finished by pointing at the burnt wooden dummy. "How does ''oxidize'' work?" Alicia tilted her head. "Eh, I don''t know. We''re in business class," Owen shrugged. "Fire is supposed to be fuel turning oxygen into carbon dioxide, generating heat and all the stuff fire makes and the whole thing is called oxidation which is what fire maneg is trying to do." "Okay, so what does calling ''oxidize'' again do?" Alicia then asked. "I am pretty sure it is already doing that." "Apparently, fire maneg by default eats up like half of the oxygen," Owen said. "You call ''oxidize'' to basically tell it to burn through all of it. So, the fire maneg burns better." "Hm, now that you mentioned it, the fire maneg did look like it burned brighter," Alicia muttered, looking at the wooden pole. "Then, if you tell fire maneg to ''not oxidize,'' will it not burn?" "Pretty sure it does," Owen rubbed his chin. "Well, that''s about it, I guess. But, as you can see there, it doesn''t look like a safe Order to use on people." Once again, the poor wooden dummy was pointed out. "That is true," Alicia cupped her cheek. "Can I even use this Order? Other than on monsters?" "Well, you can modify it. Most Court Wizards get to Wizard rank after tweaking someone else''s Order," Owen told her, holding up the note. "And your dad definitely added something to this Order to get his. Pretty sure your grandpa made this Order in the first place." "I see," Alicia nodded, motioning Owen to give her back the note. "Then, let me see if I have some ideas..."
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE ''Loyal maneg return!'' The sphere of loyal fire maneg dissolved and returned to Alicia, leaving behind another wooden dummy Owen planted in its absence. This time, however, instead of charred remain, the wooden dummy looked as good as new. "It works," Owen remarked, staring at the dummy. "How!?" "True, it is hard to imagine," Alicia agreed with Voice at the impossible sight. All Alicia did was add a step ''do not transfer heat'' and as if it were an illusion, her fire maneg that attached itself to the wooden dummy''s head remained unharmed. She also had the shape of the formation to be a hollow sphere which only oxidized the air inside it instead of just plain ''oxidize'' at the end, resulting in the odd result in front of them. "Yeah, but I''m pretty sure this guy''s dead if it''s a person," Owen said, showing his smartphone''s time. "I don''t know about you, but not breathing for half an hour is gonna kill anyone. Not to mention all the smoke that somehow exists." "Yes, it is quite a mystery." As Alicia remembered from middle school, smoke came from the material being burned. Her loyal fire maneg being the only material as it didn''t burn the dummy yet still producing it didn''t make sense. "Well, you still got a good idea; using the fire oxidizing to make people choke on not oxygen ''till they''re knocked out is definitely gonna work. You just gotta time your loyal maneg recall so they wouldn''t get more than just brain damage," Owen chuckled. "Anyway, you still remember classes, right? You still gotta slap them in the face first." "I remember," Alicia nodded with a smile. "It is quite hard to forget them after you take so many of them." In the name of her father''s protectiveness of her, Alicia''s father had her alongside Owen go through a variety of martial arts classes to know self-defense since she can''t bring a taser or pepper spray to school. Suffice it to say, she became a decent MMA fighter which was more than good enough considering her father also planned on giving her gun lessons which her mother shot down. "Welp, I guess we''ll just have to practice for a bit," Owen concluded. After all, Alicia was going to have to be able to punch someone in the face, attach a hollow ball loyal fire maneg on their head, make sure the fire maneg doesn''t burn the person''s head as it sucked all of the oxygen inside it, and return the maneg just as the person fell unconscious but not until death since Alicia''s Order will stay indefinitely. Just like her father and her grandfather before her, Alicia created a complicated Order just to knock someone out.
JAB On the opening salvo, Alicia rushed to the first archer and planted her right fist on the back of his head. The force of that punch coupled with bad footing in the dense forest caused the archer to fall forward, clearing the way for Alicia to strike the second target. PUNCH Following it up, Alicia delivered a left hook onto the second archer, breaking his nose as he tumbled backward. It was only at this timeframe did the final archer regained composure. "Damn it!" The archer pointed his crossbow at Alicia in panic, only to realize he hadn''t loaded it yet. KICK Not wasting her momentum, Alicia swung her foot upward, hitting the archer from his left temple. Just like the others, the archer was knocked down, but that wasn''t it. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE As all triggers met their targets, the effects of the Order kicked in. A hollow red ball formed around their heads. It did not harm them, yet it took away their ability to breathe. As their hands pass through it, they could not get rid of it. Soon, as they thrashed about, they fell unconscious, unable to breathe the right kind of air. Loyal maneg, return. 3 bandits incapacitated. The ambush was over. Emotions returned. "Urk!" Alicia opened her mask, then clasped her mouth with her right hand. Her left hand was pushing against a tree as the sight of the gruesome aftermath almost made her vomit. Contrary to what most believed, the emotional suppression didn''t make Court Wizards stop feeling; rather, it just bottled it up. The result was that once the battle was over, it all came crashing like a dam. "Are you alright, Alicia?" Rose beckoned to her worried at her experience of seeing her friends kill for the first time. It may be reluctantly accepted in their worlds'', but it certainly was not for Alicia''s. "Y-Yes, I am fine," Alicia reassured her. "I need to breathe for a little bit after looking at what we have done." "I suppose we have done more than necessary," the vampire remarked, seeing the surroundings. "True, but we had to be quick, otherwise the half-animals would have seen us fighting," Jill pointed out, being the plan from the beginning, after all. "Yeah! That was fast!" Guys, we''re done. You? (Owen)
"The bandits will probably attack both sides," Will explained. "We''ll split up into two groups, one for each side. Also, we''ll need to take some of them alive for the following investigation."
"Alright, we are still deep in the forest, but we should still dispose of these bodies just in case," Rose ordered. "We will have to make sure to cover the blood so the half-animals would not smell them." "Eeew!" "Bear with it, pixie." Jill deadpanned. "It can be much worse than this." "Eeek!" "What should we do about these three?" Alicia asked, pointing at the three unconscious men she subdued. "Where do we keep them?" Now that she asked, Alicia wondered exactly how the Otherworldly Court held the likes of these bandits for questioning. It''s not like they would be transferred to Manegia, right? "There is a safehouse nearby," Rose explained. "We will keep them there until it is time to question them." "Oh? Do we have that in every world?" Alicia pondered. "No, it depends on the world," Rose shook her head. "Sometimes we do, sometimes all we have is a secluded area like a cave or an abandoned warehouse. The problem is having someone to maintain them which falls to our collaborators in the Bell Branches nowadays. We used to rely on Court Wizards living in the world or other one-off collaborators providing them for us." "Not to mention we cannot use the one on the Palras capital for obvious reasons," Jill added as she began to lift one of the headless bodies by her hands. "Anyway, we should focus on this for now," Rose then said. "We have our work cut out for us." "Yeah! You made them into shish-kebabs!" "Yes," the vampire chuckled. "I suppose I did." They got to work swiftly. While Alicia tied up the unconscious archers with a rope she brought under her robe beforehand, Jill dragged the collars of the headless bandits she killed on one hand and their heads by their hair on the other one by one. How Rose handled the bodies she gutted was best left unsaid. After piling them all up deeper into the forest, Rose gave the Order to burn them all. This time, Alicia emptied her stomach. Thus was Alicia''s second mission.
"Hm?" Alicia noticed as her teacup was right below her lips. "Now that I think about it, where is James?" "Yeah! Aren''t you two like together ''gether, Rose!?" "For one, there were already six of us which is a large crowd that seldom happens, but you are right," Rose, back in her wheelchair, cupped her cheek at their remark. Voice was munching on cookies as always. "But as Court Wizards, my relationship with him is that of mentor-junior. Those kinds of teams do not last forever." "Why not?" "Think about it, mentorship lasts around a year and if you are like me, you could mentor many Court Wizards throughout the years," Rose pointed out, reminding Alicia that she has been a Court Wizard for more than a century. "And just as many, you eventually have to go on your separate ways. Only a few would stick together until the end." "True, after Master Zekie taught me and Richard for a year, we soon do our own business," Jill added, sipping her tea. "Master Zekie is the Lightning Guardian from our world, by the way." "I see..." Alicia muttered in a somber tone. "James and I do still go on missions from time to time," Rose consoled. "That said, even in an established team, not all Court Wizards in it have the same timetable. James has his activities in Manegia much like I - it is not like we do nothing but take missions every day, after all." "I suppose that makes sense," Alicia nodded, taking a bite out of a cookie in the middle, where Voice sat eating them. "Yes, my responsibilities as heir of my family clan nowadays meant that I am only here once or twice every other month," Jill interjected. "Meanwhile, Richard has more leeway as heir of his family to spend time lollygagging about," she sided, sipping her tea. "Oh, it is alright, Jill," Rose smiled, putting down her teacup. "You can admit you miss seeing him as often as you do before." "Pfft! No, I do not!" Jill screamed, almost spitting her tea. "Why would I miss a knight from an enemy kingdom anyway!?" she exclaimed, standing up and slamming both hands on the table with a furious blush. "Hihihi! Sure you do!" More About the Otherworldly Court 1.1: The Maneg Soul Picks Its Vessel & Soul 1 During the weeks before Alicia''s second mission and after her first mission in Wizards of the Otherworldly Court: Alicia.
Manegia Year 1421 SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE "Cookies! Cookies!" "Well, this is going to take a while," Aqua remarked, putting her hands on her waists, and looking down at the oven baking cookies. "Not that I am consuming it," the greater water spirit smiled wryly. Being a body-less soul meant she can''t partake in the pleasure of eating food. "Is that so?" Alicia said in a consoling tone. Something the teenage girl quickly learned about the Guardians'' chambers (assuming they''re all the same except the color scheme) was that they also doubled as apartments if the word ''chamber'' didn''t explain it already, and were rather luxurious. The fire chamber for one has its own living room with the office desk where Aqua handed out missions; a kitchen they''re using right now, complete with its dining table; the large balcony where Rose hosted her tea parties; and two bathrooms for the first and second floor. Yeah, you heard that right, the chamber has a second floor as well. When Alicia first entered the chamber, she noticed the set of stairs to the right, sitting on top of the kitchen and bathroom that were both beside each other - it created a long corridor to the living room. The second floor as Alicia knew was mainly the bedrooms, enough for a small family, along with the aforementioned second bathroom. The ''First Guardians,'' the founders of the Otherworldly Court, and the first Guardians, hence their title, had intended for the Guardians and their families to live in the chambers. In practice, not all of them do, even rarer with their families. Those Guardians still have homes in their worlds and simply transfer to the Court like going to work, leaving the second floor to gather dust. Those who do, however, were the unlucky ones which was the anticipation the First Guardians were watching out for. Like Master Alice, Alicia thought sadly. Owen had told her about the little Ice Guardian''s circumstance that led to her living alone in the ice chamber and it was heartbreaking. No child should have gone through what she had. And also Rose and James. With the both of them effectively banished from their world, the vampire and vampire hunter have their own house in the Otherworldly Court''s vicinity, or so Alicia heard from the former. In fact, the area outside of the castle of the Otherworldly Court was a thriving city built around it, if Some Food Court didn''t make it obvious. There were many people who were not Court Wizards from other worlds living here. Most of them were like Alicia''s mother''s side of the family, the Illyers, being rescued from their world because of dangerous circumstances and were unable to return because circumstances. The rest of them were from the countries around the Court and yes, the Otherworldly Court was not alone in Manegia, the world it resided in. The Transporter Room operators, in fact, were from those countries. They, like many others, came to the Court seeking jobs or other opportunities at one of the crossroads of worlds. Of course, the Otherworldly Court itself was independent of those countries and can be said to be its own city-state which goes to show that the Otherworldly Court would attract different kinds of people together as a community. There''s still more to it like how the city was governed and the residencies inside the Otherworldly Court that were not the chambers but it''s getting off-topic, so back to the main story at hand. "Well then, might I impart you another lesson while we wait?" Aqua offered. As Alicia was new to this Court Wizard business, she needed to be trained and the basic Orders she was taught in about an hour (in total barring the near accident with Alice) at the beginning were nowhere enough. Being the standard procedure, Owen, who ''recruited'' her, automatically became her ''mentor,'' accompanying her on missions, showing her the ropes, and imparting what she needed to know. When he wasn''t available, it was Aqua who filled in the gap, being the Guardian of Alicia''s Element. Because Aqua and Guardians in general acted as the ''second mentors,'' they can''t be the ''main mentors'' themselves lest the recruited Court Wizard only gets one mentor which resulted in an awkward mentorship if they recruited Court Wizard. Oh, and the mentoring will go on for about a year and then Alicia will be a fully-fledged Court Wizard. Whatever rank she achieved during the mentorship won''t expedite the time. Also, in the case the new Court Wizard was recruited by two or more senior Court Wizards, only one of the latter was chosen as a mentor while the others could still give advice. Apparently, that was the case for Alicia''s father being the mentor of Aqua, something new she learned every day. "Sure," Alicia agreed. "What is the lesson for today?" she asked, dusting off dry cookie ingredients from her school uniform. After the day of her first mission, she ended up wearing the same red blazer over her white buttoned shirt complemented by a matching red skirt as she did on her first day to the Otherworldly Court. This was mostly because she transferred to the Court after school and she''s not of the idea of changing clothes just for that. She planned to go to Court when she doesn''t have any homework for the day, and she and Owen were good enough at school to require no extra self-study except for tests. Speaking of Owen, this was his routine when he''s a Court Wizard which she has no reason not to copy. So just like her, Owen mostly wore his uniform consisting of just the shirt and light blue trousers - ever since becoming a Court Wizard, Alicia now knew why her father picked those colors for the very customizable school uniform. Oh, but the old shirt did get replaced after having thirteen knife stabs driven through it. Thinking back, I did not react as much as I would imagine... Alicia thought at the scene she''d rather not bring up from time to time. Is it because of my Maneg Soul calming me down? It might be considering before it must have fully merged with me. Incidentally, Owen was usually at the ice chamber with Master Alice but ever since she was recruited, he occasionally visited this chamber too, or so the other Fire Court Wizards told her. "Well, I figured I might as well tell you how Maneg Souls even formulate their recruitment plan," Aqua explained with a huff. "It is not very important for missions, to be honest, but you should probably know who might be a Court Wizard candidate in your travels." PULL THUD "I see," Alicia muttered in curiosity as she took the liberty of taking a seat at the dining table. "Well, I am curious myself what Maneg Souls take into consideration. My father told me it has to do with us knowing the Otherworldly Court." "Correct. You should remember that a Maneg Soul, in its natural behavior, merges with a host''s soul to survive so long as the host is," Aqua began to explain. "As such, it is imperative for the Maneg Soul to choose the host that is likely to live long after merging with them. One of such factors that are on top of its decision list is as you said, either the entire world or just the host''s general knowledge of maneg and by extension, the Otherworldly Court." "Is it because it will be convenient if the host knows beforehand?" Alicia wondered. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. PULL THUD "Yes, something of the lines," Aqua confirmed, also taking a seat. Despite being intangible, she can still somewhat interact with the physical world, or else she wouldn''t be able to help bake the cookies. "Having the host being unaware of their new status could bring danger to themself and others especially when they will unleash Orders uncontrollably at the beginning without intervention. This is especially noteworthy how other people would react to it." "Like witch hunts!?" "Something along those lines," Aqua responded to the pixie. "Also, them knowing will mean they would attempt to contact us in case we did not find them first and lessen the chance for the scenario Voice mentioned." "I see," Alicia oddly frowned, something the Fire Guardian understood. It was because of the sheer knowledge of the Court increasing Alicia''s chance to become recruited that her father hid the knowledge from her as he doesn''t want her to become a Court Wizard because of his experience as one. As to what sort of experience her father went through that he didn''t want her to feel the same, she could only imagine. "You know, if it was not for that and father not wanting me to become a Court Wizard, I could have known this growing up. I would love to know mother''s story in her homeworld as a child," Alicia mused. Oh, Owen would have to, and know what happened to his father from the beginning... "But you still got me!" "Yes, I suppose it became all for naught," Alicia chuckled at the pixie. After all, in the end, she became one regardless. "Even if you did not know, your father and your grandfather being Court Wizards prove to be the undoing your father''s wishes," Aqua then revealed. "Having a relative or someone you know being a Court Wizard means Maneg Souls will label you the same. Court Wizards will know the instant the Maneg Soul attempts merging and act accordingly." "Oh, I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. That must be the case with Owen acting strangely when her Maneg Soul began merging with her. "Also, there is the fact that you are the child of two people from two worlds who normally would never meet, making you a unique existence. Same with Owen," Aqua continued. "Maneg Souls are normally attracted to those who have traversed through worlds, but your case makes you even more attractive, believing there to be an edge others do not have." "Like me!" "Hehe, I suppose that makes sense," Alicia chuckled before recalling what Aqua said before that. "Wait? Owen too?" "Yes, his mother was also from Spiri Raia," Aqua said. "Joshua told me himself." "Oh, I see..." "Well then, speaking of the host being unaware of maneg, there is the second best option to it," Aqua continued, snapping Alicia''s attention to her. "Being in a world with magic and knowing it in general, I am sure you get the idea." "Hm?" Alicia blinked, pondering Aqua''s statement for a moment before figuring it out. "Oh, I suppose that makes sense." "And the closer the other world''s magic system is to ours in outward similarity, the more familiar the host will be to their newfound power, same for everyone around them if the mystics are not concealed," Aqua continued. "That gives them less chance for unwanted events than those from worlds devoid of any sort of esoteric system." After all, even though Maneg Orders were given programmatically, the output was still akin to elemental magic spells one can find in books and films. In fact, maneg should be a form of magic, one that has inter-dimensional reach. On that note, even if magic doesn''t exist in a world, if it still existed as fiction it might still count, though they and the people whose worldview was scientific will still freak out. "Now, still speaking of worlds, even if a medieval fantasy world lacks magic, Maneg Souls may still consider picking hosts there solely for the medieval part," Aqua then moved on to the next topic. "It seemed to be a trend that Maneg Souls recruit people from pre-modern worlds more than modern ones and even less so from futuristic worlds." "Huh, why is that?" Alicia pondered. "I would imagine Court Wizards from technologically advanced worlds be better having access to better medical care and familiar with the equipment the Court uses." "Maneg Souls emphasize the first few moments after the merging," Aqua explained. "Perhaps it is because of the surveillance technology in modern and post-modern worlds as well as the magic known as the internet meant choosing a host in those worlds unaware of maneg will be difficult to be kept inconspicuous." "Hm, I suppose it would still be bad to gather attention," Alicia remarked. "Yes, it would be no less than dangerous if the world knows your newfound powers," Aqua continued. "On that note, Maneg Souls would also stay away from worlds stronger than us for obvious reasons." "Is that so?" Alicia quipped. She supposed maneg wouldn''t be on top despite its world-traveling capabilities. "But still, people are capable of adaptation," Aqua then said. "I had trouble with some of the equipment here on my first day, but now I can use it no problem. But perhaps Maneg Souls look for people with that quality, to easily adapt to change?" "I am guessing you did not know that before?" Alicia tilted her head in confusion. Hearing it, she had the impression that it was common sense. "Maybe it is in the book somewhere, there is too much to discuss for me to remember everything. I do not get to refresh my knowledge frequently," Aqua shrugged. "But anyway, even if the host is from a medieval world, there is still one final barrier to get through, namely if the host can even leave their world." "Huh?" Alicia blinked. "Is there a problem with the host leaving?" "Well, you need to learn a different lesson that is for another day," Aqua explained. "So, let us just say that some non-humans like my people cannot survive outside of their worlds - I am one of the exceptions." "Hm? Is it like not being able to survive in a different environment?" Alicia asked with an analogy. "...Yes, something along those lines," Aqua nodded. "It is for that reason that humanity makes up the majority of Court Wizards, around half of the population, because your kind has generally no problem living anywhere. Also, Maneg Souls do consider the Otherworldly Court and know their hosts cannot stay in their world indefinitely." "I see," Alicia muttered before noticing, "you know, I cannot help but notice you have been mostly explaining the worlds the hosts live in Maneg Souls take into consideration rather than the hosts themselves." "Realized it now, did you not?" Aqua smirked. "While the type of world is important to a stray Maneg Soul''s decision making, they do not have unlimited choices. To sum it up, unlike us with the Transporter Room, it takes time for a stray Maneg Soul to travel from the world the Mother Soul releases it from to the next and the distance between each pair of worlds varies and is not constant which is a lesson for another day." "And the Maneg Soul would die if it takes too long to find a host," Alicia concluded. "Exactly, sometimes Maneg Souls just have to make do," Aqua nodded sadly. "Which is why now that we are done with abstract concepts of worlds, it is time we focus on the hosts themselves, starting with the host''s character." "Oh, so Maneg Souls know how to judge a person?" Alicia suspected. "Yes, it is quite obvious," Aqua nodded. "Even though Maneg Souls do mess with our minds, it is non-intrusive else we will have a problem with it. But on the other hand, it meant that Maneg Souls cannot overpower a host''s personality deep down." "So no bad guys!" "Exactly, a Court Wizard who is ill of heart will endanger others and those others, in turn, will band together and take the Court Wizard down," Aqua continued. "So in that sense, it is better not to pick a host who will likely abuse their newfound power." "Yes," Alicia agreed. So far, that statement ran through, all of the Court Wizards she has met were generally nice people. While some of them were brash and hot-headed, they were still good people deep down. But I wonder if that is a perfect track record? Another part of her mind betrayed that notion. "Now, speaking of powers," Aqua continued. "Next, we will talk about the existing abilities of the host." "Oh? Is it like your powers as a greater spirit?" Alicia wondered. "Yes. Any sort of magic or ability that are not purely scientific nor of maneg are collectively called ''Personal Skills,'' for simplicity''s sake," Aqua confirmed. "My powers as a water spirit, spirit arts, is called as such. So long as it does not clash with the Maneg Soul, it will be attracted to such hosts as they would have extra tools to survive." "Is that why you''re the Fire Guardian even though you''re a water spirit!?" For a moment, Aqua''s fiery skin caused by her Maneg Soul flared up along with the water orbs floating around her becoming tense. If she were organic, she would''ve popped a vein. "...Yes, my power as a greater water spirit does add versatility to my repertoire as the Fire Guardian. Perhaps that is why the Mother Soul of Fire did not consider Ignis as a candidate, especially when our powers here do not degrade." "I-I see," Alicia smiled wryly before asking, "but what do you mean by ''degrade''?" "That is a lesson for another day, the same one as I have said before I believe," Aqua deflected. "But, the easiest way to understand is that just as some races cannot survive outside of their world, so to the Personal Skills of an individual. Most of the time, magic from one world like Kaomagi for instance may not work correctly in a different world. " "So is it like a successful business model of an IT company not necessarily working on a restaurant?" Alicia asked with another analogy. "That... sums it up. Hehe, that is so like you Bells," Aqua chuckled at Alicia''s response. "But yes, this is also why Maneg Souls put a lower priority on a host''s Personal Skills, and there is something about the host''s affinity with the Maneg Soul''s Element which is most likely a myth considering myself." "Ooh! The cookies are almost done!" With Voice''s excited cheer at the oven, Aqua turned to Alicia and said, "Well, I suppose we should end this off with one final topic; the host''s lifespan." More About the Otherworldly Court 1.2: The Maneg Soul Picks Its Vessel & Soul 2 With Voice''s excited cheer at the oven, Aqua turned to Alicia and said, "Well, I suppose we should end this off with one final topic; the host''s lifespan." "Oh, I suppose Maneg Souls do want hosts that live very long," Alicia remarked. "Not exactly. I mean, for one, Maneg Souls picked humans half of the time for the reasons I stated before. Any human that lives absurdly long would be classified as a different species altogether," Aqua refuted, surprising Alicia. "But I digress, the thing is, souls are very powerful things and cannot be directly altered or affected so easily, and this includes a Maneg Soul merging. The reason that it is so is because of the souls'' life force, what we Court Wizards would know as loyal maneg." "Oh!" Alicia gasped in the revelation. "So that means...!" "You know the ''Maneg Shell Theory'' from Owen, correct? Where maneg consists of an outer shell that makes it invisible and incorporeal, and an inner core housing the element that is unleashed when the outer shell is cast aside using Orders," Aqua asked to which Alicia nodded. "Well, I do hear Amelia is coming up with a new theory that might debunk the current one," she trailed off. "But that is not important. Anyway, that analogy can be applied to souls, with a few key differences. "A soul is a container which is filled with life force, making it ''alive.'' However, it can be said that the container is always leaking out that life force and once it is out of it, the soul is ''dead.'' We still do not know if souls of different races hold different amounts of life force, but we do know that the containers themselves have varying degrees of leakage. So, the time for the soul to run out of life force determines the soul''s lifespan. However, the soul is also dependent on its vessel, the physical body, which does not necessarily have the same lifespan as the soul. "Usually, the body dies first, whether it is from natural causes or otherwise, before the soul runs out of life force, and this will cause the soul to lose all of its life force at once, thus the soul becoming ''dead.'' So it can be said that the lifespan of the soul is the maximum lifespan a person could have, any attempts to prolong the of the body, prolong one''s life expectancy, will cap off to that maximum." "Hey! You''re a body-less soul! How does that work!?" "...We will ignore my lineage, for now, we do not have much time to explain that," Aqua miffed at Voice''s remark of how the Court called her kind. "That includes how some souls may not lose life force after an unexpected end to the body, it is related to Incarnates simply put. "Now, as you know, it is the life force that the Maneg Soul is trying to merge with, compressing and converting it into loyal maneg, freeing up space to be occupied with disloyal maneg. Different races may have different amounts of life force Maneg Souls have to compress and convert, but the containers do make it harder for the Maneg Souls to do so. "It is akin to attempting to dye water with food coloring only the water container only has a small cap that you cannot pour the dye all at once while also having to compress that water, no need to think how that is possible, at the same time. And remember, stray Maneg Souls have extremely short lifespans that are only slightly increased during merging until they made the bond, it may die and fail the merge if they waste too much time. "Although there has yet to be a case of Maneg Souls failing to merge, not that we heard of, it is best we do not find that out." "Hey! My Alicia''s got a hundred percent me! What about that!?" "Yes, Voice is right. What about me who has no disloyal maneg?" Alicia asked. To answer this, Aqua decided to sidetrack a bit. "While mainstream magic systems involve siphoning off life force into magical energy to cast spells, we Court Wizards directly take our disloyal maneg, our ''fake life force,'' out of our souls to give Orders and these two are different from each other. This is why we have disloyal maneg as it would be too dangerous to do so carelessly with our loyal maneg, our ''true life force,'' compared to other mages who do just that. "Of course, performing any sort of magic using the true life force is always recoverable much like how loyal maneg always returns to you. But still, to use loyal maneg the same way as disloyal maneg is still dangerous as damages to it will be redirected to you. Even the siphoning technique is actually taking the energy from the true life force. It still stays inside the soul. I would know because that is how spirit arts are performed which still applies to my converted soul." "Ehehe!" "Right, I heard of that before," Alicia remarked in a nervous tone, what with Aqua emphasizing it on her face. "Really, for your Maneg Soul to not compress your loyal maneg is abnormal. The most similar case with you would be Crea and even she still has at least thirty percent disloyal maneg," Aqua continued. "It may sound confusing, but I need to stress it again, you need to remember that ordering with your loyal maneg is dangerous, so be careful." "R-Right, I will keep that in mind," Alicia reassured the greater spirit. "Anyway, you explained how Maneg Souls would have a harder time merging with souls that have tough containers, but surely there are Maneg Souls that manage to do so?" "Of course," Aqua nodded. "The most famous example would be Rose." "Oh!" Alicia gasped in surprise, knowing the vampire who was one of her first few friends after Owen. "Rose is ''ageless,'' that is, she lives forever," Aqua explained. "Her container is sealed tight so that no life force will be lost indefinitely and her vampire body also does not age past maturity. However, she can still be killed, and she will still lose her life force if anything happens to her body. That gives an opening in her soul for the Maneg Soul to recruit her." "Is that so?" Alicia said with an impressed expression. "I imagine it would be a hard-fought battle for the Maneg Soul to merge with Rose, is that true?" "Well, I do not know it myself seeing as Rose was recruited generations ago, but it probably was. Her Maneg Soul has to be very strong to recruit someone like her," Aqua answered, cupping her cheek. "That and combined with her long experience as a Court Wizard makes her one of the strongest Court Wizards we have today. She can challenge me for the Duchess rank and win it easily if I only fought as a Guardian and not also as a greater water guardian, though she does not seem to be interested in it at the moment." "Truly? That is impressive..." Alicia muttered, remembering what she know briefly about how the fourth rank can be obtained for non-Guardians. "Cool!" "Oh! And before I forget," Aqua spoke up. "Aside from ageless, there are ''invincible,'' people who cannot be killed but still die from aging; and ''immortal,'' people who outright cannot die from anything. Do note that the physical body is tied to these titles. Invincible people are those with indestructible bodies or hyper-regenerative ones. However, they are still subjected to aging, either from their bodies or their souls. You can think of them as the opposite of ageless beings. "Immortals, as the name suggests, are those with the benefits of both ageless and invincible. Their bodies can exist forever and their souls have not even a single flaw in them. It is for these reasons that Maneg Souls cannot merge with these souls outright. Invincible souls are still doable for obvious reasons although they are rare, it is usually ageless and immortal people that are relatively more common. "Of course, these are just ''in general.'' There are always exceptions to these rules which does not make it any less infuriating," she ended with a peeve. "I-I see, I will keep that in mind," Alicia nodded with a wry smile. "Well then, we have sidetracked a bit, but we are conveniently back to the course and there is still time left," Aqua remarked, checking the oven which seemed to be taking an awfully long time to bake some cookies. "Because although Maneg Souls have difficulty in merging with being who have long lifespans, there is a way around it: by waiting it out." Alicia blinked. "What do you mean?" "The container that is the soul is tied to the vessel body it is in. That means, unless it is ageless, the older the body is, the more that aging is reflected onto the soul, causing more leakage of life force," Aqua explained. "And less life force in the soul means less effort for the Maneg Soul to merge with, that is true. In other words, targeting a long-living race who had already spent a good portion of their lengthy lifespan is easier than their younger counterpart." "So for someone who lives very long, it is easier for the Maneg Soul to merge with them when they are elderly?" Alicia summarized what Aqua explained. "I see you understand it," Aqua nodded in approval. "And for your knowledge, your life force leaking out as you age is your loyal maneg being lost. This is the same for conventional mages; life force lost this way are unrecoverable and as Court Wizards, cannot be replaced with disloyal maneg." "What!? How the heck does that work!?" "Yes, it does not make sense," Alicia remarked. She didn''t deny it though since she would have some disloyal maneg from the lost life force before she became a Court Wizard if it was untrue which was still strange considering the other and more logical outcome. "Well, it is hard to describe with words, but I suppose what I said before gave you the wrong perception," Aqua admitted before explaining. "When life force is lost, it is not as though it is expelled from the soul like disloyal maneg. It is sort of like the ''energy'' of the life force, what mages use, being lost forever, causing the unit of life force to be ''dead.'' Dead life forces are not converted by the Maneg Soul, though they are still compressed along with the ''living'' life force which is less taxing allowing you-know-what. "Oh, when I mention life force, I mean true life force, not the fake one, though you probably know it already." "That does not clear things up," Alicia shook her head. "It is complicated. But trust me, I know this intimately being a creature that is purely a soul," Aqua assured her. "If you do not believe me, the machine used to scan for your Maneg Soul in the infirmary can also scan souls in general. Everything I have said about souls all came from that machine''s scans." "It can do that?" Alicia blinked in curiosity. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "It can," the Fire Guardian nodded confidently. "Also, this is doubly why Maneg Souls compress life force, having the real contents of your soul out of it even temporarily can have adverse effects. The compression itself is safe because all of your life force is still there. "So for your pixie to be out about with thirty percent of your actual soul separated from you without complications means your soul must be something else to be able to sustain it on top of your Maneg Soul being incapable of providing disloyal maneg especially when you are inevitably losing loyal maneg every day!" she ranted. "I see..." Alicia muttered sheepishly before realizing a grim implication and turned to her pixie. "Wait, would that not mean Voice will get... affected when I lose my loyal maneg?" she asked worriedly that she couldn''t use a more accurate term. "Don''t you worry, Alicia! I''ll be the same ol'' Voice even after we''re grandmas!" "That is true," Aqua calmed down. "Usually, the range between the lifespan of the soul and the lifespan of the body is very wide. Your loss of loyal maneg by the time your body can no longer hold up should not affect Voice or your performance drastically. Significant, yes, but nothing too extreme." "I see..." Alicia sighed in relief. "I will take your word for it." "Now, before we are done for today, there is one more thing I should tell you," Aqua continued. "It is about how Guardians are recruited." "Oh. If I am not wrong, the Mother Soul creates a Maneg Soul and inhabits it," Alicia recalled. "Then the Maneg Soul merges with a host, is that right?" "Yes, a common analogy for it would be dropping the bottle the dye comes from into the water," Aqua nodded. "For such importance for that Maneg Soul, it has stricter requirements for its host." Alicia nodded to go on. "Well, it is mostly just one more thing," Aqua admitted, bursting the bubble. "And it has to do with the lifespan, or more specifically the remaining lifespan of the host, what we have discussed just before." "I see, are Maneg Souls hosting the Mother Souls incapable of merging with hosts of a certain lifespan?" Alicia asked. "Not exactly, but you might as well say that it is," Aqua replied vaguely. "Well, we will be beating around the bush if I do not say the numbers first. Simply put, Mother Souls only want their Guardians recruited with the remaining lifespan of more or less an average modern-day human." There wasn''t much build-up to the reveal, whatever of it was rendered useless by their discussion getting sidetracked constantly. However, it did not undersell the impact of such revelation as Alicia was able to understand it well enough. "Does that mean any Guardians who are supposed to be long-living were recruited when they do not have much time left?" she asked. "With no exceptions?" Aqua stood up and closed her eyes to take a deep breath as if she needed it. "We do not know exactly why the Mother Souls chose to do so, but most of us agree that it could mainly be because of one thing," she explained. "When you get older, you tend to become more cautious and more settled in the things you have always found to be reliable but, as you know, the world, every world does not agree with that. What you view as standard could easily become obsolete in mere decades, even faster in modern worlds such as yours, Alicia." "So does that mean Mother Souls do not want their Guardians to be... conservative because of being the Guardians for too long?" Alicia began to guess uneasily. "Worlds keep changing, including the Court itself. If the leaders of this organization cannot keep up with these changes, then it is better they were replaced by those who can," Aqua bluntly spoke. "This goes to mention that Maneg Souls consider the survival of the Otherworldly Court and by extension, ''manegkind'' as well. If this organization falls, there is no telling what will happen to all of us." "I see..." "Still, with age comes wisdom, that still holds true. There is good in having the old and the new working together. The former can use their long experience that is still relevant to rein in the latter from making reckless decisions as are the risks of trying new ideas," the greater water spirit continued. "So while newly recruited Guardians were young people, the Mother Souls still consider elderly, long-living hosts as Guardians for the reasons I mentioned before, making the best of both worlds. "Incidentally, I just so happen to be one of the latter of the Guardians." "Oh..." Alicia muttered. "Then... how long do you live?" Aqua simply smiled. "Before we became spirits, which is a story for another day, some live no longer than humans while others could live on for centuries," she told. "But ever since we became spirits, we no longer require our flesh that limits how long we can live. And well, it appears that the souls of Spiri Raia without being dependent on the body could live up to a thousand years. "Oh, I should tell you that some souls do not necessarily need to fully run out of lifeforce to die. Much like how you only need to lose a certain amount of blood to die but not all, the loss of up to a ''threshold'' of lifeforce which varies between souls is enough for the soul to die. "Normally, because the body dies much earlier than the soul, most will never find out that threshold or the lack thereof. But for us, as beings of pure souls and know them the best, it is common knowledge. And from this threshold, we knew we would not live for more than a millennia, we just knew it." "So that means, you became the Fire Guardian when..." the voice in Alicia''s throat died off, unwilling to finish her sentence. "Yes," Aqua smiled, gazing off to the not-so-far distance. "It has been over nine hundred years since my ascension as greater spirit. Before that, I was a creature of water, living among water. After that, I ruled my land of water for centuries before I was called to become the Fire Guardian a hundred years before the world reaches its first millennia where I and the rest of the greater spirits will pass on, and our titles and responsibilities inherited by our successors." "I see..." Alicia muttered sadly. Aqua patted her shoulder. "It is alright, Alicia. All life will eventually come to an end, even immortals must surely have a limit to their indefinite existence," she consoled. "Yes, I may not have much time left, relatively speaking, but in terms of human age, I still have plenty of years ahead of me. This generation of Guardians'' reign is still early, we will not be going anywhere in your lifetime. "Furthermore, as a greater spirit, I have lived a long and fulfilling life. I was one of the people who led the charge against the cursed dragons and was subsequently involved in recreating my world into Spiri Raia, becoming one of its new rulers. For centuries, I have watched over my territory in peace which was the same for the other greater spirits, my dearest friends and comrades, and there has never been any conflict between us the dragons hoped for. "Suffice it to say, I feel content with my life and would not have it in any other way. My new status as the Fire Guardian simply makes things more interesting, so you do not have to feel bad about it. Oh, I should also mention that I have already trained my successor and she is very acquainted with your mother, Alicia," she told her. "I have told her about you and she would love to meet you personally one day." "I see, I look forward to it," Alicia replied with a smile. DING "Ooh! Cookies are ready!" "Well then," Aqua turned to Alicia who had cheered up after previously deflecting to the oven. "I suppose we can end this lesson here. Now, shall we?" "Sure," Alicia nodded happily. There were a few bits of lore Aqua threw out at the end, but it has nothing to do with the topic that had ended. She''ll inquire about it later, because for now... "Yay! Cookies!"
Azhure: I don''t have an oven, so I don''t know how it sounds. The internet can''t give me the specific noises from it I needed. If you know something about it, I appreciate that you share it with me.
I''ve written this rewrite with the current canon as of writing this is 5, 23, 29 Owen''s Collection Chapter 3.3 in mind. However, I''m still maintaining the timeline where the story of these sub-chapters takes place, between Alicia Interlude 1 and Alicia Chapter 12 specifically. As such, there is some information that I can''t fit into that context, and it''s not much so I decided to just dump the exposition here. Before reading the information below, read until 5, 23, 29 Owen''s Collection Chapter 3.3 just to be safe from spoilers. Then again, I call the ones that made it into the chapter foreshadowing so I''ll leave it up to you. Now, while Maneg Souls are attracted to worlds aware of Court Wizards, there is a slight problem to it; namely, if those worlds knew it through the Eleven-Century War. In a nutshell, it was a period where Court Wizards were formerly known as ''Soul Weavers'' who were split among factions of their Elements and are basically at war with each other. Mother Souls in that period weren''t damaged as in the Court Wizard era and could transfer themselves and their Soul Weavers to any world at will, bringing the battlefield anywhere they go. Suffice it to say, the Eleven-Century War had left an impact on worlds affected by them which would be a problem if someone there suddenly became one of those dreaded Soul Weavers. Even if a world knew the Otherworldly Court by Court Wizards revealing themselves to them, for whatever reason, the effect is still the same, just scaled down depending on the reveal such as Owen freezing an entire volcano in Beohar as a first impression. Incidentally, Court Wizards today call their predecessors ''Maneg Users'' as a politically correct version of Soul Weavers. Also, I''m aware that ''Eleven-Century War'' is grammatically incorrect - English is not my first language. But by the time I realized the mistake, I instead made jokes about it in chapters so it''s here to stay. Before I forget, I have removed one lore from canon which Aqua already called a myth, that is the host''s ''affinity'' with the Element. It''s the generic person having a ''fiery'' personality being more likely to get a Fire Maneg Soul kind of thing, the species of the host also works. I decided to remove it since I''m not confident I can maintain that level of detail in the characters I make that would be limited by it and is stereotyping at worst. Now, in regards to Aqua''s biology, in a nutshell, souls have fixed lifespans, fixed life force leakage, that only changes if something happens to them like their body vessels aging and dying. Because Spiri Raian spirits aren''t dependent on physical bodies, they enjoy the full span of their souls and can know their expiry dates because of that. I still haven''t decided on the official name for the soul reading machine in the infirmary. And something related to the above, when Aqua vaguely mentions how spirits of her world can''t survive outside Spiri Raia except for greater spirits like her, she''s specifically referring to the Spiri Raia Fantasy Law and more specifically the Spiri Raia Body-less Soul (Spirit) Species Module that Spiri Raian spirits needed to survive. Without it, most of their bodily(-less) functions wouldn''t work properly. In Manegia, they would get partially defaulted into the Manegia Monster (Maneg Amalgamation/Maneg Beast) Species Complex Module. Greater spirits are ''origins,'' that is they have a copy of the Sub-Modules for each element making up their Species Module as well as their spirit arts system''s which allows them to be fine outside of Spiri Raia and can even let normal spirits outside by their presence alone. Also, because the Modules concept is only a thing by Amelia in Manegia year 1421, and because I don''t keep track of months and days, they''ll only be used as terms in year 1422 and onward just to be safe - any year before that will have Court Wizards use the term ''part of the Fantasy Law'' all the time. Now, in regards to how Aqua dismissed the whole affinity thing, I should get out what I''m basically going to do. In real life, before diseases were known to be caused by germs, people thought they were caused by bad air, and even before that, they were thought to be caused by an imbalance of humors (correct me if I''m wrong, Google''s incapable of giving me the specific answers I want). So much like how scientific theories are evolved, created, and debunked throughout time, theories of how maneg works too are subject to change. Basically, it''s mostly through Amelia coming up with new lore for the Maneg System or debunking old ones. Oh, don''t forget she''s constantly inventing new Catalysts to make Court Wizards'' lives easier. Voice: What the heck, Azhure!? You''re gonna just retcon everything left and right!? Don''t worry, I won''t remove lore that''s been used in action. That means something like how loyal maneg getting damaged will reflect back to the Court Wizard stays cause it has happened to Alicia. Voice: Oi! Why you gotta use that!? Otherwise, things like elemental affinity affecting recruitment chances that I can''t even use properly can be debunked if need be. This also includes non-maneg lore. Oh, the history of any world is also up for grabs since even in real life history is sketchy at best. There is also evolving part to this. Simply put, it''s adding a more accurate explanation to existing lore without explicitly invalidating it as with or without the new lore, it will still play out the same. Basically, the Maneg Shell Theory states maneg hides from the material world under a ''shell'' but in Alicia Chapter 20, Amelia proposed that maneg specifically hides under the Fantasy Law. It doesn''t outright make the old theory non-canon, you could say that the shell is responsible for hiding the maneg under the Fantasy Law and the new theory simply explains that. Well, it''s mostly superficial. I won''t change lore left and right, it''s only if it becomes a problem in story writing that I can''t get around or if I forgot it existed. Voice: Yeah! You better not forget anything you dumped here! Oh yeah, there are the Four Nations, the countries around the Otherworldly Court, that will be first introduced in Alicia Chapter 14. To sum it up, there is always one Guardian from one of those Nations per generation to maintain relations with them. Since I''ve vaguely put the bit about the Four Nations in an exposition, I can''t put this into context. Anyway, I may miss something that I''ve slipped into the main chapters so I appreciate it if you can inform me of such things. I''ll add them here if that''s the case. Alicia Chapter 13.1: Bell Branch Troubles - Start PIING Qantasia Year 456 "Are we on a beach?" Alicia wondered as she took to her surroundings once the light of the transfer died down. "Whoa! Nice place!" The salty breeze permeated the air as the sound of the waves came crashing down from her right. Alicia could feel the sand below her feet acting like a cushion sinking her where she stood. Seagulls flap their wings taking to the skies above the sea. All in all, this place looked like a great tourist destination. "Yep, welcome to Coastline," Owen remarked with a shrug. "Hm, I still cannot wrap my head around the name of this kingdom just because it stretches along the coast," Alicia said confusingly with the name she was briefed beforehand. "Eh, don''t worry about it," Owen waved off, walking past her. "It only gets weirder from there." "I-Is that so?" Alicia chuckled wryly. "..." They''re not the only ones here; there was William the Air Guardian. Just because he''s one of the leaders of the Otherworldly Court doesn''t mean he won''t do fieldwork - recruited Guardians still have the same first year as any other Court Wizards. Furthermore, the Trust boy has a reason for joining.
"I get paid for this," the Air Guardian said bluntly. This was on top of the salary for being a Guardian.
Alicia was subtly reminded of William''s family situation. "Let''s go," said a rough voice who went ahead of the group. One more Court Wizard was joining them on Qantasia, someone who''s from this world. Though honestly, Alicia was more interested in his Element: Nature. It was one of the more esoteric Court Wizard Elements with its symbol being two halves of two separate symbols mashed together. This was because the Nature Element was split into two types a Nature Court Wizard can become: flora and fauna and can be identified by the green and brown maneg color respectively. Those categories were self-explanatory; flora nature is plant-based and fauna is animal-based. As to why it was the way it was, it was something Alicia would learn later. Anyway, the Nature Court Wizard with them was flora and is a tall man, 192 cm tall, and about 20 years old. He has short black hair and obsidian eyes alongside a scar on his left cheek. He also wore an old beat-up cloak that must have been with him for years with tears being visible that could tell a lot of things.
"Name''s Jonathan," he said in a rough voice.
Incidentally, Alicia never saw his right arm. It was something she didn''t want to pry as they followed the Nature Court Wizard to the capital of this kingdom aptly named ''Coast City''. "The plan was to install a ''Bell Branch'' in major towns or cities in a world. Then, we hire a manager, and anyone else necessary, native to that world that we can trust our secret with and sympathetic to our cause." She was reminded of what his father said that night about the Bell Branches in other worlds and it was what they were here for. Typically, a mission involving Bell Branches boiled down to the manager wanting to hand over a report about the general situation of their place to the Court, but due to limitations Court Wizards have to go down and fetch that report in person. It''s a rather mundane assignment but it showed the Otherworldly Court being a working organization like any other. That said, it wasn''t the only type of mission. Sometimes, the Bell Branch managers may encounter a problem they can''t solve themselves. In this case, they would call the Otherworldly Court for help. And it was this latter type of mission that Alicia and company were here for. Ooh! Nice place! Passing through the capital gates, Alicia could see the vibrant city beside the coastlines. While still having the feel influences by European fantasy, being in a tropical climate, the people were lightly dressed as they went on their day-to-day lives under the sun. And it wasn''t just humans, half-animals of various shapes and sizes also lived side-by-side: merchants showing off their wares behind stalls, kids playing around, and city guards patrolling the streets. The Court Wizards, of course, were similarly dressed for the part - a sweat-inducing robe would''ve caught a lot of attention, after all - courtesy of Rose. Alicia was wearing a white, frilly blouse and a brown skirt over a green coat along with a pair of brown boots, looking the part of a visiting foreign merchant''s daughter. Owen and Will were also wearing similar clothing except with pants instead of a skirt and a simple tunic. Jonathan was seen wearing the aforementioned cloak. "Aw, c''mon fellas! Can''t ya let me go just this once!?" Alicia could hear a rather high-pitched voice emanating from the bustling street. Looking at the source, she saw two guards dragging off another person by his shoulders. "No can do, mister thief," one of the guards said in a jovial tone. "The law is the law and you know it." "Aw, c''mon! Just this once?" the thief pleaded, trying to resist the struggling guards with his feet dragging across the sands. "Getting hit hard with the war and all?" "The war is over, and the new king has already been improving our lives better than the previous kings," the other guard chastised with an unamused look. "There is no reason for you to steal anymore." It was probably that scene that burst the bubble in Alicia''s mind. This was the first time she had visited a civilization in another world, so her natural curiosity got her on a honeymoon phase. After that was abruptly over, she could finally see the general atmosphere of this place was far from perfect. Like the thief from earlier, she could see the fading signs of desolation around the city: poor people on the streets, people young and old with lost limbs or two, and all around a general sense of depression. "What, happened here?" Alicia couldn''t help but mutter. "Long story short, we''re recovering from a civil war," Jonathan answered as he strode forward. "Yeah, we''ll talk about it later," Owen interjected. "But as you can see, it''s got a long way to go, but it''s getting there." "I see." Before Alicia could ask any further, Jonathan stopped in his tracks. "We''re here," he said. In front of them was a three-story building with a large emblem. The emblem was that of a bell. The bell, however, was rusted all over but a single spot which was gold. There was a light blue cloth behind the rusty bell that looked as if it was covering the bell. Below it was a sign that said ''Bell Conglomerate.'' A bell since the founder''s last name was ''Bell;'' the rusty aesthetic symbolizes how the founder was penniless, being worth nothing; the golden spot on the bell symbolized the worth in everything; the cloth to clean the bell, symbolized the strive of a poor man becoming rich and; the light blue symbolized the honesty and trustworthiness of the business. Such was the logo of the Bell Conglomerate, arguably the richest mercantile business anywhere. And someone was threatening this business. CLING CLING The group went through the door, ringing the doorbell, to reveal a bright lobby. The room was minimalistic, having a couple of sets of low tables and cushions, a table full of refreshments, and a bulletin board. All of them were placed in such a way that the lobby felt luxurious, a testament to the Conglomerate''s commitment to delivering quality at an economic value. There were a few people there, sitting on the cushions talking to each other about business while enjoying tea and cookies. Most only spared a glance at the incoming Court Wizards before continuing what they were doing, minding their own business. Paying them no mind, Jonathan went to the receptionist''s desk where a young girl with long wavy light blue hair stood behind it and immediately noticed him. "O-Oh! It''s you, Jonathan!" she gasped with a hint of red on her cheeks. "I am, Maria," Jonathan greeted her, feigning ignorance to her fluster. It looked like the two knew each other. "We''re here for the problem you have." "Oh! Thank goodness! You have no idea how bad it is, but if it''s you, then everything will be fine," the receptionist, Maria, said happily as if a burden had been lifted from her. Looking at Alicia and the others. "I assume they are your companions?" "Yes, they are," the Nature Court Wizard nodded. I guess she knows... Alicia pondered in her mind. A select few others than the manager do need to know about the Otherworldly Court, it''ll be awkward if it''s just the manager. "Wait, that red hair... It''s lighter, but..." the receptionist then noticed. "Could she be!?" "She is, Maria," Jonathan answered with a whisper, leaning closer to the flustering receptionist. "Better not cause a scene." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "R-Right, sorry!" the receptionist quickly nodded. "We should go see the manager," Jonathan then said before the other occupants in the lobby start snooping. "O-Okay! Then, right this way!" the receptionist exclaimed, leaving the counter and beckoning the group to follow.
They followed Maria on two flights of stairs to the third floor where there was a room behind a wooden door. The receptionist went to the door and knocked on it. "Grandfather?" she said. So she was the manager''s granddaughter. "The Court Wizards are here." "Ah! Let them in!" an elderly voice came out behind the door. CREEK Behind the door was a simple office with a few chairs, a cabinet, and an office desk. Behind that desk was this Bell Branch manager who was an elderly man with greying blue hair and wearing a brown suit. "It''s you, Jonathan! I thank you for coming," the manager exclaimed, looking like he had a sigh of relief as Jonathan entered first after Maria. "Please, have a seat!" After that, the Court Wizards entered the room one by one. The office was rather small to fit half a dozen people, but it''ll do. "Oh? You are Owen and William?" the manager muttered at the sight of the two boys. "I believe I remembered handing reports to you a few times before." "Yeah, we did," Owen shrugged as he sat. William said nothing and followed suit. "And," the manager then looked at Alicia who was the last to enter. "Who might you be, young lady?" "My name is Alicia Bell," Alicia greeted. "Nice to meet you, sir." The manager did a spit-take. "Did you say your name is Alicia Bell?" "Um, yes?" Alicia nodded, not sure why the manager asked. "She''s the boss'' daughter," Jonathan cut to the chase. So that''s what''s going on. "O-Oh! Mister Bell''s daughter!" the elderly man exclaimed, the pieces falling into place. "Your father has told me a lot about you, miss Bell. I am the manager of this Bell Branch, Alfred Davis, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." "Likewise," Alicia said with a smile, taking her seat and noticing the high number of chairs in the relatively small office. Are large groups frequent in this? she wondered. "And I''m Voice!" "Eek!" the receptionist jumped in fright. "What in Abyss!?" The manager almost had a heart attack when the pixie shot herself out of Alicia''s chest.
"Well then, Maria." After that episode, the manager told to his granddaughter. "You may leave." "Yes, grandfather. Excuse me," Maria, replied to her grandfather before leaving the room. SHUT "Now then, where to begin?" the manager muttered before figuring out a good point to start explaining. "Well, it all started three weeks ago when a restaurant we opened in this capital was visited by Doug von SaltWaters, an aristocrat." Salt waters? It''s SaltWaters, two words together in pascal case like someone''s username. It only gets even weirder from there. (Owen) ...Right. Funny name! "He visited the restaurant with his cronies having heard of its success given the Conglomerate motto of serving quality with affordability," the manager continued. "Being an aristocrat, he barged in and demanded the balcony table, the best table we have, but it was already occupied... by Maria and her co-worker friends on leave." "Uh-oh!" "Is she okay?" Jonathan quipped, startling the manager for a moment. "What did he do to her?" "He demanded my granddaughter''s group to give the table to him, but since we do not give preferential treatment to anyone, Maria promptly refused the request and told him to wait like everyone else," the manager answered. "But Doug was being obstinate, insisting on taking their table and starting being a nuisance to other patrons. "In the past, my granddaughter and her friends would have had to give up their table, but the new king has removed the nobles'' power over the common folk, so SaltWaters was all bark. Eventually, Maria called security and have the group kicked out. However, it was at that moment the security blurted out Maria is my granddaughter." "I see," Alicia nodded. "Is that when he started to harass you?" "Indeed," the manager nodded sadly. "About three days after the incident, a group of thugs came and tried to destroy the restaurant. Fortunately, the restaurant security was more than enough to repel them before the city guards came to arrest them. Predictably, the thugs were hired to attack our place but did not know who hired them, only caring about the money. Well, even without it, it was only clear that it was Doug. Even though he no longer had power, it still doesn''t stop him from resorting to such tactics and unfortunately, we''re still recovering from the civil war so there were many people to choose from." This was a predictable pattern so far, to be honest. Just because the Bell family liked to be frugal doesn''t mean they shun themselves from entertainment. Alicia herself read a lot of fantasy books and media which she then realized might''ve been on purpose on her father''s part, quite ironic when he was very reluctant to have his daughter be a Court Wizard. Hearing the manager''s story, she can''t help but notice how it followed a lot of the tropes found in those books. Truth really was stranger than fiction after all. "Anxious," the manager continued. "I ordered the security to escort employees to home and work and surely enough, one worker was almost mugged if not of her bodyguard. The bodyguard tried to wring out information from the mugger but they knew little, only that they were paid to rob Bell employees. Furthermore, several of our employees reported receiving threats telling them to leave their work or else." "Are they alright?" Alicia asked in concern. "They are," the manager assured her. "I''ve given them extra protection to ensure they are safe and so far, nothing has happened to them." "I see," Alicia nodded. "Let us hope it stays that way." "I hope so too," the manager agreed. "But as you can see, we have been stretching our resources thin to ensure the employees'' safety and frankly, we can''t keep doing this forever. Normally, we would handle this ourselves, but Doug had covered his tracks well. With the new laws passed by the new king, we no longer have to worry about being convicted for little reason, but that meant we could not find any evidence to have him arrested either." That was an understandable problem. A fair justice system goes both ways; it''ll prevent the innocent from being wrongfully convicted but it can also let criminals get away if they know how to get around it. That''s to say, it can never be truly fair, just as close as it can and that''s still better than being far from being fair. "It is not too surprising, it''s expected of Doug, or rather the SaltWaters. His father was a very crafty man, able to manipulate everything into his favor while getting away with it, especially during the civil war - it was fortunate he ultimately didn''t come out on top in that conflict." The manager then concluded his story, his arms resting on the wooden desk with a slack, "and so, with that in mind, I made the decision to ask for your aid. I thank you for answering it." "Yes, mister Davis. We will be sure to solve this problem," Alicia assured the manager. "I promise you this as the successor of Bell Conglomerate." "Yes, you have my gratitude once again to your family," the manager thanked her with a nod. "Hm?" Alicia perked at the language the manager used. Noticing that, the manager explained, "Truth be told, my granddaughter lost her parents at a young age, leaving me to take care of her alone. But, with my old body, I couldn''t do labor work. I was worried about what would happen to Maria until your father came and offered me to be the Bell Branch manager ten years ago. Now, not only my granddaughter and I but also all the employees have more adequate lives, especially when we are recovering from the civil war." BANG Suddenly, the door behind them was opened rather violently, surprising the occupants of the room. It was one of the employees in the same uniform Maria wore. The manager would have chastised him if not for the employee looking worse for wear as if he had run upstairs at full speed in an emergency. Well, before the manager could say anything, the employee shouted, "Sir! That bastard SaltWaters is here!" "W-What!" the manager gasped in surprise.
The manager went ahead after the Court Wizards down the stairs to deal with the unexpected guest. The Court Wizards followed suit, stopping midway on the stairs to see the commotion in the lobby from there. Alicia watched as the manager faced a plump, blonde man in some fancy attire flanked by two of his goons. The other guests in the lobby were watching from the lounge tensely while Maria remained at the counter looking nervous. "You are Doug von Saltwaters, correct?" the manager asked in formality towards the noble. "Indeed I am, mister Davis of Bell Conglomerate," Doug flashed a smile as he straightened his suit in a pompous fashion. "And hello to you too, Maria, is it not?" the noble then cooed at the receptionist who flinched at her sudden involvement. "I believe we have met in a restaurant, right?" he then asked rhetorically, subtly confirming the manager''s suspicion. "Ahem. Then greetings, mister SaltWaters," the manager interrupted curtly, not even addressing the noble with his title. "Now, what are you doing here?" "Hmph, how uncouth like the criminal you are! Today, I am here to enact justice!" Doug taunted in a cringy manner Alicia never thought was possible for someone to say. "You have been very naughty." "Hm...?" the manager raised his eyebrow in disinterest. "And what pray tell did I do?" One of the attendants handed Doug a bundle of paper. "I have here evidence that your company has not been paying taxes," Doug accused, waving the bundle of paper. "From such a wealthy business as yours, the consequences would be grim." The elderly man stayed silent, letting the noble go on. "Furthermore, I have testimonies of some of your employees stating that they were given wages below the standard as indicated by the law," Doug added, patting the papers with the back of his hand. "The list goes on and on. What do you have to say for yourself?" "Nothing. Just wondering where you forged that," the manager said calmly. "That''s all." Shots fired! Alicia couldn''t help but chuckle at Voice''s remark. But true, it was obvious the noble had forged those evidence. "Hmph! Trying to deny it, are we?" the noble smirked with confidence. Pulling out one of the papers, he showed it to the manager. "I will have you know that this is a legitimate tax report on your company proving your fraudulent conduct," he boasted, pointing his finger at a red spot on the report, likely a seal. "The king, after all, allowed us upstanding citizens free access to this information, for this reason, you know?" "...The seal looks real," the manager muttered hesitantly. Smiling in victory, Doug switched out the incriminating tax report for the testimonies. "And as for the testimonies, you can see right here each and every one of them are signed with their signatures," he bragged, pointing his finger again to a part of the parchment that looked scribbly from afar. Then, he quickly pulled back the paper testimonies out of sight. "So? How about it?" he said accusingly with smug. "..." the manager stayed silent. To the noble, it seemed the manager has been cornered. Capitalizing this, he bared his teeth and sneered, "Your sins crawling up your back? Well, tell you what? We can pretend all of this never happened as long as you do as I say from now-" "I refuse," the manager immediately declared. "I am the manager of this Bell Branch and I will not betray my master over false evidence." "Still trying to deny it? You do not have a say in this matter," the noble taunted, lifting up the bundle of paper in assertion and retorted. "I have the evidence obtained in legal means pinning you as a lowly criminal. The new king, after all, will for fair justice to be served and it is fair justice I have served! You. Are. Guilty!" A fair justice system goes both ways; it''ll prevent the innocent from being wrongfully convicted but it can also let criminals get away if they know how to get around it. That''s to say, it can never be truly fair, just as close as it can and that''s still better than being far from being fair. But sometimes, after all the lengths to make sure it was fair as possible, a fair justice system can still become its biggest enemy when those unscrupulous find ways to use it against the innocent. "No matter what, I am the manager of this Bell Branch and I will not betray my master." Even so, the manager will still stand his ground. "Tch! How stubborn!" the noble clicked his tongue. "I bet the so-called master of yours is as much of a scum as you are!" Alright, I think that is enough, Alicia thought as she then began to come down the stairs. "Alicia?" Owen called out to her sudden movement. He didn''t stop her though since he understood why. There was an entitled brat who waltzed into a restaurant her family company owned, demanded unreasonable services as if he deserved it, and got kicked out for it. Instead of learning his lesson, he self-righteously thought he can attack the company for weeks straight just because he can get away with it. Now, this noble thought he could turn around and say her company was in the wrong and even bring her family into the picture. There was no way she wasn''t going to act. Down the stairs, the heiress of the Bell Conglomerate marched forth towards the manager and noble, interrupting them with two words, "Hold it." Alicia Chapter 13.2: Bell Branch Troubles - Rebuttal "Of course, Alicia. It wouldn''t be called ''Bell'' Conglomerate in another world if we aren''t still the owner," Ronald said jovially, cutting up the discounted chicken meat on his plate. "Besides, we wouldn''t want to think the managers own their branches. They''re just that, ''managers,'' after all." "Um, how does that work exactly?" Alicia asked confusingly, her knife and fork froze in place. "Do people know who you are, father?" "Correct," Ronald nodded, surprising her daughter who threw that question not seriously. "It is basic knowledge that the Bell Branches all answer to me, Ronald Bell. Soon enough, it''ll be you, my daughter." "Is that alright?" Alicia asked skeptically. "Yeah! Ain''t that breaking the secret!?" "No worries, ''let none witness you'' only applies to our secret as Court Wizards," Ronald explained. "So Ronald Bell, the owner of Bell Conglomerate can be known to other worlds so long as it does not trace back to the Court." "That is true. Back then, it was Alan whom we knew was the owner of the Conglomerate in Spiri Raia," Alicia''s mother remarked as she took a sip from her tea. "He was quite the enigma for those trying to dig into the Bell Branches." "Grandfather?" Alicia tilted her head in curiosity. "Yes," Ronald nodded. "When dad set about the Bell Branch concept, he decided to play as the elusive man behind the Conglomerate, maintaining a mysterious persona in the large scheme of things. He would be this person only the managers know personally and will never be in one place for long, always moving from one place to another while establishing more branches. "That way, he could leave very little traces that could lead curious eyes to the Court while getting them interested in the Bell Branches at the same time. When it was time to put himself on the negotiating table and perhaps extend the circle of trust when necessary, he can just appear at the most opportune time and take over for the manager." "Yes, none of the managers were ever known to divulge any information about the owner of the Conglomerate. It was to the point where some doubted he even existed!" Irene cupped her cheek. "Even father thought the Bells were all made up for marketing until you revealed yourself, Ronald. No one even knows where the ''main'' branch was." "And they will never know," Ronald chuckled.
"M-Miss Bell!?" the manager exclaimed in surprise as Alicia placed herself between him and the noble. "How dare you interrupt us, woman!" Doug roared in anger being so close to corner the manager only to be stopped. "Who do you think you are!?" While this was going on, Owen and William got down the stairs and hid behind the counter where Maria was. Jonathan took the initiative and stood behind Alicia to back her up just in case. "I will be taking over, mister Davis," Alicia told the manager. "This has gotten personal." "...Very well, miss Bell," the manager nodded before retreating. "Wait, Bell?" the noble muttered in realization, having caught onto Alicia''s surname. Alicia then turned to the noble. "Yes, my name is Alicia Bell, daughter of Ronald Bell the owner of Bell Conglomerate. I am also the heiress of the company," she declared with her arms crossed. The plump nobleman raised his eyebrow in interest, "Hoh? So the Bell family truly exists. And you are the heiress you say?" Doug examined the red-haired girl incredulously, his fingers rubbing his chin. "You do not seem like much. Are you sure you are not just some pretty face?" "Noble immediately insults her." Behind the counter, William muttered with a scowl. "Unsurprising." "Will miss Bell be alright?" the receptionist whispered worriedly. "Eh, she''ll be fine." It was Owen who assured her. "Watch." Alicia stood there unamused, ignoring the noble''s remark, and asked back,* "Although I have already heard of it. I will ask again: what business do you have with the Conglomerate? As the heiress, I speak for the company." "Hmph, your lackeys have been committing crooked business," Doug boasted, imitating her crossed arms never mind crushing his ''evidence'' in the process. "And I am here to bring them to justice!" Alicia tried hard not to cringe in front of the noble''s gaudy speech, but his talking trash to the manager and employees weren''t something tolerable either. "First of all, do not call my employees ''lackeys,''" she lectured. "Secondly, if you want to bring ''justice,'' should you not report it to the authorities? Why are you not bringing any guards with you?" "U-Urgh!" The noble visibly stumbled back. It looked like his defenses weren''t that prepared. But like the shifty noble he was, he bounced back. "Why, I am here for negotiations! Yes, I am sure your company would like to keep this under wraps, it would be a shame for it to go under for something as trivial as this," he reasoned, shaking his papers. "So I was providing the means to do it before you came along!" the rebutted aristocrat excused. "Besides, I was going to bring the guards later if it does not work anyway!" "So blackmail." Alicia deadpanned. "W-What!?" Doug lurched back dramatically. "I mean, what you are doing is making demands on my manager under the threat of the guards," Alicia summed it up. "So blackmail," she repeated. "Pah!" the noble made a weird noise as he was being transgressed. "Do not address this as though I am the villain!" "You are the villain here," was her nonchalant response. "W-What! You dare mock me!?" the noble fumed. He would''ve tried to assault the heiress but Jonathan standing behind her menacingly made him think twice about it. Yeah! You go, girl! "Incredible," the receptionist gasped in awe. "She has pushed him back!" "See?" Owen smirked relaxingly. "How did she suddenly become like that?" William asked Owen. "You do remember what her dad''s like?" Owen asked back rhetorically. "...Right," William realized. "Put her in this kind of situation, it''s like she''s become a different person," Owen remarked. "You will need to do better than that to threaten my manager," the Bell heiress taunted back at the fuming noble. "Oh really!" Doug growled. "Your manager has broken the law under your watch, what are you going to do about it?" Alicia rolled her eyes, this noble was still insisting on his narrative. "Will you stop slandering him, please?" she said unamused. "Now why should I do that for a lowlife like him?" the noble smirked, projecting himself. "I bet your father picked this senile old man up from some filthy alleyway, his kind are unscrupulous!" "My father does not pick up unscrupulous people to be his managers," Alicia stated, taking a stance. "We, of the Bell Conglomerate, uphold honesty and integrity in high regard - the light blue cloth in our emblem represents that. We pick those with such traits to be given the position they deserve and we have never been wrong with our judgement. That is why mister Davis has done none of the things you accuse of." "Okay, I''ll admit her dad has been good at picking managers for these places," William remarked. "But sooner or later, there''s gonna be a manager who''ll backstab us. It''ll be stupid to think all the managers you handpicked wouldn''t turn on you." "Eh, you''re right there," Owen admitted. "But it''s that kind of thinking that got all of us here." "Yes!" Maria exclaimed enthusiastically. "I know," William nodded. "I won''t deny that." "Yeah," Owen nodded too. "We''ll cross that bridge when we get there." "Whatever! I have the evidence here!" Doug argued. Back at the scene, the noble pointed the bundle of ''evidence'' towards Alicia while fuming. "So everything I accuse is-" "Thank you!" Alicia practically sang. NAB The Bell heiress swiped the ''evidence'' off from the accuser''s grip all so suddenly as if she was planning for this moment. "So this is the pile of ''evidence'' you speak of," she muttered, looking at the bundle of papers, sifting through its contents. Y-You!" Doug''s face was red, he had never been humiliated before in his life. "Give that back!" he growled as he tried to seize his parchments back. "Back off." Jonathan lunged past Alicia, his glare still fixed on the noble which backed him off, allowing Alicia to read the papers peacefully. "Grr!" the noble grunted. He probably would''ve already ordered his men behind him to attack, but Jonathan''s intimidating looks and imposing posture made him think twice. "So these parchments boil down to two things," Alicia concluded with her checking the evidence. Much like spoken language, the writings on the papers were understandable to her thanks to her maneg soul. No wonder Owen was able to ace his language exams at school. "So the first is the tax report; just from glancing at it, it does suggest the Bell Branch has been fraudulent." Hearing this, the noble recomposed himself and smiled. "Quite a serious offense, is it not?" he taunted, trying to recover any shred of dignity. "But at a second glance, it looks too exaggerated," Alicia then said, having a look of disappointment. "No tax paid for twelve consecutive months? Is this even possible to write on a tax report? Someone would have noticed this sooner. Who made this report?" She scanned the paper, looking for a name. "Collin," she found. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Collin?" Someone from the lounge spoke up. It came from a middle-aged man with black hair in a green suit and wearing a monocle on his right eye. The utterance of the name seemed to have caught his attention as he stood up from the watching crowd and went to Alicia and Doug. "Tch! And who are you from the rabble!?" the noble demanded, not liking having another interloper butting in. The monocled man kept calm and introduced himself with a small bow, "My name is Reygard Millers, a tax collector." "And what is a tax collector doing here!?" Doug retorted, putting his hands on his waists. "The tea and biscuits are good, so I often come here to relax after work," the tax collector shrugged. Turning to Alicia. "I have heard the name of the tax collector who made the report which piqued my interest. May I see it?" "Sure." Seeing no harm in it, Alicia handed over the tax report to Reygard. Jonathan still made sure Doug wouldn''t get into any ideas. With that, Reygard examined the report carefully. "Hmm... This seems real," he reported. "The paper is of the same material and the seal is authentic. I can also confirm this is Collin''s handwriting and he is a fellow tax collector." The noble smirked at victory, thinking the tax collector ended up helping his case. But that look on his face was soon wiped off when Reygard said the next thing. "However, Collin was under suspicion of embezzlement and accepting bribery over the past few months, and just today, those accusations were proven to be true," the tax collector continued with a sigh. "W-What!?" Doug''s eyes widened. "This report seems to be created shortly before his arrest, and there is no doubt Collin had taken a bribe to forge this document and a sloppy one too. I need not explain how some of the numbers are in the wrong places," the tax collector sighed again. Before anyone could ask, he confessed, "truthfully, he was a close co-worker of mine, so it was quite a surprise to find out he was engaging in corruption. I was here to wind down after the shock of his arrest before I held this report." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. "My condolences." "Thank you, miss Bell," the tax collector smiled. "Anyway, may I hold on to this document? This needs to be added to Collin''s charges." "Sure," Alicia replied, seeing no harm in it, and watched the tax collector pocketing the false report. The noble looked like he wanted to shout some of the lines of "That belongs to me, mongrel!" but realized that would implicate him for being involved in forging a false tax report and refrained from doing so. Then, he realized the other party would bring it up to him regardless and tried to change to subject. "What of the undercut wages!?" he proceeded, fixing his stance to look with the position of authority. "It is still an egregious offense." Unperturbed, Alicia took the challenge. "Let us see about that," she said. She turned to the manager and told him, "can you take a look at these documents, mister Davis?" while handing him those documents. "Sure. My thanks, miss Bell." The manager accepted the testimonies and began to read them. "Hmm... Carl, John, Paul..." he listed before raising his eyebrow. "Why, these are all the employees I fired a few days ago!" "Aha! You admit having done injustice against your employees!" Doug pointed his finger accusingly with a huge grin. "After extorting their hard work with little pay, you kicked them out to hide the fact!" Alicia internally groaned at the noble trying so hard to sling dirt on the manager. She doesn''t feel like explaining the unfair reality of companies being able to lay off workers for little reason with no major repercussions, not that her company would do it. Sometimes, some businesses aren''t doing well and can''t afford to keep as many employees as they used to. "Why were they fired?" she then asked the manager to let him speak his side of the story. "They frequently harassed the female employees, I still have their written complaints in my office along with sufficient proof," the manager explained. Turning back to his granddaughter. "Maria, can you fetch them? It should be on the desk." "Of course, grandfather," the receptionist bowed a little and eagerly dashed to the stairs, leaving the two boys behind the counter with to the dust. She really wanted to get out of there. "While we wait for her, I must inform you that they were given multiple warnings for their conduct, but they didn''t listen," the manager then explained. "As per the contract, I had their pay docked for the first few offenses. When they proved unchangeable, I laid them off." "I see, you have a justified reason for what you did," Alicia nodded in understanding. "Do you have the documents for their resignations?" "I still do yes," the manager confirmed. "It''s in my office, I''ll have to tell Maria to go back and fetch those too." "I have the documents, grandfather." As if on cue, the receptionist came back down with piles of parchment in hand. "I also brought their resignation papers with me," she added. "Ah, thank you, Maria. I was going to ask you to get those too," the manager said as he received the papers from his granddaughter. Taking quick glances to confirm them, he then gave the documents to Alicia. "Have a look," he said. Taking the papers, Alicia flipped through them as she read the contents. "So multiple accounts of catcalls, peeking up skirts, and other kinds of harassment all from the former employees you mentioned before," she said with a frown. "I am not going to even read the details out loud." Pulling out one of the testimonies and one of the resignation papers, she showed it to the noble. "I believe this is proof enough that the testimonies you have obtained are false at best and slander at worst," she said nonchalantly. "Grr...!" Doug growled. With Jonathan keeping watch, the noble didn''t even dare to yank the documents off Alicia''s hand as she did. He scowled squinting his eyes at the words, silently admitting their validity. Pulling it back, Alicia gave all of the counter-evidences back to the manager. "And that is two accusations proven false," she then said to the noble with a calm smile, infuriating him even further. However, as a testament to being the slippery noble that he was, Doug, even being enraged by Alicia, still got out of the situation, as if he had already prepared to in case this failed. "Tch, I will admit I may have gotten... overzealous with my conduct. After that incident," he excused, eyeing the receptionist who shrank back as he did so. "I have gotten curious about your company, so I have asked my men to do some digging. When they came back with that report, I was enraged with the supposed misconduct happening and led myself here. Rest assured, they will be reprimanded for bringing such false items." And just like that, the noble dodged all responsibility. "This guy can''t be serious," William grumbled. "Bastard acts like he did nothing wrong." "No way!" the receptionist gasped in horror. "Is he going to get away!?" "Seems like it," Owen frowned. "There''s no way he''s coming here without being able to worm his way out." Alicia, too, thought the same way. "You cannot expect us to believe that," she deadpanned. The noble, in turn, didn''t even try to hide it. "Tch! And what are you going to do about it? Just because the damned new king stripped our rights does not mean you get to tell us what to do!" "Now he''s acting like he''s the victim," William grumbled. "If this was before this new king took their privileges, he''d be flaunting how he''s a noble and can''t be touched by mere commoners like us." "Yes," the receptionist nodded. "I''m afraid of what he would have easily done if it were the time before the new king." "You can report me to the authorities all you want, but they will not be able to arrest me!" the noble boasted. "You can go ahead and make a fool out of yourself, little girl." Alicia wanted to call him out for bluffing, but she had a feeling he was right. She looked to the manager who shook his head, telling her it was not worth it and he probably has a point. The noble was able to avoid arrest thus far, there was no reason for him to get sloppy now. "Fine," she sighed. Before the noble could gloat in victory, she continued, "I suppose these papers are useless then." Alicia bundled up the false evidence and held them with her two hands. RIP Tore them in half, and tossed them behind her while the pixie in her Maneg Soul, Voice, burn these papers. Right away ma''am!
"So this is how we give Orders with loyal maneg?" Alicia wondered in awe. On the plain of ashes, an elaborate red pinata in the shape of a donkey floated about above the red-haired girl. Only, this pinata wasn''t made out of the usual materials, but rather out of Alicia''s loyal maneg. "Yes, you have performed a Vague Order," Rose silently clapped with a smile. "As loyal maneg reflects yourself being your true soul, you will not need to use traditional ordering. Just let your imagination, or in this case, telling Voice what you want will simply suffice." "Hehe! Bask in my genius!" True to the vampire''s word, all Alicia did was ask Voice, who was boasting with a huge smirk on her face, to form a pinata in the shape of a donkey. It was the most elaborate thing in mind that would have required a very long description if she did it the normal way. "By willing them to my command, it is how I can use my loyal maneg to help me walk with my crippled legs," Rose continued. As she said, she was currently standing on her own two feet with her loyal maneg wrapped around her legs. "It is the same process with Cherished Armaments once you obtain one." "I see," Alicia nodded. "But I am guessing I am still sticking to traditional Orders for now?" "Yes," Rose confirmed. "It is still for formalities, but it is still good to know how we are intended to give Orders. The experience would not be the same for you since you only possess loyal maneg, but disloyal maneg Orders always use the minimal amount unless you specify it. That way, you will not exhaust yourself of maneg too quickly." "And Vague Orders are different?" Alicia guessed. "Correct. With how vague it is, no pun intended, the amount of loyal maneg used is entirely on your subconscious. I have to carefully control how much loyal maneg goes to my legs," Rose explained, wiggling her reinforced legs for a bit. "Even though Voice can regulate how much you use your loyal maneg, you could still pour too much if you are not careful. Loyal maneg out of your body is still lost maneg." "Right," Alicia understood, remembering what happened when she broke up Hanz and Blaze''s quarrel.
WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE In a move that shocked everyone, the papers burst into flames behind the Bell heiress while she crossed her arms with a nonchalant look. If the noble was going to get away, then Alicia will make sure he didn''t get the last laugh. You can forgive her for being a little petty when he tried to mess with her family''s company and got away with it.
"We are allowed to give Orders openly there?" Alicia tilted her head in wonder. "Yes, taking the first rule in the strictest sense would constrict us, after all," Aqua explained. "In general, if the world has a magic system that looks similar to ours, we can pass off our Orders as that world''s magic. Qantasia even allows ''silent chanting'' to boot."
"Y-You are a mage!?" the noble gasped in surprise. "And you are capable of silent chanting as well!?" "I am," Alicia nodded, putting her hands on her waist with a serious look. "Now, I assume you have no more business here." "Why you...!" Realizing the slight, the noble tried to get his hands on the girl, but Jonathan gave him another glare, stopping him in his tracks. "Leave," Alicia commanded, crossing her arms. "Grr...!" Doug growled in frustration. He turned his back and raised his fist. "You have not seen the last of me!" he shouted looking back. After saying one of the most generic bad-guy quotes, he stormed off the building in a huff. His goons, whose presence was entirely forgotten, followed after him. BLAM "Well, good riddance to him," the tax collector remarked, watching the noble slamming open the door on his way out. Turning to Alicia, he congratulated her, "I must say, miss Bell, that was a splendid performance against SaltWaters. It was quite a surprise to see you burn the papers in the end." "Thank you, mister Millers," Alicia replied. "But if you had not stood up on our behalf regarding the tax report it would have been more troublesome to deal with." "You flatter me," the tax collector chuckled. "But you''re welcome."
"I must thank you for saving us from him, miss Bell." Back in the office, the manager bowed deeply to Alicia. "I don''t know what would happen if I had to deal with him myself." "Y-You are welcome," Alicia stuttered, surprised by the manager''s bow. "P-Please, no need to bow." "I see you unused to it," the manager chuckled, straightening his posture. "Worry not, it won''t feel as bad in time." "Um... What?" Alicia blinked. Glancing at the others, she saw Owen giving her an amused look like this was going to happen every day from now on. "O-Okay then..." "Anyway, what will you plan on doing with SaltWaters now that have your first encounter with him," the manager continued. "He will not stop now that you have humiliated him. In fact, he will try even harder." "Yes, you are right..." Alicia muttered, rubbing her chin. It was one thing to rebuke the noble at the moment, but stopping him entirely was a whole other story. He wouldn''t be like the schoolyard bullies she used to tell off. "It''s obvious," William spoke up. Crossing his arms as everyone else paid attention to him, he continued, "now that we know who''s messing with us, we take him down." "Like assassinating him!?" "Voice!" Alicia exclaimed, shocked by the pixie''s morbid conclusion. "Eh, don''t worry. We usually investigate and find evidence then secretly give them the authorities to get the guy arrested," Owen quickly assured her. "You know, the legal way so no one gets suspicious." "Is that so? Thank goodness." With her impressions of the Otherworldly Court so far, Alicia thought the other way around would''ve been the standard. "If it doesn''t work!?" "Then we ruin the guy like screwing his businesses or something long enough that he''s no longer a threat to us," Owen immediately replied to the pixie. "If even that doesn''t work!?" "...Then we''ll kill him," Owen hung his head. Well, at least it was the last resort. "So then, we are going to do just that?" Alicia asked. "The first one, mean." "We are," Owen nodded. "Just one problem." "Huh?" Alicia tilted her head. "What is wrong?" "We still have school." "...What?" Alicia Interlude 2: School Life 1 Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 Third week of April "Here is your fried rice with fried chicken, thank you very much!" "One fried rice with chicken please!" "Alright, one fried rice with chicken on the behalf of whom?" "Miranda." "Okay! Another fried rice with chicken!" "Got it!" "That will be 2 dollars." It was the annual easter fair, on the day before spring break, Bell Academy held where students set up a stand and sell stuff since its parent company was a conglomerate that sold stuff, so its school would make the students have that experience too. All students take part grouped by their respective classes and may sell whatever they want other than the obvious drugs, alcohol, or other contraband. If they don''t want to do that, they could instead provide service as long as it was appropriate. Furthermore, you get to transform the entire classroom to whatever''s appropriate to your business, and you must report the amount of investment and the earnings at the end of the event as it''s also graded. And of course, no sabotaging your competition. While some classes sold a variety of useless knick-knacks, set up games with prizes, and even a massage, Alicia, being the class rep and leader in this event, went for something simple. "One fried rice with sausage!" Owen shouted. "Here you go, one fried rice with sausage, thank you!" Alicia exclaimed, giving a paper bowl of fried rice with fried chicken on top with the name ''Charles'' written on the bowl to a grade-schooler. The town where Bell Academy was located was inhabited by people who don''t normally eat rice. So, what better way than to sell rice products. It''s something unique than other classes selling french fries which you can get from any fast-food chain and healthier too. The menu consisted of rice or fried rice with toppings of chicken, beef, eggs, etc. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Alicia had decorated her classroom into an Asian-like bar with its cheap paper decorations written in kanjis with meaning that has something to do with an Asian restaurant according to Go*gle translate written on it. Using class tables and chairs as seats and a line of tables to separate the kitchen. Portable stoves were rented from the school so it wouldn''t be too pricey as those must also be inputted as investment, so no bringing your own to make it essentially free. Kitchen utensils and paper bowls must be bought from outside sources though, and again it must be written on investments. There were 19 students in her class, 11 male and 8 female. 4 boys including Owen were in charge of cooking (they were forced to learn how to cook), 6 girls including Alicia are the waiter. 2 male students were janitors, cleaning the mess anyone made, and the remaining 3 female students stood outside the classroom to attract customers in. The remaining 5 of the boys were nowhere to be seen. RINGG RINGG """Welcome!""" A skinny boy in a white hoodie and blue jeans with a white muffler wrapped around the neck even though it''s spring came in. He looked at the menu and said. "One fried rice." "Any toppings?" the waitress asked. "No, just fried rice," he huffed. "Alright then," the student shrugged. "One fried rice on the behalf of whom?" Well, you all know the identity of this man. Yes, I''m talking to you readers. "William," Will said. "Alright, one fried rice!" the waitress student shouted to the boys whilst taping Will''s order to a table. "No toppings!" "Got it!" "That will be one dollar," the waitress student turned back to Will to which he gave her the bill. "Thank you!" The boy with the muffler then sat on a nearby seat.
Moments later... "One fried rice!" Owen yelled putting the paper bowl down. Alicia received the bowl and served it to Will. "Here is your fried rice, thank you!" Consequently, Alicia used the second method [Telepathy] to start a conversation. It won''t be good if she suddenly talks to those around them, sees Will as a complete stranger to Alicia. A surprise to see you here. You lived in another state, right? Yeah, I used the transporter to get here, your old man forced me to come here. (Will) I get that father would invite you here, but is it fine to use the transporter for something like this? I''m the Air Guardian, I''m pretty much a boss. (Will) Now that''s an abuse of authority! Shut up, Voice. (Will) That said, why just fried rice? Cause all the toppings are meat. (Will) He''s vegan. (Owen) I did not know that... Wow! No wonder you''re like a celery stick! (Voice) Wha- (Will) Voice, that is rude! How come a persona of a Maneg Soul of a Court Wizard like her this annoying!? (Will) Tru- Believe me, I don''t know. (Owen) You almost said ''trust''! Shut up, you stupid pixie! (Owen) That said and done, Will finished his meal quickly and left the classroom. Alicia Chapter 13.3: Bell Branch Troubles - News Spread and the Dark Guardian "...What?" "Yeah! What the heck!? There''s a bad guy out to get us and you''re worried about school!?" "Hah..." the manager sighed. "I was afraid this would happen." It was a huge subversion of expectation, especially when it came out of nowhere. At one moment, they were talking about how they were going to proceed to save the Bell Branch from the SaltWaters noble and suddenly they can''t because of school. It was like being in the final preparations for a holiday only to have it canceled because the laundry wasn''t done. "This is now an ''operation,'' one that needs to be watched over constantly unlike other operations with more flexible schedules thanks to the noble," William shot down the pixie, not wanting to be more fed up than he was. "Rule number six: To die or forsake a world you do not belong to, forsake the world." "W-What?" Alicia muttered, surprised at what William just said. "Oi, you should probably go with rule number nine: preserve your duties, loyalties, and wishes," Owen argued. "A lot less angsty." "Rule six gets the point across better," William immediately countered, not willing to back down on this part. "Anyway," Owen turned to Alicia who was understandably confused by all of this. "The thing is, investigating the noble and then getting him arrested is gonna take time. While that is happening we need to watch out for the noble to pull something off. That means we''re gonna have to stay here until this is over which makes it awkward as an afterschool activity," he said. "Our ninth rule states that we still have to go to school despite that." "Six," William stubbornly corrected with his arms crossed. "Yeah, yeah, that rule works too," Owen relented. "Really? Why though..." Alicia muttered. She had the impression that they would get excused from school, but their denial of it made no sense. "Look, saving the Bell Branch is good and all but there''s a reason those Rules of Engagement exist," Owen continued with an apologetic look. "Ultimately, this isn''t our world. We aren''t supposed to worry over all of this, yet here we are. But because of that, we can''t neglect our world and lose all of the connections we have over there. "We''re not superheroes just because we have Maneg Souls. Even though we have these powers doesn''t mean we have the responsibility to ruin our lives for them. We don''t sacrifice ourselves for the sake of another world. That''s the whole point of rule six." "Even if the world is at stake?" Alicia frowned. "Technically yes, but that''s not gonna happen ''cause there''s always a Court Wizard to answer that," Owen shook his head. "There''s a long backstory why we have those rules in the first place, just know that they are meant to protect us just as they are meant to protect worlds." "I see," Alicia hung her head low in understanding. "I guess you have a point." It made sense. In the context of Owen being a Court Wizard, for the past 5 years, he was never absent from school for long periods, only after it. Before Alicia knew why, Owen had always been evasive about what he was doing after school without her. If it were to be the opposite case, he would have been a known truant and her relationship with him might''ve become different. And ultimately, when Owen did find his father, would it have been worth it? "Well, it''s not like this is going to be a huge problem. We have Spring Break in the next couple of days, remember?" Owen explained to Alicia. "Yes, that is right..." Alicia muttered before realizing it. "Oh! Is that when we will come back here?" "Yep, conveniently," Owen remarked. "We will reconvene in four days when Spring Break starts," William said before turning to Jonathan. "Jonathan, you will hold down the fort and investigate the noble ahead of us. Watch out for his schemes if it comes too early." "Got it," Jonathan nodded. "Mister Davis," William turned to the manager. "I assume you can hold out until then?" "Of course, it is doubtful Doug will do anything drastic soon," the manager replied with a smile. "So do keep up your studies, it is important, after all." "Right, make us a cover story while we''re gone," William then ordered. "I shall prepare a room in our inn," the manager replied jovially. "Hey! Can''t we just like... come here after school every day and then stay here when it''s holidays!?" "Do you want to spill our secret to the noble having his attention on us?" William spat at the pixie. "Yeah, that''s what I meant by doing this after school every day being bad," Owen shrugged.
"Owen?" Alicia asked. "Why does the Otherworldly Court use terms like missions, Rules of Engagement, and now operation?" "Yeah! Like why not ''quests'' or some other RPG stuff!?" "Eh, it''s the guys who founded the Court that decided that," Owen shrugged. "In my opinion, they''re trying to sound cool, but fall short on cringe."
Qantasia Year 456 Over in Kaomagi Earth, school''s out for Spring Break for a week, meaning plenty of time to finish this mission. Of course, despite the initial opening, there was still one more thing to be done over the last couple of days during three out of four Court Wizards'' absences.
After hashing out the plan, the Kaomagi Earth Court Wizards were about to transfer out of this world before Owen had one last thing to do. "Mister Davis," he asked the manager. "Any news of my dad?" "Apologies, Owen, I have not," the manager shook his head. "You do know we have combed through every place imaginable. I''m afraid your father was not lost in this world." "Right..." Owen muttered. It was at that exchange Alicia realized she had almost forgotten what her childhood friend was here for. It appeared this was how he tried to find his father.
It was the first day of Spring Break over in Kaomagi Earth and the Court Wizards were now back in the office as they entered the room where the manager and Jonathan were already inside. "Ah, welcome back, everyone," the manager greeted happily. "I trust your time had been pleasant for the past few days?" "It is, mister Davis," Alicia replied as she took a seat. "Did anything happen while we were away?" "For one, news of your arrival traveled fast. Many people were talking about you," the manager shrugged. "There were already many merchants trying to meet you that I had to politely deny." "H-Huh?" Alicia blinked in surprise. "People were what?" "Wow! We''re famous!" "Well, I''m pretty sure being the daughter of a wealthy merchant who barely shows up is going to attract attention," Owen supposed with a slight grin on his face. "Seriously, some people think your dad is some marketing piece and doesn''t exist at all. Also, that paper fireworks you did a few days ago doesn''t help either." "I-Is that so?" Alicia smiled wryly. "As for the noble, Doug tried to give me a bribe, wanting to turn me against you - I refused naturally," the manager then explained. "However, five employees being threatened caved under pressure, so I gave them paid leave while making it look like they resigned until this was over." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "I see," Alicia nodded, turning to the Court Wizard who stayed behind. "Were you able to find anything on your end, Jonathan?" "I''ve looked into rumors in taverns and talked to informants for general information about him... along with my personal experience." The Nature Court Wizard shrugged. "Doug''s father was a prominent figure in the civil war, backing the most favored prince to win the war." "Hold up! Backstory please!?" "Yes," Alicia agreed with the pixie. "We only heard about the civil war being mentioned but not what it was." "Yeah, I think it might be a good idea to get a brief context over the whole civil war." Owen motioned to himself and William. "Both of us were recruited after it happened, so we only heard some stuff about it but not a whole lot." "...It''s the same story you always hear. It started when the previous king suddenly died along with the crown prince, leaving no clear heir to the throne," Jonathan started the tale. "The previous king had many sons from his mistresses all of whom started fighting each other to become the next king with the nobility of the kingdom backing their favorite princes." "So Doug''s father was one of the nobles supporting one of the princes in the war?" Alicia concluded. "Yes, and he was a troublesome man," Jonathan nodded, a hint of annoyance etched on his face. "Just like his son, he had always been able to get away with everything he had started. It makes him a nightmare in battle." "You talk as if it was a personal experience," Alicia noticed. Not long after, she pieced it together. "We were involved in the war, are we not?" "We did," Jonathan confirmed. "We backed the only unsupported prince who was the most benevolent of the bunch. He''s the new king we''ve been talking about." "Wow!" "..." It was something Alicia would realize much, much later, but Jonathan was seemingly unhappy with the response he got to the story and changed the subject. "With only surface levels of knowledge, I scouted the SaltWaters territory for more information," Jonathan said. "I couldn''t find anything, but when I ordered [Biological Scan] on the SaltWaters mansion, I picked up several people under the place." Just like that, what Jonathan must have not wanted to discuss about the civil war went unnoticed by the other Court Wizards. "Several people under the place?" Alicia muttered in question, having a bad feeling about it. "What does that mean?" "I''m afraid that is out of my expertise," the manager admitted. "Maybe it''s an underground dungeon?" Owen suggested. "I mean, big stinkin'' nobles would have prisons under their houses right?" "Exactly," William quipped. "He''s torturing people under there and I doubt the new king of yours will like it." "No, he wouldn''t," the manager shook his head. "This is worrying." "Oh no!" Alicia gasped with he hand covering her mouth. "What do we do?" "For now, nothing," William bluntly stated. "None of us can break into the dungeons and rescue the captives without causing alarms. There is also the matter of collecting data through infiltration. We''ll need backup." "We are going to have another Court Wizard with us?" Alicia asked in wonder. "Yeah, when a mission turns out to be out of our specialty and there''s no other way, that''s when we''ll call down someone from the Court for help," Owen explained to her. "And when it comes to sneaking into places, there''s only one guy for the job."
It was the next day in the afternoon and the Court Wizard sent to help was here. Being over 181 cm tall, a slender man with a dark-skin tone stood inside the office. Under his robe, he wore a black motor jacket and matching-colored jeans. He has silver eyes and long silver hair down to his waist with a black cloth covering the lower part of his face. The most notable feature, however, was a pair of long elongated ears. A dark elf. The first thing he did was to look at Alicia with his hand rubbing his chin and said, "So you are Ronald''s daughter, Alicia Bell." "Y-Yes," Alicia nodded, sounding a bit nervous being stared at intently like that. "And you are?" "I am the Guardian of the Dark Mother Soul, Darcassan Erith," the dark elf introduced himself. "Most people, including my sister, just call me Darc." "Woah! The big boss coming down already!?" "I exist you know," William, the Guardian of the Air Mother Soul, grumbled, eyes narrowed at the pixie. The Dark Guardian ignored his fellow Guardian''s quip and went to inspect the pixie. "So this is the pixie made out of nothing but loyal maneg I''ve been hearing about," he said, unnerving said pixie. "Interesting how having only loyal maneg can sprout someone this tiny." "Hey! I ain''t some zoo animal! I''m Voice!" "And she has an attitude too," Darc remarked before turning to Alicia. "I don''t need to remind you how we are supposed to order disloyal maneg to keep our loyal maneg safe." "I am aware," Alicia said apprehensively, getting uneasy around the dark elf by the minute. "Now then, I believe you require my service to infiltrate a mansion, correct?" the Dark Guardian then asked Jonathan. "Yeah, right here," Jonathan placed his finger on the desk, where a map was placed on top of it. "This is the mansion owned by the noble Doug von SaltWaters in his territory." Turning his head left and right, he turned to the manager. "Where''s the bigger map?" "Ah, apologies. I must''ve forgotten about it." The manager went to the drawer and rummaged for a bit. "Here it is," he said, pulling out another map and laying it down on the desk. "Here is where we are," the manager pointed at one part of the map before sliding his finger across it. "And the SaltWaters territory is here." "Noted, I''ll go right away," Darc nodded, having looked over the map himself. "Anything else I should know?" "He''s holding people under his mansion," Jonathan simply reported. For a moment, Alicia noticed Darc''s expression tensed upon hearing Jonathan''s concerning discovery, but he was just as quick as to revert to his aloof demeanor. "Very well," he said before sinking into the ground. "Woah! Still scary!" The dark elf visibly rolled his eye before disappearing completely into the floor, leaving a black puddle-like circle that was worse than an imperfect circle, on the floor. "That is still shocking to see," Alicia remarked after the black circle moved to the open window at the back of the office and slipped through it. This wasn''t the first time she had seen it, the dark elf had entered the office in a similar fashion earlier. "How does he do that? Was that an Order?" "Well yes, but actually no," Owen answered, even taking an opportunity to include a certain quote. "That was his Personal Skill, his magic to sink into shadows." "Oh! So it is his power," Alicia muttered. It only made sense that there were Court Wizards having powers other than from their Maneg Souls. If Maneg Souls focused on their hosts'' survival, then they would naturally welcome any and all magic or technique they already have. "The maneg part of it is him giving a Progressive Order to form a magic carpet above the floor," Owen continued. "Then, he rides inside the shadow underneath it and orders the carpet to move around." "That is a very creative application," Alicia said in awe. "You can do that with Orders, huh?" "Yeah," Owen nodded. "We call using Orders with Personal Skill ''Half-Orders'' by the way."
"Why is it still called the SaltWaters territory?" Alicia wondered, looking at the map. "Do the nobles still control their land?" "No, while they still get to keep their estate, the nobles no longer control their territories. The new king appoints his administrators to manage their former domains," the manager explained. "As to why we still kept calling them nobles'' territories, we simply have no reason to change that." "Kinda like how some provinces still keep their former lords'' names as their names since they stuck," Owen shrugged. "Or maybe it was the other way around from the start?" "That must''ve rea~lly sucked for him!"
As the dark elf will most likely come back with his findings the next day, the Court Wizards decided to sign off for the night. KA-THUNK Instead of an uneventful slumber, a sound came from above, waking up the Court Wizards resting in two separate rooms, one for the male Court Wizards and one for Alicia all by herself, on the top floor of a Bell-owned inn checked-in by the manager for the past three days - Jonathan had it all for himself for those days. THUD "Woah! What was that!?" With Voice''s yelp, Alicia shot up from her bed. Still dressed in her nightgown, she got off and turned towards the balcony where the noise came from. She felt the particular Maneg Soul coming from the balcony and promptly unlocked the door letting Jonathan in dragging a hooded figure with his left hand. "Is this?" Alicia asked rhetorically, already knowing who the hooded person could be. "An assassin," Jonathan huffed as he plopped said assassin to the floor. Then she felt Owen and William''s signatures behind the other door. She turned back and opened it to let them in. "What happened?" Owen asked in concern, having heard the noise from Alicia''s room, before looking down on the source. "Is this guy an assassin?" "Yes, it''s an assassin," Jonathan confirmed. "So that''s why you''re not in our room," Owen muttered in realization. "Did you sneak out of the window?" he asked and got a nod of confirmation. "That''s not important, the noble had made his move," William said in a cold tone. "To be fair, he could be here to kidnap you," Jonathan suggested, lightly kicking the hooded figure. "Taking you hostage would be his next move." Alicia frowned at that. After all, she was kidnapped a month and a week ago. While it resulted in her introduction to the Otherworldly Court, also resulted in Owen getting severely wounded and it was a miracle he somehow was able to survive that. "We''ll see when this guy wakes up." Jonathan then put the knocked-out assassin or abductor in a sitting position, then paused for a moment. SLITHER SLITHER Green maneg coming out of his Maneg Soul gathered around his left hand creating a green bundle of rope. It had numerous leaves sticking over it like a bundle of vines. "Help me tie him up," Jonathan said and Owen came to help tie the man with the vines as a rope. "Gotta use a real rope," Owen commented, fastening the green maneg creation. "The vines ain''t gonna last." "Do we ask the staff?" Alicia asked. Her father technically owned the place, but trying to explain someone was trying to break in and cause harm to them would be awkward. "Do they even have a rope?" "Yeah, we can do that," Owen shrugged. "They gotta have a rope somewhere."
The hooded figure was now bounded with an actual rope, just in time as the maneg created vines had broken off completely. The hood was lifted to reveal the perpetrator''s face. "It is quite incredible that you were able to tell someone is sneaking on the roof, Jonathan," Alicia can''t help but remark, looking down on the bound perpetrator. "None of us heard his steps." "Yeah! Like you got super hearing or something!?" "You''re the center of attention, you''re bound to attract unsavory people. The noble will also send one your way," Jonathan spoke in a low tone. "I overheard this man asking about where you stayed. Then, I saw him stalking the inn-" "Ew! Creep!" Ignoring the pixie, he concluded, "So, I climbed the roof." "So you were on the lookout for him?" Alicia concluded, earning another nod from the Nature Court Wizard. "Why did you not tell us that you knew?" "If I told any of you, your demeanor would have been different," Jonathan explained. "Different enough that this man would notice and get spooked." "Make sense," Owen remarked. "Usually, these guys are professionals." "Is that so? Anyway," the red-haired girl turned to the Qantasia native and gave him a small bow. "Thank you for saving me, Jonathan." "...You''re welcome," was Jonathan''s reply. Not to break the heartfelt moment, but William had to interject, "Hey, shouldn''t we check for this guy''s weapons?" Everyone else looked at him, "...Right."
"A pair of daggers, multiple throwing knives, a garrote, and a smoke bomb." "He is an assassin!" "So he is." "Urgh..." "He''s waking up!" "Knock him again!" "On it." KA-THUNK "...Should we not interrogate him when he is awake?" """...""" "Oof!" Alicia Chapter 13.4: Bell Branch Troubles - Terrible Plottings The next day came, and the Court Wizards decided to wait for Darc to return to deal with the assassin. However, that meant until he had returned, the poor bounded man had his skull bashed a few more times when he regained a bit of consciousness throughout the night. At least, that''s what Jonathan told them this morning, making Alicia question his sleeping habits. SHIMMER SHIMMER A murky patch of black then entered the inn room before rising to reveal the dark elf. "You weren''t in the office," Darc complained with his arms crossed. Then he looked down. "Is he an assassin?" "Yes, he is an assassin," Jonathan confirmed. How many times was that mentioned? Alicia pondered internally. "Have you checked his gear?" the dark elf continued. "All of these." Jonathan pointed to the assassin''s inventory lying on a tarp at the corner. "All right then." Darc went over the tarp and inspected it. Once done, he went to the unconscious assassin, crouched down, and... "Ew!" Alicia can''t blame Voice for being grossed out at the Dark Guardian sticking his finger into the assassin''s mouth. "What are you doing?" she has to ask. Darc, instead of answering, responded by pulling his hand off the assassin''s mouth and showing it to the others. Held between his fingers was a small glass vial that could fit inside a person''s jaw filled with a sick-looking liquid. "Huh, poison," William couldn''t help but mutter. "Like the one used to commit suicide to avoid torture!?" Alicia exclaimed. "He has that?" Owen looked at the Dark Guardian. "As Alicia said, it is important for anyone who lurks in the shadows to be able to spare themselves of torture. You just need to look where it is," Darc shrugged, tossing the vial to the softer part of the tarp before wiping his fingers. "Now then..." "H-Huh? Wha?" the assassin groaned as having his mouth rummaged woke him up. After repeated head bashes, he pretty much sported a huge lump on his head. "You''re awake," Darc bluntly said, looking down at him. "Damn!" the assassin quickly realized his situation and quickly tried to ingest the poison, only to find it missing. "W-Where is it!?" the assassin panicked as his tongue tried to find the poison formerly tucked in his teeth. "It''s over there," Darc impassively pointed his finger to the tarp, where the assassin quickly spotted the vial among his gear. "How did you know that?" the assassin uttered in disbelief before taking a good look at his captor being tied up as he was. "Huh, never thought I''d see a dark elf being a fellow assassin. Figured I''d get captured by one." "He''s the one who caught you," the dark elf, with his arms crossed, nudged his face towards Jonathan. The assassin looked at Jonathan for a second for the pieces to fall into place. "The war hero..." was all he muttered. "Looks like you know a lot," Darc said to the assassin, who tensed up when he said it. "And you know what happens next." "Tch!" the assassin clicked his tongue. "Just because I''m not loyal to my employer doesn''t mean I''ll give you the satisfaction!" "We know," Darc shrugged as he kneeled and placed his hand on the assassin''s shoulder. Then, he turned back to look at the others. "I''ll put him in the Court; we''ll question him later. Go to the Bell Branch; it''s important." "What in the abyss are you talking ab- Aaaah!" the assassin screamed as Darc sunk with him into the shadows, leaving a murky patch of black that left the room. SHIMMER SHIMMER "..." "..." "...What the heck was that all about!?" As Voice aptly said, there were a lot of bombs being dropped left and right, and Alicia didn''t know where to start. She looked to Owen, who looked back at her, understanding she wanted answers. "So... which one do you want to know first?" Owen asked with an unsure tone. "Um, the assassin mentioning Master Darc being an assassin," Alicia picked. "Yeah, that''s because he is an assassin," Owen confirmed with his head shifting to the left for a moment. "The killer-for-hire type." "What!?" "Heard he does jobs for us even before he became Guardian," Owen continued with a shrug. "For, you know, assassin stuff." "His services are that good the Court is willing to bend protocol to get things done," William added with his arms crossed. "Well, none of that matters now that he''s a Guardian." "And because he''s a Guardian, he''s got to have decent morals," Owen added. "Like, he wouldn''t assassinate a kid just to get paid." "Is that so?" Alicia muttered uneasily. She could see why the Otherworldly Court would hire his services, but even if Darcassan wasn''t the cold-hearted murderer that he had led himself to be, it didn''t make it any less bad. "Then, why does he say you are a war hero, Jonathan?" she then asked the Nature Court Wizard, deciding not to broach the topic further. Jonathan had a hint of grimace on his face. Alicia would''ve almost missed. Regardless, he simply answered, "I participated in the war and became a war hero." It was a short reply as if he had wanted to hurry up and change the subject. That was the feeling Alicia got, and she felt not to pry any further. Even Voice got the memo sensing it was something the war hero didn''t want to get dragged on further. "Then, what does Master Darc mean when he said he will put the assassin in the Otherworldly Court?" Alicia then asked Owen. "Is that even allowed?" "Yeah!" "Eh, sure we can," Owen shrugged. "It''s not like we can wring information out of some poor fella in a few minutes, not to mention we can''t always do it on the spot." "Makes sense, I suppose," Alicia remarked in understanding. "But why in the Otherworldly Court? Are there not places to keep him like in Beohar?" "There are none here," Jonathan shook his head. "Why not in a place like the Bell Branches?" Alicia suggested. "Not that I would like it." "Yeah, because it would be morbid if Bell Branches have dungeons that we don''t do it. Besides, if someone found out, it''ll cause whole other problems," Owen explained. "So if we don''t have a house nearby to stuff someone in, then the Court is the only choice." "I see, but would that not mean they will know about the Otherworldly Court?" Alicia then asked. "Do not tell me they are executed once we are done with them." "Nah, don''t worry, we aren''t that ruthless. We got ways to erase some guy''s memories of what they saw, the classic stuff," Owen waved it off. "Well, we still don''t have the equipment to do it; it''s still a work in progress. We kinda rely on whoever has a Personal Skill for it, or a Court Wizard knows how to give the Order to mess someone''s brain without turning them into a vegetable." "...That is rather disappointing," Alicia remarked. She''s not going to lie; he almost got her in the first half when he talked about the Otherworldly Court''s memory erasure tech before reminding her of the less-than-ideal state the Court has always been in. "Eh, that''s how it is," Owen shrugged with his hands up. "Now, about the Bell Branch, Master Darc did tell us there''s something important there." "Oh, what could it be?" Alicia wondered. "It''s the dungeon from SaltWater''s mansion," Jonathan interrupted. He had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while the Kaomagi Earth Court Wizards were doing their own thing. "Master Darc had broken out its captives."
"What... happened to them!?" Alicia gasped in horror, both of her hands covering her mouth, looking at the horrible sight before her. They were in the room behind the lobby that was entered through the door on the opposite side of the stairs with the counter in between, where the staff prepared refreshments for the visitors in the lobby. There Alicia saw three children wrapped in blankets sitting together on a bench tended by Maria and the staff. One was a boy whose hair looked like it was losing its color, fading from brown to white. The same goes for his eyes, having lost their pigment and revealing the red blood vessels. He looked rather absent-minded as he stared into the cup of tea he clasped with his two trembling hands. The other was a fox half-animal boy, and he did not fare any better. Alicia could see that his once vibrant orange hair, along with the ones covering his drooping fox ears, was lost. Even his tail sticking out of the blanket looked bare bones, its fur lost and withered like a twig. The last one was a little girl with vibrant pink hair who could be described as a fish-half animal, having fin-like ears and gills on both sides of her neck. However, she looked... dry. Like a fish out of water, her skin was visibly rough, and the aforementioned ears and gills were all shriveled. Her tiny hands were flaky holding a cup of water she kept drinking to keep herself hydrated, with the staff replacing it every minute. If Alicia knew any better, they had half in mind to just dump a bucket of water on the poor girl just to keep her moist. "Magic experiments. The reports from the bastard''s office say that much," was all Darc had to tell, his arms crossed yet his hands visibly clenching. "I don''t need to spell out what, not in front of these kids." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Despite only giving the barest of explanation, all three children flinched at what they heard, unpleasant memories resurfacing as they began to shiver in fright. It was a heartbreaking sight to see. Fortunately, there was a way to discuss it further without them hearing. How the hell did they end up there!? (Owen) They''re war orphans. Doug knew no one would look for them. (Jonathan) Really? No one at all? (Alicia) Yes, especially the fox folk child because his people are refugees from the neighboring kingdom. (Jonathan) What is wrong with this country!? (Voice) And what is Doug doing child experiments for? (William) It has to do with what I found on his desk. Head upstairs; the staff knows how to care for these children better than we do. (Darc)
"The noble is staging a coup," was the brief explanation Darc needed to say after trekking two flights of stairs. "Why am I not surprised?" Owen groaned in annoyance. "Oh my!" the manager gasped. "How horrible!" "How do you know that?" Alicia asked. "Yeah! Did the bozo write it down or something!?" "He said it himself," Darc explained with his arms crossed. "The noble was home, and he apparently has a habit of ranting out loud to himself." "The SaltWaters territory is right next to the capital," Jonathan added, having forgotten to give the context earlier. "It''s only a few days'' ride on a carriage." The Court Wizards, of course, have the luxury of retreating into Manegia and returning to Qantasia to the desired location. Much faster than horseback. "He ranted about how he should''ve abducted Alicia instead of assassinating her," Darc continued. "All because someone told him to." "So the big meanie did want to hurt my Alicia!" "This confirms that he has a third party backing his coup, if it wasn''t obvious already," the dark elf suspected. "This also means these backers are onto the Bells being involved with the new king''s ascension." "Huh? What does that mean?" Alicia asked worriedly upon hearing her family was mentioned. "The new king knows we supported him; that''s unavoidable," Jonathan explained as a matter of fact. "But not everyone else." "The public either knew a ''mysterious'' backer to the new king or that he had none and won the throne with the support of the people," Darc added. "Of course, the arrogant nobility who lost refused to believe the common folk defeated them and are willing to believe the former. Admittedly, they were right that the support of the people wouldn''t be enough." "I see," Alicia nodded. This country wasn''t at the stage where popular revolts could be pulled off. "So they are beginning to suspect us through the Bell Branches?" "If it wasn''t, it would be a large coincidence this Bell Branch had only taken off after the new king won," Darc said bluntly, which was all there was needed to know. "A more competent lord would know how rich your company is from the Bell Branches in the other kingdoms. Those that don''t would soon find out after stumbling into an establishment of yours." "When Doug entered the restaurant!" Alicia gasped in realization. "Whether he knows or not changes nothing," Darc shook his head. "Yes, the nobility had always imposed ruinous taxes on merchants who are not in their hands to crush the competition," the manager confirmed with his head down and a sigh. "It is only after the new king''s rise that those taxes were lifted, allowing us to prosper." "We did help the new king through the Bell Branches," Jonathan confessed. "There you have it, the plausible motive to suspect the Bell Conglomerate," Darc concluded, presenting his arms lazily. "And a petty reason to retaliate against you, the heiress of the company, while causing chaos to the new king''s ''key supporter'' at the same time." "But why kill me? ...Would it not be better to kidnap me instead?" Alicia wondered, gritting through the last statement. Memories of her kidnapping still lingered. "It will be inconvenient with his next plan," Darc explained. "After he was done with his monologue, he rehashed to some guy the final plan to kidnap a princess Alyssa von CoastLine returning to the capital through the place called ''Rocky Pass'' by tomorrow as we speak." "Ah," the manager muttered. "Princess Alyssa would be his majesty''s elder sister." "What would he need to kidnap the king''s older sister for?" Alicia inquired, though, in hindsight, she should already have an idea. "Considering he wants to be ruler himself," Darc answered with his arms crossed. "He would need to tie himself into the royal family to do that." "Ugh! Pervert!" "Pretty sure he wouldn''t be king, just prince consort," Owen interjected. "The princess would''ve been in charge if he did pull off the coup." "It wouldn''t matter to him," William commented with a raised eyebrow. "Guy thinks no one will do anything if he did take over." "I have all the plans for the operation: the numbers, the route, the logistics, everything," Darc reported. Then, he pulled out a thin black box and fiddled it for a few seconds. What is he doing? Alicia wondered what the Dark Guardian was doing. Is that some kind of magic device? "All of it is in here," Darc said, stretching his hand out and showing a photo of a parchment displayed on the screen. It''s a smartphone. "...Wat!?" "Eh, it''s not like we can take those papers without him noticing," Owen shrugged at the jarring move. Then, his mood became somber. "...Well, we should probably talk about the kids. Doug''s going to find them missing sooner or later." "Oh, that is right," Alicia muttered in realization. "What will happen to them?" she asked in concern. "For now, we''ll need a Life Wizard to look over them," Darc stated with a frown judging by his eyes. "We''ll also need a Death Wizard for whatever Doug did to them just to give him an edge in his rebellion."
"Death Court Wizards are also healers?" Alicia muttered confusingly, tilting her head. "Yeah, the name might sound like it should be the exact opposite, but it is the other side of the coin to Life," Owen casually explained. "The Death Element''s whole concept is to reduce and take things away; Life''s concept is to grow and restore things." "...Oh!" Alicia realized. "Is it like if you are struck with a disease, you use Death Orders to cure it?" "So it''s ''death'' to stuffy noses!?" "Exactly!" Owen smiled. "If it''s a paper cut, use a Life Order to regen faster. If it''s something like cancer, use Death to remove it - Life will just make it bigger."
"It is horrible he did such a thing," Alicia said in a somber tone. "I''m surprised you didn''t just kill him then and there," William said to his fellow Guardian. "Believe me; I would have." Darc huffed in an annoyed tone. "But then it will cause Doug''s co-conspirators to scatter. No, we need to take them out in one fell swoop." "Yeah, makes sense." "No matter, I already have written his name down." "Well, I''d be more surprised if you didn''t." Hearing the exchange, Alicia began to wonder. "Owen, what are they talking about?" she quietly asked her childhood friend. "Master Darc isn''t your average assassin," Owen whispered back, leaning closer to Alicia. "He keeps a notebook filled with the names of all the people he''s killed, all of them. He slices someone''s throat, and he''ll write his name down. You can ask him how many he''s killed, and he''ll probably have an exact answer." "That is..." Alicia muttered in confusion. "Why would he do that?" "Eh, not sure," Owen shrugged. "His sister, Master Ilezenya - she''s the Nature Guardian, by the way - says his teacher told him so to remember all of his murders. It''s to make sure he doesn''t become a mindless killing machine. Hell, I could''ve sworn I''ve seen him swat a mosquito and wrote it down." "Is that so?" Alicia chuckled lowly. "But what if he does not know their names?" "Yeah! And how do you name the mosquito!?" "..." Owen blinked at Voice being able to exclaim quietly. "If he doesn''t know, he''ll probably write a short description of them." "I see, then what does it mean when Master Darc writes someone''s name down before doing the deed?" Alicia then asked, taking the implication of what Owen told her before. "Yeah, he usually writes down the names after he kills," Owen started to explain. "But if it''s before, that means Master Darc really wants to kill that person. The noble is a textbook example of people who pisses him off enough to murder them." "I see..." "Wow!" "Yeah," Owen smiled. "Him writing down all of his victims like that pretty much made him the unofficial grim reaper of the Court." "If you''re done," Darc spoke, jerking Alicia and Owen''s heads towards him. "We''re going to formulate our plan to foil Doug''s kidnapping plot." "We''ll have to be careful," Jonathan added. "If Doug inherits anything from his father, he may have something up his sleeve." "..." "..." "...Oof! Busted!" Both childhood friends can only stand there embarrassed.
A carriage painted gold as the sand rode among the piles of hard granite pulled by 2 horses bred to traverse the rough terrain. It bore an emblem of water and sand on its sides as well as on the banner it carried. Accompanying it were 35 gold armored knights and 5 gold cloaked on horseback, all equipped with its armor. The escorts also bore the same emblem on their guard. One of the knights reined his horse near the carriage. "Your highness, we will reach the capital in about two hours," he reported, peering his head into the open window. "I see," Alyssa von Coastline, the princess of Coastline and elder sister to the king in the carriage, nodded. "Thank you, Alfred." "Excuse me," the knight named Alfred bowed from his horse. He pulled away from the carriage and back into formation. "Mia, how long have we been away from the capital?" Alyssa turned to the only other occupant of the carriage and asked. "About three months, princess," Mia, a woman dressed in a yellow maid outfit, answered. "Mia, you do not need to call me that when we are not in public," the princess pouted. "Just say my name." "I know, Alyssa," the maid chuckled. "But I just like saying ''princess!''" "Hah... you do you, Mia," Alyssa sighed. Looking out to the window, she could see the capital walls over the distance, causing her to sigh again. "Why did mother not stay in the capital with us?" "Well," the maid cupped her cheek. "It was at the capital where the civil war started all those years ago." "Yes, it was a dangerous time to be alive," Alyssa sighed. "All of my half-brothers and the nobility are trying to kill each other while the rest of us fear abduction or assassination when it serves them. I wished my father and eldest brother did not have to die like that; then, my little brother would have been spared of all the burden." No one knew why they died so suddenly. Officially, they both succumbed to an illness that was already suspicious. It could have simply been bad luck that the king and heir caught the same disease, but it was also plausible that one of the half-brothers had conspired to poison them as the healers were secretive about their illness. Whatever it was, the moment they died, it had sparked the civil war gripping CoastLine for years to come. "That''s true, princess," the maid nodded. "But if it weren''t for that, your brother wouldn''t have become king and made everything better for us." "Yes, my brother did, but he had to consign just as many to an early grave to achieve it," Alyssa grimaced. Her little brother was just an innocent boy wishing to make the kingdom a better place. Years later, he sent many nobles and his half-siblings to the gallows to secure it. "At least, all the changes he brought made it worth it." "Yes," Mia smiled. "We can rest easy knowing the nobility will never again oppress us, nor do they no longer rule us. All the people your brother appointed have done greater work than they would have in their lifetime." "Indeed, even Alfred can proudly stand as a knight and a fox folk," Alyssa finished, her gaze turned towards the horizon. "And all of this was thanks to the Court Wizards aiding my brother." "It is still unbelievable that people like them exist," Mia sighed. When all hope seemed lost as her brother had no one to support his cause, these mysterious Court Wizards came wielding magic rivaling the best magicians. They seemed too good to be true, but their altruistic actions showed them as genuine. Barring the Bell Branches they control, they seemed to have no ulterior motive other than seeing CoastLine prosper. "Yes. They not only helped my brother fight in the war but also kept us safe once my half-brothers stopped underestimating us," Alyssa continued. "And-" "Gaaah!" A loud voice interrupted the conversation between the princess and her maid. "We''re being attacked!" one knight shouted. "Protect the princess!" CLANG CLING CLANG The knights drew their swords and got off their horses as bandits poured in from all sides. One of the knights dragged the knight who screamed after being struck by an arrow and fell from his horse before the others clashed against the bandits. While the knights were the finest of the kingdom, the bandits still outnumbered them. WHOOSH BOOM "Dammit!" one of the knights grunted, seeing robed fireballs at them. "They got mages too? Mages from the knight''s side tried to cast their magic against the opposing side. However, the bandits'' side had more of them, and their numbers were enough to balance out the stronger knight mages. CLANG BRAK A few of the bandits broke through the formation and charged to the carriage. Five of the mage knights in the rear were not close enough to physically stop them, not that they could anyway. They were also still occupied with the enemy mages. "Stop! Stay away from her highness!" Alfred shouted, chasing after the loose bandits after making sure not to break the formation. CLASH "Grr..!" However, some of the bandits turned back to stop the beastfolk knight. SLASH "Argh!" The carriage driver was slashed by the chest, still alive but gravely wounded as the bandits that got to the carriage proceeded to pry it open. BRAK BRAK BRAK BRAK "No! Stay away!" The princess held onto the door tightly to not let the bandit through even though it was locked. Her maid held the other door. Then, just as a bandit was about to hack the door away... PLUNGE "Gaaah!" ...the bandit was suddenly knocked to the ground, a sword struck through his heart, where a man in an unkempt cloak stood above the bandit. On his left arm was the sword that plunged the bandit. Let it be known that the Wizards of the Otherworldly Court have nothing but pure intentions as the princess looked at him, "Y-You are...!" and gasped in surprise. Alicia Interlude 3: Bunch of Experiments 1 Researcher: Dr. Amelia Rickens Subject: Alicia Bell (''volunteer'') Test: How Orders are affected when using loyal maneg instead of disloyal maneg.
Experiment 1 Effects of using loyal maneg to Order [Telepathy] Test 1: [Telepathy] ordered in the same world. Result: [Telepathy] was successful in both methods. Subject''s loyal maneg was able to travel and transmit the message then, return as soon as it has done its Order. Test 2: Testing the amount of loyal maneg needed for [Telepathy] per distance. Additional Subject: Owen Ruze. By comparing the minimum amount needed by pressing Subject''s head with Additional Subject''s head then, use [Telepathy]. Then, use [Telepathy] over a set of ranges. Result: The exact same amount of loyal maneg was used which is the minimum regardless of range (0.001%). This amount could transmit messages even at a faraway distance with little cost. Test 2: [Telepathy] ordered to Otherworldly Court Transporter Room. Result: Similar successful results with both methods. Subject''s loyal maneg was able to transmit the message from Kaomagi Earth to the Transporter Room in Manegia. It is unsure how her loyal maneg was able to travel between worlds. Then again, the Catalyst that is the Transporter Room was able to transmit the message to other worlds with disloyal maneg without disrupting the Conservation of Maneg of a world using similar methods to its primary function. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Conclusion: No problems occur when ordering [Telepathy] using loyal maneg. End report.
Experiment 2 Test of Order using loyal maneg on one world and let the loyal maneg remain while test subject transfer to another world. Test 1: Giving the Order [Pillar] to form a pillar of loyal maneg in Manegia and then Subject transfers to Kaomagi Earth. Result: [Pillar] is still left intact even after three hours which by then, Subject recalled the loyal maneg. Test 2: Recalling loyal maneg in a separate world. Result: [Pillar] broke down and was recalled from Manegia to Kaomagi Earth. Test 3: Separating Subject''s loyal maneg ''representative'' to a separate world. Result: Upon hearing this, Subject''s loyal maneg ''representative'' flat out refused to be separated from its master and did not come out of Subject for the entire day. Further testing had to be done in a later date Test 3.1: Separating Subject''s loyal maneg ''representative'' to a separate world without its knowledge. Result: Separation without Subject''s loyal maneg ''representative'' was successfully tricked into not knowing its master left the world by occupying it with cookies. It realized the moment the fifteenth second ticked and the transporter activated. It threw a huge tantrum, shouting incomprehensible things, throwing plates, pulling the researcher''s hair and etc. Once Subject returned to Manegia, it rushed to its master crying like a baby. Note: Subject''s loyal maneg ''representative'' started to call Researcher ''Evil Mad Scientist Lady''. End report.
Experiment 3 Testing the extent of Subject''s loyal maneg endurance. Experiment 1: Striking a [Pillar] from Subject''s loyal maneg. Canceled. Subject''s male parent transferred to Manegia and beaten up the Researcher despite of opposite sex for suggesting this experiment. End report. Alicia Interlude 4: Friends During the first time that Alicia met Rose and Jill, Alicia was showing photos on her smartphone to Rose and Jill. "Oh my! He is so cute!" Rose exclaimed. "I did not know he had this side of him," Jill commented. "I know right?" Alicia smiled. "But you know," Rose mused. "All these pictures have been just you and your family, and Owen." "W-Well." At the sudden question, it was as if Alicia swallowed a fly. "That is..." "Do you not have any other friends?" Jill asked. "...N-No," Alicia admitted. "I do not." Alicia then put her teacup down to its saucer next to a Voice munching cookies. Why a loyal maneg persona needed food sustenance, nobody will know. "I have always seen Owen getting picked on by a bunch of bigger boys and even girls," she explained. "He never tried to fight back. So, I decided to protect him. Father taught me martial arts at a very young age, so I got into fights and often insult them to the point of crying." "And because of that, nobody else tried to be friends with the both of you..." Jill concluded. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Well... It is not just that," Alicia continued. "My father is the wealthiest businessman in my world." "Correction!" Voice interrupted. "Daddy is the richest guy in every world!" "She is right you know," Rose pointed out. "True," Jill added. "R-Really?" Alicia smiled wryly. "Anyway, since I am his only daughter and child, a lot of people tried to get close to me. I have seen a lot of kids trying to be friends with me because I am rich, so I was always suspicious of my own classmates. Owen is an exception, I can trust him." "Aw! How sweet!" Voice mused. "How about now?" Rose asked. "Well... For one, Owen did not get picked on anymore." Contemplating a bit more, Alicia continued, "other than that, nothing else changed..." "I see." The wheelchair-bound vampire suddenly stood up. Alicia was surprised but then remembered Rose could support her broken leg with her loyal maneg. But then, the albino grabbed both of Alicia''s hands. "Then let us be your first friends after Owen." The vampire turned to the female knight, "right Jill?" "Hmph, I do not mind of course!" The red knight also stood up and clasped the other women''s hands. "Welcome to our little group, Alicia!" "And do not worry that we would be after your father''s wealth. Our earnings came from your father anyway," Rose smirked. "True," Jill rolled her eyes. "I-I..." Sniffling, Alicia let out a bawl. "Thank you..." "H-Hey now!" Jill flustered. "Do not cry!" "I-I am hic s-sorry," the girl sobbed. "t-they hic suddenly came out..." "All''s well, ends well!"
Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 "I feel like my daughter is crying... But it doesn''t feel sad," the patriarch of Bell Conglomerate muttered while a report on his resold laptop. "But I feel like something bad is going to happen to her. I will ask her at dinner." Alicia Chapter 13.5: Bell Branch Troubles - Princess Rescue "There will be a hundred and three ''bandits'' ambushing the carriage," Darc reported, flicking through his phone. "Ten of them are mages of unknown strength." "Whoa! That''s a lot of them!" "Is that not too much?" Alicia asked. "It''s not," Jonathan shook his head. "Her highness'' guards consist of thirty-five knights and five mages split into two support and three attackers. Each knight can take on three men at once and each attack mage is worth five." "Overconfident much!?" "His majesty had me oversee their training. I know they''re capable," the war hero deadpanned. "In fact, Doug would need more than just a hundred and three to truly overwhelm them even with ten mages." "I see..." Alicia nodded. Being trained by a known war hero and a Court Wizard would certainly vouch for their competence. "So! You know the princess then!?" "Of course I do." "Ooh! Does she like you!?" "Voice!" Alicia scolded. "Well! It''s pretty obvious the receptionist lady is smitten all over you and-" BONK "The super-duper cute pixie Voice is blasting off againnnnnnn!" TING "That said, if their objective is to kidnap the princess, Doug''s men could occupy the knights while snatching her in the chaos," Jonathan then admitted. "Alright," William spoke up. "We''ll go like this."
"Y-You are...!" the princess gasped. In the Rocky Pass on the fourth day after a certain group of Court Wizards began their operation in earnest, one Court Wizard stood with one foot on a downed bandit and a sword stuck on said bandit. In front of him was a carriage carrying the princess of this land who was the target of these assailants. SHAAK SLASH "Your highness, open the door. Now." Jonathan nonchalantly yanked his sword off the dead man''s chest as he told the princess and cut another bandit that tried to attack him from behind. By then, four more bandits were defeated by the knights. 98 bandits left. "O-Okay!" the princess yelped as she opened the carriage door, "eek!" and screamed as the severely wounded driver was thrown into the carriage. "Heal him," Jonathan said, knowing she does, in fact, know some healing magic.
"You go to the carriage and kill anyone coming close to it. Since you know the princess and her knights, let them see your face so they know it''s us," William explained.
Jonathan then shut the door and gave an Order. STAB "Guagh!" "Aah!" On the other side of the carriage, a green thorn-like structure erupted from behind another bandit prying the door open, piercing his nape. He died instantly, shocking the maid holding down that door. 97 bandits left. The beastfolk knight, Alfred, after cutting down three bandits in his way hurried to the carriage and recognized Jonathan. While this was happening, two more bandits were defeated by some of the knights. 92 bandits left. "Sir Jonathan!" the knight cried. "You''re here!" "There are four more of us attacking the bandit''s rear," Jonathan said, cleaning his blade from the blood with his elbow. "Three of them are in the usual outfit and one is in black. You know the drill." "Ah," Alfred quickly understood what the Nature Court Wizard meant. "Got it!"
"Once you tell the knights to not attack us, send a [Telepathy] and we''ll start striking the enemy in the back," William continued.
You''re clear. (Jonathan) "You heard him," William, clad in the brown robe, spoke as he stood up from the boulder the four of them hid behind. "Let''s go." "Alright, just follow our lead, Alicia," Owen said to her as he got up. He was also wearing a robe. "Right," Alicia nodded. She too wore the brown robe. Darcassan the Dark Guardian, however, stayed where he was at. Having taken off his robe in favor of just his black motor jacket before coming here, he had other avenues of attack than just standing up and charging in.
"You do not like wearing it, Owen?" Alicia pondered him as she slipped her arms into the brown robe''s sleeve. "It''s stuffy and bulky, I hate it," her childhood friend complained, glaring at the robe he struggled to put on with narrowed eyes. "I don''t get why William can wear it with his hoodie underneath." "Right, you do not like this kind of clothes," Alicia muttered. For as long as she remembered him, he always preferred lighter clothing, just enough to cover him modestly. It''s for that reason he didn''t wear the blazer of their already liberal school uniform. "Is that why you use the cloak more often?" "Yeah, it''s the better of the two," Owen nodded. "But I only get to use it if it''s hunting skeleton goblins." "True," Alicia cupped her cheek. "Bringing a colorful cloak to battle would not be helpful." The cloak, which was supposed to be for ceremonial use, usually has a color matching the Court Wizard''s Element''s main color on the banner. Any enemy who knew about Court Wizards can tell their Element by their cloak; even if they don''t they can still make an educated guess. Also, going in as a group dressed like they were in a tokusatsu show was just asking enemies to keep track of them in battle. "Too bad I ain''t a Guardian, then I can veto myself from wearing it." Owen crossed his arms, then grinned at Alicia. "That''s what Master Darc did; I think he likes fighting without it and doing spy stuff with it."
Forty bandits were on standby at the rear, readying themselves to switch with their exhausted comrades to keep up the pressure. However, none of them deigned to watch their back as the dark elf assassin sank into the ground and slipped between them. He could have taken them out by surprise but he had another target to hunt. Meanwhile, ten mages on the bandits'' side were bombarding the knights with fireballs and the like, pressing them from attacking anyone else. "Again!" one of them shouted, raising both hands like the rest of them. """Oh Fire. Like a raging inferno. Strike my enemy with your ball of flame.""" CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE Ten red spheres of fire formed in front of them. They were not as large as what the opposing side could create, but they made up for it in sheer numbers. WHOOSH """Fire-""" SLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASH However, before the bandit mages could finish their incantation and launch the balls of death, a gust of wind interrupted them. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"I''ll take out the mages," William stated.
Ten heads came rolling down the rocky terrain. Red blood trailed behind them as they tumbled.
That doesn''t sound good. "...How will you do it?" Alicia hesitantly asked. "I kill them," William said nonchalantly, crossing his arms. Before anyone could ask why, he immediately followed with, "I don''t care if I have blood in my hands. If it gets the job done, then I''ll do it." For a teenage boy from ''Earth,'' that definitely wasn''t a normal mindset, not in a psychopathic way but more in a cynical way. It must have been something to do with what happened to him before he was recruited, but it was not Alicia''s place to pry. Though she does wonder if father didn''t extend the no-killing rule to him or if he ignored that. "...Is that necessary?" Regardless, she still needed to ask this. "Qantasia mages only need verbal chants to cast spells, the better ones can do it silently," William explained. "Keeping them alive is too problematic, offing them is more efficient."
The knights killed two more bandits by this time. 80 bandits left. """Oh Fire. Like a raging inferno. Strike my enemy with your ball of flame.""" Freed from having to duel with the other mages, the three mage knights prepared to hurl their fireballs. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE Three balls of flame burst in front of them. It was larger than their own bodies, ten times larger than the [Fireball] Alicia ordered for the first time. And with a single word, the mage knights unleashed their spells. """Fireball!""" WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH BOOM BOOM BOOM "Guagh!" "Eargh!" "Aargh!" The three gigantic balls of flame were hurled in an arc passing through the defensive line of their fellow knights and blasted the clump of bandits pushing through. Twenty bandits were caught in the blast head-on, burning into a crisp. Nine more bandits were severely injured after being caught on the outskirts of the explosion. 60 bandits left. "Dammit!" one bandit cursed, shielding his eyes from the bright fire still burning their comrades. "What happened!? What are the mages doing!?" he demanded. Their mages were supposed to keep the knight mages occupied so that they could focus on seizing the princess. "C-Commander!" another bandit shouted, visibly panting after running to his location. "All of our mages are dead! We are being attacked in the rear!" "W-What!?" the bandit, the commander of their group, exclaimed. "How!? He told us no reinforcement will intervene!" "I-I don''t know, commande- Gorkh!" Blood poured out of the lackey''s mouth as a black blade emerged out of his neck in a gruesome manner. Holding the knife behind him was a man wearing black with tanned skin, white hair, and a pair of elongated ears; a dark elf. Wordlessly, the dark elf swung the knife stuck in the dead man''s throat aside, making it unstuck while splattering the dead bandit''s blood on the rocks, and began approaching the bandit leader. 59 bandits left. "K-Kill that elf!" the bandit leader screamed to the nearby bandits, waving his longsword at the dark elf. Five bandits surrounded the elf and brandished their swords. After a moment of hesitation, they all simultaneously lunged at the dark elf, hoping to skewer him through sheer numbers. The dark elf scoffed at this and simply clenched his free hand as the bandits closed in. STABSTABSTABSTABSTAB CLA-CLAN-NG-CLAN-CLANG-G Five long, black stakes erupted from their shadows, each impaling them from the bottom jaw up. At such instant death, they did not even have a chance to scream in agony as their bodies hung lifelessly and their swords fell from their hands. STABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTAB Then, in an act of desecration, more stakes burst from the ground, rendering their bodies nearly unrecognizable in a practical show of exploding blood and guts. Such an act of horror struck fear in those who witnessed such a thing, rendering them frozen on their feet. This allowed the dark elf to march closer to the commanding bandit visibly pissing his pants. 54 bandits left. "N-No...! Stay away!" the bandit leader cried, his sword arm trembling and his free arm trying to shoo the dark elf away as he backed away in fear. But the grim reaper crept closer and somehow materialized another black dagger with a slightly different shape in his other hand. He then lifted that blade above his heart. "Captain!" one bandit cried as he bravely charged behind the elf with his sword high above his head. SLASH It was a futile effort as the dark elf turned around and brought down the dagger, slicing the bandit''s throat. The bandit staggered back, holding his bleeding neck before falling to the ground. 53 bandits left. Unable to say anything else in fear, the bandit leader lifted up his longsword, trembling along the way, and tried to swing it down at his oncoming death once he was in striking range. CLANK Death, however, swatted the longsword with his dagger as if it were a fly. Combined with his fright loosening his grip and the force of the strike, the bandit found his longsword flying from his hand. THUNK Before he could even register what happened, a strike from the pommel of the dagger knocked the bandit leader on the forehead. Then, his collar was pulled before he could see the sun in the clear afternoon sky. With his life dangling at the dark elf''s mercy, the bandit leader looked at him; the dark elf did not say anything, and that further added to the horror.
"We''ll need to make this over quick, so Darc will take out the enemy leader," William added. "We might need to interrogate him, so capture him alive."
Then, everything he saw shifted upwards. The dark elf, however, seemed to still be in place. The bandit leader needed only to look down to realize how wrong he was; it was not that the world was going up, but they who went down. "Aa... Aaah!" he screamed, realizing he was sinking deep into the rocky ground. He, his consciousness, along with the dark elf disappeared into the murky black shadow beneath, never to be seen. 1 bandit leader captured. 52 bandits left. "They... They disappeared!" "W-What foul magic is this!?" "Don''t panic, men! Keep the forma-" WHOOSH SLASH Another head rolled unceremoniously to the ground. The bandit who tried to assume command and take control of the situation found his head decapitated out of nowhere. To the others, it was as if the deities looked down on them in contempt. 51 bandits left. "Damn it! I didn''t sign up for this!" one bandit cursed. This one had a different gear than the others. He turned to the other bandits who have similar equipment as he did. "Men!" he barked. "We are retreating!"
"Mercenaries?" Alicia tilted her head. "Yes, Doug had hired them to bolster his numbers," Darc reported, the phone in his hand having just replayed that part of the recording. "Around forty of them. Couldn''t find any information on them given the time." "Doesn''t matter," William shook his head. "Once they realize they''re getting their asses kicked, they''ll run away."
Out of the forty mercenaries participating in this banditry, thirty-four of them were still alive. It was how their company survived and thrived back in the civil war: never fighting on their own, leaving the thick of the battle to their client''s army, and collecting the gold all the same. The most important thing to this band of mercenaries, however, was knowing when to cut their losses and run. Even though a job like this was harder to come by now that the war was over, it wasn''t worth their lives over it - it was high time to move to greener pastures, anyway. So, like the cowards they are, they turned their tails and tried to escape. Keyword: tried. As the mercenaries proceeded their organized retreat away from the place of a cavalry''s nightmare as they had done so many times before, they were met with a short brown hooded figure standing in their way. "Someone''s in the way, boss!" one mercenary yelled. "Then we cut''em right through!" the mercenary leader yelled, charging with his sword ahead. The hooded figure, however, lifted his arms. To the mercenaries, it was an obvious tell-tale sign. "It''s a mage!" "Kill him before he finishes his spell!" But that mercenary who said it didn''t even land his feet on the ground.
"Well, like hell they''re getting away," William continued. "Owen, freeze them. Those guys should be loose-lipped enough to spill it to the king."
A cold sensation covered them all. They also seemed to have lost all movement functions. The mercenary leader rolled his eyes down to see why and yelled, "W-What in the Abyss is this!" And what in the Abyss was ice; layers upon layers of thin ice trapped their bodies from head-to-toe with more layers growing outwards, encasing them even further. People in the kingdom such as CoastLine, where it was summer year-round, would have never seen ice in their lifetimes, so there were a lot of emotions seeing all of this ice coming out from a single mage no less. THUNK Something hit the back of his head. "...?!" Then his vision became red. "Haagh! Augh!" In his panic, he tried to gasp for air, but it felt like smoke coming out of a bonfire.
"Alicia, heard you somehow made your family Order non-lethal," William then turned to her. "Knock them out with it."
He was suffocating. He can''t breathe. He doesn''t understand why the fire wrapping his head did not burn, but he knew every breath he took burned his lungs with the smoke, that much he understood. He tried to hold his breath, staving off the white gas assaulting his nose as much as he could, but it was futile. Soon, the world around him turned black and he lost consciousness. 34 mercenaries subdued. 17 bandits left. Just as the Nature Court Wizard and the knight captain, Alfred, cut down three more bandits coming for the carriage, they saw the sorry state of the enemy being rather decimated. Jonathan knew it meant the battle was over. 14 bandits left. "...What happened to them?" Alfred muttered dumbstruck. Literally minutes ago, about a hundred belligerents were coming at them and now they were reduced to a fraction of that number. "Alfred," Jonathan simply said, snapping his old friend out of his confusion. "O-Oh right!" the half-animal knight blinked before turning to his subordinates in battle and shouting. "Men! The enemy has fallen enough! Capture them!" """Yes, sir!""" The rest of the bandits didn''t put too much resistance anymore as the knights rounded them up. Four of the bandits succumbed to their blast injuries as the knights found out while five more would likely survive after the mage knights healed them. 10 bandits arrested. 0 bandits left. Battle over. Emotions returned.
"Hm, I wonder, why do we not warn the king about this?" Alicia asked. "In fact, why have we not told him about the coup in the first place?" "..." "..." "...Just make sure no one in the princess'' group dies when we break the news," William finished.
"Urk...!" Alicia gagged, her hand covering her mouth as she lifted her mask a bit to do so. This was long after she had recalled her loyal maneg from doing more than knocking out the mercenary bandits. "Are you alright, Alicia?" Owen asked in concern, running over to her. He had just coordinated with the knights to break the ice maneg from the mercenaries to tie them up when he saw her about to throw up. "Rose said you puked after we fight the bandits in Beohar." He has a point. Much like back in Beohar, the body rack was quite the mess. From the relatively tame slashed torsos and severed heads to nightmare-fueled human pin cushions, the sight was not for the faint of heart. Alicia often wondered the reasoning that the Court''s combat doctrine was to literally do worse than putting an enemy on a stake to scare the others to submission. "Y-Yes, I am alright, Owen," Alicia assured him. "I will not get used to this, am I?" After all, she will have to stand by this for years to come. "...No, and you shouldn''t get used to it," Owen muttered softly. "Your dad wouldn''t want that for you." Alicia Chapter 13.6: Bell Branch Troubles - Meeting the New King "You saved us once again, sir Jonathan," the princess of Coastline, Alyssa von Coastline, bowed to Jonathan. Her maid followed suit, though she seemed nervous around the man. The beastfolk knight, having removed his helmet to show his vibrant orange fox ears, stood by her side also giving a light bow. "Once again, you have our gratitude." "You''re welcome," Jonathan simply replied. He and the Court Wizards have long since taken off their hoods and masks. Taking a good look at the princess, Alicia saw that she was wearing a light yellow dress complementing her long blonde hair that looked like it was made for this tropical climate, but at the same time wasn''t. The same goes for her maid dressed in a stereotypical maid uniform that looked sweaty even if was not as thick. If she were to guess, the nobility of this kingdom copied the fashion of the more European-like countries in this world because the ordinary citizens she saw in the capital didn''t wear like medieval common folk. "That said," the princess cleared her throat. "You saving us here is not happenstance, is it not? There must be something that led you to us." "You''re right," Jonathan nodded. "It''s about your brother." "So it has to do with my brother," the princess sighed as if this happened often. "Anyway, before that, shall we introduce each other to our new friends first?" the princess suggested, looking at the other Court Wizards. "Sure." While the others took turns saying their names, including the maid named Mia and the knight named Alfred, Alicia took a glance at the aftermath of the battle while she waited for her turn. As planned, none of the thirty-five knights including Alfred lost their lives. The only casualties were two knights heavily wounded along with ten others with minor injuries but the healer mages can fix that problem. Darc also knew some healing magic from his world and was the one who mostly healed those two knights. Aside from the three exhausted combat mages, the princess''s entourage was in good shape. As for the bandits, Alicia averted her gaze from the knights piling up the corpses to be burned by the mages once their reserves were refilled and onto the surviving ones. There were forty-five bandits captured and although they still outnumbered them, it wasn''t like they were going to do anything after seeing the massacre brought upon them. Five bandits were charred from the blast mage knights'' spells; they were lightly healed to prevent them from dying. Thirty-five of them were mercenaries including their leader still knocked out cold with Owen having ended the Progressive Order. The last ten were the ''normal'' bandits including their leader who fainted with foam in his mouth were tied up - Alicia wondered where that came from seeing as he was mostly inside a shadow. Turning back, it was her turn to introduce herself. "Greetings, my name is Alicia Bell," she said with a ladylike bow, remembering her mother''s lessons that now made sense. "Pleased to meet you." "Oh!" Alyssa gasped in surprise. "Are you not the heiress of Bell Conglomerate everyone is talking about?" "Yes, I am," Alicia blinked. "Am I really that famous?" "I would be surprised if the news had not reached the whole kingdom!" the princess exclaimed. "Even though I mostly stayed in my mother''s estate, news has still reached my ear. The maids were very talkative." "I-I am flattered..." Alicia blushed as her reputation seemed to have preceded her. "Well, I sure do know why that is," Alyssa chuckled, not so subtly reminding her that she knew about Court Wizards along with her maid, Alfred, and the rest of her knights.
"Doug von SaltWaters. Well, he would not be the only one who would want to do this," the princess muttered, cupping her cheek. "That said, I imagine someone trying to overthrow my brother would happen much much later." "It''s happening now," Jonathan said. "We need to speak with your brother." "Right," Alyssa nodded and turned to the knight captain. "Alfred, tell the knights that we are preparing to go." "Right away, your highness," Alfred nodded. "But, how should we deal with the captured?" "Oh, you are right," the princess put her hand over her mouth, looking at the captured bandits. There were still forty-five bandits, and most were unconscious, making it difficult to drag them to the capital. "We can handle that," Alicia interjected. "We figured this would happen so we have the Bell Branch to send wagons on our way." NEIGH THROTTLE THROTTLE "Speak of the devil, here they are." The knights nearly drew their swords upon hearing the sounds of presumably more danger, but after hearing what Alicia said, they stayed their blades, especially after seeing what had arrived. They consisted of three wagons pulled by one horse each that could fit around ten people and a carriage pulled by two horses. The carriage itself has a red motif and carried the rusted bell embraced by a light-blue cloth, the emblem of Bell Conglomerate. Subsequently, the carriage door opened, and out came the manager. "Miss Bell, I have brought the wagons as requested," the manager said, ignoring the pile of bodies on the side, and then bowed to the princess. "And greetings, your highness." "Thank you, mister Davis. You are right on time." Alicia then turned to Alyssa. "Will this suffice?" "You should probably ask Alfred about it but yes, it should. You really have prepared everything," Alyssa praised and it wasn''t just for Alicia. Without needing to be ordered, the knights began to haul the bandits into the wagons one by one. As most of the bandits were still unconscious, they had to pick them up and toss them into the wagons, stacking them up as if they were carrying the dead they were supposed to burn over the side in an unorganized manner. This resulted in a bigger mishap as the Court Wizards had initially overestimated the number of prisoners needed to be carried. "Sir?" one knight called out to the captain. "We don''t have enough space to fit them, what should we do?" "Then make them fit," Alfred commanded bluntly. "They don''t need the comfort." Meanwhile, Alicia was invited into the princess'' carriage after Darc had fully healed the coachman on top of the princess'' own healing - the dark elf assassin also cleaned the blood inside the carriage after Jonathan shoved the man inside with a cleaning spell he knew which made sense considering his line of work. Being the heiress of Bell Conglomerate, Alyssa naturally wanted to chat with her leaving the rest of the Court Wizards riding the carriages the manager provided. Passing through the pile of bodies the mage knights were about to burn so that they would not rot, Jonathan noticed something among them. "Those mages..." he muttered to himself, eyeing the headless mages among the heap. "What''s wrong, Jonathan?" Darc, being ever vigilant to his surroundings, noticed the Qantasia Court Wizard mulling and asked. "Those mages," Jonathan repeated. "I think I''ve seen them before. At least, what they''re wearing specifically." "They do wear differently than the other bandits, and they''re not from the mercenaries," Owen commented and turned to the Air Guardian. "Hey William, you notice anything about them?" William, being the one who beheaded those mages, shook his head. "Nope, they seem ordinary to me." "I have seen mages wearing all black before," Jonathan crossed his arms, looking sternly at the others. "It''s not a common fashion among mages and I''ve seen them a few times too many in the civil war." "So it is connected to the war," Darc nodded in understanding. "Do you recall what they were doing back then?" "Sometimes they fought us just like this, sometimes they''re just observing from afar," Jonathan recalled, but after that, he... hesitated. "...Overall, whenever they''re there, they always look suspicious." "I see, could they possibly be in the camp of whoever enabled Doug''s rebellion?" Darc theorized, rubbing his chin. "No matter, we''ll find out about them sooner or later."
"I see the royal flag!" the guard in the watchtower of the capital walls shouted down to the others. "Open the gates!" the captain of the guards commanded as this was normally the hour of no traffic and so had the entrance closed. CREEEK As the gates opened wide, several guards and the head guard rushed down to the clear entrance to welcome the returning royal family member. Meeting them first was the captain of the royal knights that accompanied the princess'' carriage. "Captain Alfred, welcome back!" the guard captain took off his helmet and saluted his fellow captain who got off his horse. Before he said anything further, the guard captain noticed that it wasn''t only the princess'' carriage that was returning. "I see you are not the only ones returning... Wait, is that the Bell Conglomerate carriage that left earlier?" Then he saw the three wagons filled with tied men of which one was packed like sardines while the other two were piled like corpses. Before the guard captain could exasperate further, Alfred explained while taking off his helmet as it was the custom, "We were ambushed by these men," the knight captain gestured towards the wagons. "They were aiming for the princess." "My word!" the head guard exclaimed. "They seek to harm her highness!?" "Fortunately, sir Jonathan had caught wind of this and helped us defeat them. He had also asked the Bell Conglomerate to lend us the wagons," Alfred said, leaning his head towards the other captain, twitching his fox ears. "Now, take them away. I would rather have no more complications." "Acknowledged, captain Alfred." Getting the memo, the guard captain questioned no further and turned to his subordinates. "Men, take these scum to the dungeons!" """Yes, Sir!""" As the guards moved in and began to drag the captured bandits away, the fox knight continued, "Send word of our arrival to the king. We will make haste to the palace at once." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Right away, captain!"
"We will be back in the palace shortly after this, your highness," Mia happily reported. "Yes, and it was quite the journey," the princess nodded. "Is that not right, Alicia?" "I suppose it is," Alicia chuckled. To her specifically, it was more so since stepping foot into this world. "You betcha!" Incidentally, since the princess and company knew of Court Wizards, Voice had no problem popping herself into the carriage to wow the other occupants. It made the chatting more of an experience. "Pretty sure it''s too late to say this, but isn''t it a bit cramped here?" On the other carriage, Owen groaned as he brought his shoulders closer together to give himself more room. "No, it''s not," William, who sat beside him, deadpanned. "This is a four-seater and we''re both small enough to fit a third guy here." "Fair point, but if Alicia wasn''t invited to the princess'' carriage and Jonathan didn''t ride on a horse, it definitely would have been cramped here," Owen argued. "I can see the point," Darc, sitting on the opposite side, nodded with his arms crossed. "We may have needed another carriage." "True," the manager, who was beside the dark elf, furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, it''s a good thing this hindsight didn''t cost us, no matter how minor of an inconvenience it would have become." CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP Riding on a spare horse, Jonathan relaxed his shoulders now that they were in the capital. He had decided to take the horse in case the noble had sent more bandits their way. Now that the tense part was over, the war hero can now converse with a friend he hasn''t seen for a long time. "Hey, Jonathan," Alfred called, reining his horse closer to Jonathan''s. "It''s been a long time, huh?" "Yes," Jonathan replied stoically, in an almost somber tone. "It has." Noticing his expression, the fox knight sighed, "Jonathan, it''s not your fault what happened that day. We''ve already moved on from it, right?" "I know," the war hero sighed too. "But still, we still don''t know who did it. She... they knew better than to let themselves get careless." "You''re right, some grunt couldn''t have gotten them on a whim," Alfred hung his head low, his fox ears drooping without that care the capital folk were watching, as they would with the princess returning. "But it''s not like we can find the bastard who targeted them after all this time." "Even so," Jonathan narrowed his eyes. "I still can''t let go of that nagging feeling..." "...Yeah, me too."
Alicia felt the carriage stop and when she looked outside, she could tell she was at the front gates of the royal palace. As she hopped off the carriage after the princess and her maid, she saw the gate open revealing the gold castle like the sand in all of its splendor. Two rows of maids and butlers lined up in the front garden of the palace welcoming the princess'' return. As Alicia followed the princess to the entrance, a young man can be seen waiting there. He wore a yellow-themed garb that fit royalty, telling anyone who saw him that he was the king of CoastLine. "Little brother!" Alyssa exclaimed as she lifted the hem of her dress and picked up her pace. Her brother, in turn, also ran towards his older sister. "Alyssa!" he exclaimed, hugging her as they met. "I was told you were attacked! Are you hurt!?" "No, I am fine," Alyssa reassured her little brother as she let go of him. "It is all thanks to them." The king looked at them, and by his face, Alicia could tell he knew who they were by their robes. Then, he trained his gaze on her first, being the one right behind his sister. "Hmm, that bright red hair," the king rubbed his chin, studying the girl before him. "You must be the Bell Conglomerate heiress people are talking about, am I right?" "Er, yes. I am," Alicia answered hesitantly. It was more so the fact the king recognized her by the color of her hair, being the only one who has it in this world so far. She knew her red hair was so vibrant yet all-natural that it made her stand out, but this was ridiculous. "Your majesty?" She was sure ''your majesty'' was for the actual monarch and ''your highness'' for every other royal family member. "I see..." The king then looked behind her to see a familiar face. "Jonathan!" he exclaimed, losing all interest in Alicia and rushing to him. "It has been years since I have seen you! Where have you been?" "Here. I live here," Jonathan deadpanned. "Oh," the king blinked. "I should have invited you here more often then." "Please don''t."
"None of you have mentioned me by name to them?" the king sweatdropped in disbelief. "Calling you the ''new king'' rolls better off the tongue," Jonathan said nonchalantly. "Your majesty." "There is that too," his majesty grumbled. "Why do people avoid my name once I am king?" They were now in the dining hall of the palace as it was a convenient place to gather so many people in. The king had suggested the front balcony overseeing the garden but Jonathan shot it down on account of what they were going to discuss. "Anyway, I will introduce myself," the king sighed. "My name is Albert von CoastLine and as you all know, I am the ruler of this kingdom." He has the same name as uncle! Yes, what a coincidence, Alicia nodded internally to her pixie who was in the middle of the table munching cookies as always. It appeared the king, along with palace staff in the know, was used to the absurdities Court Wizards could bring as he didn''t react much to Voice. Incidentally, the Bell Branch manager wasn''t there. Either he was uneasy being in the same room as the ruling monarch or he didn''t want to leave the Bell Branch empty any longer now that his job was done. So there were only the Court Wizards, the king, and the princess in the dining hall along with the princess'' maid and other servants serving them tea. The beastfolk knight captain, Alfred, and one other knight were also there formally standing guard. "I already know of the Bell heiress," Albert continued. "But how about the rest of you?" As the other Court Wizards took turns introducing themselves, Alicia took the time to observe the room she was in. Being the dining hall of this kingdom''s royal palace, it lived up to what Alicia would have imagined it with its yellow aesthetic, intricate paintings, and chandelier. Topping it all off was the kingdom''s sigil right under where the king was sitting; it looked to be a gold crest like the sands of CoastLine with mainly an anchor surrounded by fishes and crossed by two tridents. "I see, it is a pleasure to meet you all," Albert smiled. Then, in a move that surprised Alicia, he bowed his head from his seat. "And, I thank you all for saving my sister and her entourage." "Raise your head. You''re the king now," Jonathan reminded. True, the thanks were alright, but it was the bowing that was unexpected for a monarch. "Alright, I give," the king chuckled. But just as fast as he took to laughing, his face became stern as he asked, "now, I believe there is something you wish to tell me, am I wrong?"
"Doug von SaltWaters, eh?" the king muttered. "I suppose he would not be the last noble seeking to overthrow me considering I executed his father." "You executed his father!?" Alicia can''t help but exclaim. "Him and... practically every head of noble houses," he sighed. "...After all they have done to the people and kingdom, they cannot be left running any longer." The follow-up shocked Alicia even more. It was a natural reaction coming from her world. That said, coming to this world, she should have seen this coming for a long time, that the new king would execute his rivals in the civil war to consolidate his power, especially when Jonathan had implied it. "...he was a troublesome man. Just like his son, he had always been able to get away with everything he had started..." "Nine years ago, my father, the former king of CoastLine, suddenly passed away along with my eldest half-brother, the crown prince, under suspicious circumstances," Albert continued, sipping his tea. "That had left a civil war of succession among me and my six other half-brothers. Thanks to you Court Wizards, I have won and become the new king of CoastLine." As the new king spoke of the civil war, Alicia recalled some of the things she saw in the palace. It may have been fixed over the years, but she could tell signs of rough tatters and tearings that must have been from the result of a battle occurring within the castle - not even all the maids and butlers could restore Alicia''s home mansion from its abandoned state. It reminded her that this was still a kingdom recovering from a civil war. "After I ascended the throne... I had the nobility purged along with all of my remaining adversaries, my half-siblings, executing those who have abused their power," the king then said with a sigh. "I have done much to limit their power ever since, but I suppose it was only delaying the inevitable." "But it is happening too fast," Jonathan interjected, interrupting the king''s story. The king did a spit-take as he didn''t expect his monologue to be stopped. Looking at Jonathan''s look, he knew it was important. Regaining his composure, he inquired, "Why is that?" "During the attack on your sister, there were mages wearing all black," Jonathan said, crossing his arms. "I''ve seen far too many of them before acting suspicious during the war." "I see. If it were not for the fact that I too saw them skulking about, I would have said you were being too discriminatory over a group of mages'' fashion sense," the king nodded with his eyes closed. "Not to mention no mage would want to bring attention to themself in broad daylight on a battlefield wearing that, much less an entire matching group of them. So I presume we are dealing with an order of mages that may have enabled SaltWaters'' rebellion?" "One that may or may not have known about us," the Nature Court Wizard declared, surprising the other Court Wizards sans the Dark Guardian. "At least, the Bell Branches." The last bit got Alicia''s attention, naturally. "Does that mean the attack on the Bell Branch is caused by them!?" "Makes sense, even the most petty noble wouldn''t take the time to harass a merchant company while formulating a coup," Darc pointed out. "The company''s presence is big enough in this world to suspect it would have a hand in politics and we had mostly aided king Albert through the Bell Branch anyway. Until we know another notable third party, those black mages most likely knew the Bell Branch has something to do with his majesty''s ascension and pushed Doug to attack the Branch." "Bastard did try to get to Alicia too," Owen added with a frown. "Bet they''re trying to turn us into headless chickens." "Clearly they have no idea what merchant company they''re dealing with if they sic the noble on us haphazardly," William stated. "That only got our attention." "Yes," Darc nodded, crossing his arms. "There is little evidence we are compromised and if it were not for the noble''s recklessness, we would have found out too late." "That is quite interesting and all," the king remarked. "But would you like to explain it for us out of the loop?"
"How horrible..." the princess gasped with her hands over her mouth, almost dropping her teacup. "..!" Alfred, the fox beastfolk knight captain, could barely hide his rage with his hand clutching the pommel of his sword hard. "I would be lying if I said I had not seen worse during the war," Albert confessed. "But still..." The party continued with the discussion, first explaining the context of how the Court Wizards found out about the noble''s plot, then to Doug''s plans to kidnap Alyssa, and finally what Darc discovered in the SaltWaters mansion. It was there that the Court Wizards revealed what transpired under the mansion and the royal siblings'' reactions explained it all. "I had spared his life and let him keep his estate and anything he had left. I did this to all the children of the nobility I killed," the king lamented, palming his head with his elbow resting on the table. "I figured they should be blameless for the sins of their parents, that they would not be like them, so I gave them a chance. Looks like Doug proved me wrong." "You are not wrong, they are not their parents. They are not born like them," Darc said, catching the king''s attention. "But they are still raised by them to follow their footsteps. In other words, parents force their children to be like them." "...I understand what you are saying," the king sighed. "Perhaps I should not have just left them alone after all was said and done. I should have tried to tell them that what their predecessors did was abhorrent, that the crimes they did were not their right." "You could, but the odds would be stacked against you. For one, they would naturally be vengeful for their parents'' deaths, and years of indoctrination are difficult to break," Darc shook his head. "But, it can be done. I have seen plenty of kids who refused to be dictated by the terrible actions of those before them and become better persons as a result. So ultimately, it is their choice whether or not to follow that path and Doug von SaltWaters has made his." "So he has," Albert closed his eyes, getting his bearings. "What Doug has done is treason and even if he did not, what he did to those children is unacceptable. He will be hanged for his crimes." "Good," Jonathan nodded. "Now, what will you do?" "Apprehend him, obviously. As quickly as possible," the king quipped. "As you are aiding me in that endeavor once again, I would like to hear your opinion." Unlike in Beohar, cooperation was possible here. "Right."
The discussion went well into the night. Seeing how late it was, the king allowed them to stay in the palace rather than go back into the inn. After a delightful dinner and relaxation in the palace bath, the Court Wizards were ushered into their respective guest rooms. "That was tiring..." Alicia moaned as she sunk into the soft bed fit for royalty. While the evening bath was rejuvenating and the sleepwear she was given was cozy, it did nothing to alleviate her fatigue. "You did great, Alicia!" "Oh please, this entire mission is stressful," Alicia mooted as the pixie followed her into the bedroom. Voice had her fun inside the palace as the kingdom''s ministers and other people unaware of the Otherworldly Court were home by nighttime. "It was only thanks to mother that I know how to act around important people. Thank goodness I did not stutter at all." "Don''t be so lame like that!" "Zzzz..." "Oh! She''s asleep! Goodnight then, Alicia!" Pulling the blanket over her master, Voice turned off the torches and ended the day. Alicia Chapter 13.7: Bell Branch Troubles - Confronting the Noble "Why has the princess not brought to me!? What are those fools doing!?" a slightly overweight noble yelled at one of his lowly subordinates. News of the princess'' safe return to the capital had reached his ear and he was not happy. She was supposed to have been abducted and sent into his domain he could not even rule. Once the wench was in his waiting arms, he will rally his army and storm the capital, overthrowing the damned new king and marrying the princess to secure his power. Once that happens, he will undo all the corruption the new king had caused and return the kingdom to its former glory. "S-Sir!" the subordinate squeaked. "Our spy reported he saw less than half of them were captured and handed over to the guards at the capital!" "What!? They were defeated!?" the noble fumed, his nostrils flaring at the whimpering subordinate. "He said their numbers were enough to destroy the princess'' puny knights! How could they have lost!?" "Our spy also saw a carriage from Bell Conglomerate with the princess, sir!" the subordinate continued, trembling. "They brought the wagons to transport our captured comrades, sir!" That report made Doug''s eyes widen. "Why would a lowly merchant company help them!?" "I''m not done reporting, sir!" And with whatever bravery he had left under the angry noble, the subordinate let out a "the hero Jonathan was with them!" And then, there was silence. With the noble simply standing there with an oddly serene expression, it had only made the subordinate even more nervous for what was to come. As Doug looked like he was going to unleash his next outburst, the subordinate braced himself. "Get out of my sight," Doug calmly stated, breaking the tension the subordinate had. "I wish to be left alone." "Y-Yes, sir!" And the subordinate fled. With that, the room was left empty but a single noble, silent in a moment of thought. GUBRAK GUBRAK GUBRAK And then he started to wreck the place. "Damn it! Damn it!" "You are the villain here," was her nonchalant response. "W-What! You dare mock me!?" the noble fumed. He would''ve tried to assault the heiress but Jonathan standing behind her menacingly made him think twice about it. BRAK "You bastard! You and the foolish king!" Doug cursed to no one as he slammed the desk, causing the ripped documents to fly around. "Everything wrong ever since you gave that bastard son Albert his grubby hands on the throne! Have you no shame!? Your king had upended centuries of values and tradition! He spat on all of our ancestors'' contributions and service to the kingdom! How could you stand for such oppression!? Does family mean nothing to you!? Your bloodthirsty king even murdered my father and even his brothers as if the civil war you made a mockery of was not enough!" "Even now you still stand in my way, you scourge!" he growled as he balled his fists, pressing the desk. He was often told he tended to rant to himself like a lunatic in times of anger, but even his father did it had stitched the mouth of the low-born who said that as he deserved. "He was not supposed to even be in the war! He could if he set aside his backward ideals to keep his hide safe like the other cowards. But who would support a prince so tyrannical as to let commoners lord over him like barbarians!? But no, your foolish master did anyway!" "I know you have a master, brute! I know the vultures surrounding my kingdom always wanted to strike us and so is your wretched lord!" Doug released his hold from his desk and stomped to the curtain. "There is no way someone from a backwater fishing village like you could even catch the eye of your narrow-minded prince and stand with our honorable armies fending off the invasion if not for your master taking pity on you!" SWISH "Hero!? What a joke!" He yanked the curtains open and looked down at his window seeing the people frolicking about as if they owned the place. Not even his subordinate addressed him properly as lord anymore! "You are but a commoner whose brain is physically incapable of understanding how a kingdom is governed! Just because you have great magic and can swing a sword does not make you better than us! It is only because of your master that your king can even band together filth to swipe all the glory from us like the conniving rat he is!" SWOSH "What is worse, your master did not even give the dignity to show himself!" Closing the curtains just as violently. "Your buffoon of a king may hide your master saying he achieved his cruel ascension from the support of the commonfolk! But we all know they cannot do anything without us! And now, I know who he is!" "I had nary a clue why he wanted me to dine in that restaurant, or why I should crush the merchant company that owned it, but it all makes sense." Doug brisked himself away from the window, sliding across the pile of documents littering the floor. "I should have recognized you that day, Jonathan, especially your so-called hero''s descendants'' hair. That wench of your master''s heiress must have clouded my mind as she humiliated me!" "No wonder your dishonest crook of a master wanted Albert on the throne so badly!" he growled, reaching for the door though he merely gripped the handle for the sake of it. "We were right to clamp down on the merchants, they have always sought to destroy the kingdom for their greed! Now look at what he had done! Stupid plebeians being ministers instead of the wise nobility and a filthy beast, a foreign beast for a knight captain! Can you not see what you have done!?" YANK Getting away from the door, Doug rushed back to the curtain and practically tore it open. Looking down on the streets again, he knew it wasn''t just human commoners loitering about, but also all beastfolk staining his once beautiful domain which only served to boil his blood further. And with a deep breath, he roared, "They! Will! Ruin! The kingdom!" "Hah! Hah! Hah!" Doug''s throat was hoarse as he slumped down from the window, panting having said his piece. He really needed that after everything went wrong for the past few days. Even his beloved father did this and he taught him that it was important to let his pent-up rage out until it no longer befuddled his mind. "You may have gotten me after my preemptive strike, but mark my words," he said softly, lifting himself up. Just as important as his father said, he rebounded just as quickly. "I will prevail." Dusting himself off, he went to the chair behind the desk and sat. "I admit, I could not have done this sooner on my own. My father''s vassals were all but gone or too cowardly to fight for what was right. I confess, your treacherous king made sure we could never revolt any time sooner as he left us alive so he could laugh at our suffering. I too, worried how I was to take back the kingdom from the source of evil when that man came." He reached out for a jug of wine, grabbed a cup with his other hand, and poured himself a drink. Of all the things he broke, he made sure to spare these. "Gray, I believe was his name?" he pondered as he took a sip, washing down his sore throat. "I had my suspicion when he came to me in that shady garb, but he has certainly proven his loyalty to his true allegiance. I have to admit I could not have done this without him." THUD After downing the whole cup, Doug swung down his empty cup on the desk, letting the alcohol settle in. "He is still strange though, asking for hero descendants in my domain, not that I would know since such things are nonsense," he said firmly as he poured himself another cup. He didn''t feel like calling his servant to pour it for him. "It is also a bit distasteful to have his mages run experiments on those filthy animals under my house, the servants will arrogantly demand more pay to clean up all the mess. Should he not have his own place to do that?" "Wait, I am sure one of those brats is not a beast. Bah! I should not look a gift horse in the mouth. I suppose I benefit overseeing the progress myself and those brats will serve me for the greater good as the mages Gray gave me will get their act together after that botched kidnapping," he scoffed, swirling his cup around. "Right, that. Gray had certainly messed up by going after that merchant company. Oh well, I suppose I cannot expect everyone to do their jobs right." At any rate, he will need to move up his timetable. By now, that blasted hero must have already regaled the bloody king on how the evil Doug von SaltWaters sought to topple his corrupt regime, Doug won''t take any chances his rebellion was not compromised. "I need not to be in an absolute rush. That slowpoke will have to take time to rally his weak men, and especially all of the lousy beasts he is so obsessed with," he remarked, taking his time to enjoy his drink. "By the time his pitiful army has reached my land, I will have my finest army ready to crush them. Then, I will march to the capital, my knights sieging the walls, and the mages destroying its defenses. Once I stormed the palace, overthrew the king, and saved the day, I will marry the princess and take the reigns of the kingdom as its rightful ruler!" "I shall restore the kingdom to its former glory, repealing all the oppressive laws the former king passed and reinstating the old ones. I shall return the rights of my fellow nobles whose guidance shall prosper the kingdom as the superior race," Doug said to himself with glee. "While I am at it, I will solve the animal problem once and for all, and the kingdom will thank me for saving it from the rot within. As to that merchant? Surely his daughter is still in the capital, no? I will teach that greedy fox a lesson he will never forget, muhahaha!" With a satisfied laugh, the noble lifted his cup to give a toast to himself and downed it in one go. He felt confident, with righteousness at his side he would surely come out on top. Besides, after a few strings of mishaps, there was no way another one would come his way. No, it will only climb up from here. "Hmm, come to think of it, that master mage Gray promised should be arriving soon," Doug pondered to himself. "I wonder-" BLAM "Doug! Where in the abyss are the experiments!? They''re not in your cellar!" It went downhill from there.
BLAM "Wah!?" Doug gasped as he shot himself awake when the door was slammed open. Growling having been woken up from his fitful rest, he shouted at the one responsible, "What is it with you barging my doorstep!?" It was one of his subordinates, not the black-robed mages like yesterday, and he looked rather distraught that he rudely entered his lord''s bedroom. "S-Sir! It''s the royal knights!" he yelped. "We are surrounded!" "...Wait, what!" It definitely downhill from there.
"First, prepare your knights, we''ll assist the more troublesome on," Darc told the king. "Our second rule still applies." ''The rule is never use more than you need. Basically, don''t go overboard.'' (Owen) ''Um, was the counter-ambush holding back?'' ''Yeah, it''s pretty obvious what constitutes as holding back can be whatever.'' (Owen) ''Bruh!'' "Of course," king Albert nodded. "And how shall we apprehend Doug, then?" "We''ll attack his mansion first thing in the morning," William proposed. "Whoa! Jumping the shark much!?" "It does make sense, he would not expect us to deliver him an ambush so absurdly fast," Albert nodded with approval. "But how can we transport all the knights to his location? Even though his territory is next to us, marching all the way there overnight is still improbable." To that end, William looked at his fellow Guardian. Darc, in turn, looked at him back and nodded in agreement. "We will transfer your knights directly." "Ah yes, there is that," Albert mused, feeling nostalgic. "It had been very helpful in the war." ''Owen, what do they mean by that?'' ''Basically, we use the Transporter Room to transfer the knights to Manegia, and then back here at the noble''s doorstep. It''s like teleporting them in with extra steps.'' (Owen) ''We can do that?'' ''Well, first rule doesn''t mean no contact at all, that''ll make our job harder. Since we already told the king along with his closest allies what we are and is cooperative with us, why not take advantage?'' (Owen) ''Could Master Darc not use his shadow-sinking magic to transport all of the knights?'' ''Not that many, usually. I think it''s too expensive for him.'' (Owen) ''But what about the transfer itself? Would that not be inconspicuous?'' ''Eh, if we do it in a magical world, a rainbow light teleporting people is only gonna catch the most scholarly mages that something''s off.'' (Owen) ''Is that so? Well, I suppose when the die is cast, we might as well make the most out of it.'' ''Yeah, it wouldn''t be the first time we did this either, not just the ones in the civil war if that''s what the king is saying. Our dads also did this kind of thing to save my mom''s family... or orphanage, I guess...'' (Owen) ''Oh, I see...''
BLAM Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Still in his sleepwear, Doug rushed to the front balcony, almost breaking its doors in the process. With his two hands shooting for the guardrail to stop himself from falling over, he immediately spotted about a dozen or so silver knights, armed with swords and shields, along with several mage knights behind them, right in the middle of his front yard. The front gate to his mansion didn''t seem to be molested as if these knights just appeared out of thin air. PIING As if to answer his question, a magic circle appeared behind the current formation of knights. It lit up a pillar of many colors giving a slowly rising pitch of the likes Doug had never seen nor heard before. He could scarcely begin to think what sorcery made it possible. PIING About fifteen seconds later, Doug heard the high-pitched sound dying down at the exact opposite of its climbing tone, and with the dispersal of the light, it revealed even more knights which doubled their numbers. Chief among the new arrivals was the detestable animal, Alfred Fox, who bootlicked his way to be royal knight captain. Doug could still tell it was him even though he hid his ears under his helmet like the shameful coward he was. PIING Another of that light emerged. It confused Doug for a bit as that should have been all of Albert''s lapdogs. PIING As the light went down, it revealed mages in brown robes along with one in light blue and another one in black. They would have been strange to him as they did not fit with the knights if not for his spies informing him of who wore those kinds of garbs. After he calmed down from his rage yesterday, he had taken time to hear the full report from his spies which appeared to be even more useless when they failed to inform the possibility this would happen. "Gr...!" Even without his incompetent spies, he could still see from the balcony the ever so slightly red tuff of hair sticking out of one of the mages'' full-face masks and the presence of that damn hero. Suffice it to say, it made his blood boil even further.
"Well then," the king continued. "Is there anything else any of you might want to add?" "There were spies observing us entering the capital," Darc said casually with his arms crossed. The king blinked, then looked at Jonathan who nodded in confirmation. "...And why did you not catch them?" "By letting them get away and report to their master, it''ll give the noble a false sense of security and believe we would not apprehend him so quickly," the dark elf explained. "I see. I hope you are right about that."
The beast captain stepped forward and lifted a smooth, glowing stone the size of his hand over his mouth. Doug didn''t need to examine the runes on the stone in detail to know it was a voice amplification stone. "Doug von SaltWaters!" the beast captain''s bark boomed through the stone. "You are under arrest for kidnapping, murder, and torture of civilians, attempting sabotage of a mercantile company, instigating a rebellion, and treason! Surrender yourself and you will be guaranteed a fair trial!" "H-How!? How could they be here the very next day!?" Pushing himself off the guardrail, the noble turned around and grabbed his subordinate''s shirt. "You! How did they get here!?" "I-I don''t know sir!" the subordinate shrieked. "T-They just appeared from that magic circle!" "I can see that, you idiot!" Doug growled as he tossed the subordinate aside. "Get me a mage and go rally my men!" "R-Right away, sir!" As the subordinate ran with his tail between his legs, Doug turned back and knew he had to buy more time.
They watched as Doug made a fool of himself while still in his pajamas. After he tossed aside his subordinate, who must have been paid a lot to put up with him, he turned to them and ranted, "What is this nonsense you lot are spouting!? Does your tyrant king get his kicks stomping over the innocent!?" "This guy thinks he''s the victim," Owen rolled his eyes. The knight captain, Alfred, shared the same sentiment and simply sighed as he said through the magic speaker, "We have enough evidence and witnesses to prove your arrest warrant! Come quietly and answer for your crimes under the king''s law!" "An unjust law for an unjust king!" the noble fumed. "Your king is a corrupt man for taking away our rights and making the kingdom a worse place to live! He should be ashamed!" "Yep, he''s full of himself," Owen quipped. "He still gets to keep his mansion, what more does he want?" "When one''s used to privilege, equality is oppression to them," William muttered. "Wise words, mister William," the knight captain nodded before speaking into the stone again. "You will not insult my king! What he did is give us equal rights and opportunities to us all, freeing us from your tyranny!" "And there lies his foolishness! Do you not understand!?" the noble sneered. "He is encouraging self-serving upstarts to steal our place and destroy everything our families have built for generations! The kingdom will only fall to endless bickering!" "He should look at himself in the mirror," Owen deadpanned. "Competition means no one''s stagnating." "Yes, and it is getting irritating to hear," Alicia agreed while trying not to cringe. "I admit my family is old money, but that doubly means I have to work even harder and not have a big head. It takes one generation to destroy everything their ancestors built; if he gets overtaken by someone else then that is his fault for flaunting and abusing his family''s legacy while doing nothing to deserve it himself - he would sooner be the cause of the kingdom''s decline than the others he is impeding." Yeah! What a spoiled brat! "I cannot help but agree, miss Alicia. If they or I suppose their parents, had gotten their act straight, they would not have been where they are now," the knight captain closed his eyes in retrospect. "You have only yourself to fault for that! Now, I will say it again!" he then spoke through the magic megaphone again. "Surrender yourself! Anything you say or act may be used against you in the court of law!" "Never!" the noble shouted at the top of his lungs, leaning so forward he might fall over. "We will stand no longer as your despot ruins the kingdom with greedy cravens and savage animals like you! Men, raise your swords! Today, we will fight for CoastLine''s future!"
"Here''s the bulk of his forces," Darc continued, swiping his smartphone to show the images he''s captured to the king. "The bulk of them are mercenaries judging by their uniforms." "Tch! And they were complaining I brought outsiders to our conflict," Albert frowned as he looked down on them. "Even his father fell to that temptation when there are so many of them." "Excuse me, is that common here?" Alicia can''t help but ask. Looking at her, the king sighed and explained, "As it is in our name, CoastLine is a kingdom defined by the coastal lands we control, and it sits at the crossroads of global trade. As you can imagine, that means of wealth brings people from all around the world to this kingdom." Lifting his hand to point at Alfred behind him, he continued, "that was how Alfred''s people came to be here after the crisis in his homeland - there was already a community of fox beastfolk they can seek refuge to." "On the other hand, that meant many a brigand often preyed on these traveling merchants which made the demand for mercenaries to escort them," Albert continued. "I have read the history books, we used to provide protection for these foreign traders, being the kingdom''s livelihood. As you can imagine, the nobility, and by extension the old crown, responsible became more reluctant to provide the escort and even started to impose heavier tariffs than normal as they blamed them for all the banditry, never mind their houses originated from the same background." "So, when the civil war came, all of these mercenaries found themselves under the employ of many factions to kill each other. Even I employ them as I admit the people inspired under my command would need experienced fighters showing the ropes," the king said while turning to Alicia. "Incidentally, I have your father to thank for that part, especially in ensuring none of the sellswords were enticed to join the enemy." "I-I am flattered," Alicia smiled wryly. Now she really wondered what her father had spent his money on in the Otherworldly Court. "Anyway, as our kingdom was embroiled in civil war, it is not just the local sellswords that found opportunity," Albert continued this time with a grimmer tone. "Neighboring kingdoms have always envied the strategic location we possess and were eyeing our conflict with interest. You have to understand the heavy tariffs were a recent invention and already they have affected other kingdoms. So, when one of the kingdoms that also coveted our seaports saw how weak we were from fighting amongst each other, they invaded." "It marked the final years of the war, and invasion had changed the winning condition," the king explained, soaking his throat with tea. "Even though all of the remaining factions were supposed to be united against a common threat, we all knew the one credited with fending off the invasion the most would undoubtedly secure the throne. As you can imagine, it led to a very disjointed front with constant infighting and sabotage among factions resulting in an abysmal war effort." "Ooh! That''s when you swooped in and saved the day!" "You could say that, miss Voice," Albert chuckled, stroking the pixie''s ego. "While other factions bicker with each other, I banded together my army and focused on countering the invasion. With your aid," he said, looking at Jonathan. "I scored victory after victory, pushing back the invaders after my brothers'' disastrous performances, culminating with my faction delivering the final blow to the enemy and overseeing the peace treaty. With my spot on the throne guaranteed and Jonathan hailed as a hero, the other factions were powerless to oppose me, especially having spent their strength against each other, and the rest was history."
CLANK CLUNK CLANK CLUNK With racism added to the noble''s charges, the knights and Court Wizards watched as Doug''s army rushed into the gardens standing between them and the mansion proper. As Darc reported, most of them were mercenaries of differing groups forming a ragtag force meant to overthrow the new king of CoastLine - the irony when Albert''s forces were ridiculed as that during the civil war. Just from their looks, they''re only doing this for the job, not caring for what Doug had spouted. SHIING "Men, ready your weapons! We apprehend the noble by force!" Knowing it would come to blows, the fox beastfolk knight pulled his sword and pointed it at the belligerents, issuing the attack. """Yes, sir!""" Maintaining a tight formation, the knights charged at the enemy while the mage knights prepared their spells. With Alfred and Jonathan leading the charge and the Court Wizards not far behind them, they held no fear as they crashed into the noble''s meager forces. Emotion suppression activated. CLASH BRAK CLANG The two forces met, locking swords with each other. Although most of the noble''s army were experienced mercenaries, the knights had an even harsher training regiment and were veterans of the civil war and the subsequent invasion from the foreign kingdom. Add some of the beastfolk knights like Alfred being physically stronger than humans to compensate for their low magic potential, the battle was in their favor. There was a reason three fighters were needed to lock down just one of these knights. CLANG THUNK 1 enemy defeated. SLASH 2 enemies defeated. CLANG STAB THUD CLANG SLASH 4 enemies defeated. BASH 5 enemies defeated. SLASH SLASH SLASH 8 enemies defeated. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM With blasts of magic from both sides canceling out each other, the knights slowly but surely pushed towards the noble''s ranks. This was without the Court Wizards unleashing their Orders, yet. BASH BASH 10 enemies defeated. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH With William pulling the same move as he did on the princess'' kidnapping attempt, the noble''s mages were taken out. Much like the battle yesterday, the mage knights began to hurl spells without impunity. 17 enemies defeated. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG 27 enemies defeated. BRAK BRAK As the enemy broke ranks, the knights stormed the mansion. Both Alfred and Jonathan kicked the double doors open breaking into Doug''s estate. With the other Court Wizards following suit, the knights rushed into the main hall. There, the noble could be seen on the second floor in front of the grand staircase. Still clad in his pajamas, he looked disheveled, having run through the hallway most likely, and yet he seemed to hold a huge grin on his face as if he wasn''t planning on running. "Doug von SaltWaters, we have defeated your army! Give yourself up!" Regardless, the knight captain commanded one last time to see if the noble finally conceded. "H-Heh," the noble laughed instead. It would have been more effective in unnerving them if he wasn''t hugging the staircase''s newel post as he tried to catch his breath. "Arrogant scum!" he spat, pulling himself up. "Do not think you can defeat me! Get them, Dubarim!"
"Is there any chance he would escape through a secret exit?" the king inquired. It was a legitimate concern. It would not be out of place for a noble''s mansion to have secret escape tunnels when things got bad for them. "I''ve checked, he has only one avenue of escape and it''s in the middle of his mansion," Darc reported. "However, he would have to pass by the main hall in front of the entrance from his bedroom. If he still manages to escape, I''ll chase him myself." "I see, with the surprise attack at dawn, the conditions would hopefully be as you said," Albert remarked. "Is there a chance he would have something up his sleeve though?" "I''ve seen Doug up close," Jonathan said, crossing his arms. He was likely referring to his encounter at the Bell Branch. "He may inherit his father''s cunning, but he''s not as good as his father at thinking things through. I can tell." "Considering he likes to monologue his plans to any spy, I doubt it," William scoffed. "Yes," Darc agreed with his fellow Guardian. "If he does have a backup plan, we''ll handle it."
A crooked old man dressed in a black robe emerged from the noble''s side. If his garb or how he had appeared behind Doug out of nowhere hadn''t put them on edge, then his evil smile plastered on his face as he raised both of his hands certainly would. But before they could act, he said a single word. "Kneel!" They had not expected his magic to be activated by a short utterance. Spells in Qantasia needed a lengthy chant to start and yet there was a visible pressure in the air as both of the mage''s hands radiated with malevolent energy. An aura of darkness then pulsed throughout the hall, washing over the knights and Court Wizards before they could react. "Gh!" CLA-CLAN-CLANG-G-NG "What is happening!?" "I-I can''t lift my body!" Swords and staves dropped to the floor. The knights were all on their knees, going so far as to be on all fours. Most immediately tried to get up but to no avail as if a heavy weight was pressed upon them. "Kuhahahaha! As I expected, you are but brigands playing knights not knowing your place!" the noble laughed, salivating at the sight. "Grovel like the animals that you are!" If Alicia had to describe it, it was as if her weight was multiplied manifold causing her to be crushed under her own body. She knew it wasn''t her own body that gained mass, she paid that much attention in middle school. It was more like the force pulling her to the earth was pushing her down much, much harder as if the mage had cast a gravity spell, or maybe that''s what it was... ...because she was feeling it right now. "Kh...!" she grunted, supporting herself with her hands to keep her from lying on the floor completely. Alicia! Get a hold of yourself! "Alicia?" Owen muttered, catching Alicia''s attention. She turned her head and looked at him to find him standing up just fine, unaffected by whatever that mage did. She looked at William, Jonathan, and Darc and found them also standing up straight. It was as if nothing had happened to them. Almost. Normally, Court Wizards can''t see maneg until it''s unleashed in Orders and such, it would be rather overwhelming if it was otherwise. However, because Court Wizard can sense the Maneg Soul of another even of a different Element, it was not farfetched for them to sense any and all maneg around them in general. And right now, Alicia was ''seeing'' the other Court Wizards leaking maneg as they stood. "...Huh?" Doug muttered, finally noticing them still standing in his gloating, especially when the greatest offender was front and center. "How come are you still standing!?" WHOOSH Not wasting any more time, William sent another gust of wind to the noble''s way. It soared above the noble''s men revealing themselves in the main hall, seeking to execute the incapacitated knights. While Doug''s goons felt the rather violent shift in the air, neither men on top of the staircase would know it on time. SLASH The head of an old mage fell to the ground along with his pale hands losing their spell. Blood gushed out of the stumps of the deceased mage''s neck and arms as his body dropped to the floor. The noble, understandably, was in a state of shock as blood spread to his feet. "Wha, what in the abyss happened!?" he cried. In his panic, he quickly stumbled backward, trying to get away from the puddle of blood and corpse only for him to slip and fall on his butt. "Men! Apprehend the noble!" Alfred wasted no time getting up and ordered his subordinates to charge once the spell broke with the death of the mage. The knights picked up their swords and lunged themselves at what remained of the noble''s army as their morale broke. CLA-CLANG-SH "N-No! Stay back, foul beasts!" Doug shrieked as he backed away, turning his body and constantly slipping his feet from the pool of blood before making a mad dash away from the knights, leaving a trail of bloody footprints along the way. SHIMMER SHIMMER THUNK Before the noble could get very far, Darc suddenly appeared before him and delivered a swift strike to his head, knocking him out. Looking down at him, the dark elf''s eyes looked as if he wanted to end him then and there but held the urge to himself. Seeing their leader defeated, what remained of Doug''s army soon fell to the combined might of the knights and Court Wizards. The battle was over. Emotions returned. "Alicia, are you alright?" Owen rushed to his childhood friend''s side and helped her get up. "Y-Yes..." Alicia replied, almost slurring. "What was that?" "Gravity spell," Jonathan answered, dismissing his sword with green aesthetics and coming to the other Court Wizards. "It does just as you expect." "But how are you guys not affected by it?" "That''s the thing, you shouldn''t be affected by it," Owen complained. "Court Wizards are immune to indirect attacks like that gravity spell. Our maneg should stave it off... crap." "By maneg, you mean disloyal maneg?" Alicia asked for clarification. "Yes, there was always something bothering me about you having no disloyal maneg," Owen narrowed his eyes. "And now I know why." "Is that a bad thing?" "Indirect attacks include mind-control, magical paralyzing spells, and anything that doesn''t hit you directly. You get the idea," William stated, crossing his arms. "Disloyal maneg acts as an automatic shield against them, something you lack." "So the maneg constantly leaking out of you was for protecting you from the spell?" "Yeah, and we''re gonna have to do something about it," Owen answered worriedly. "It''s a good thing Will got that mage before his spell did anything worse." "Yes," Alicia muttered before turning to the Air Guardian. "Thank you, Will." "You''re welcome," William replied curtly. Alicia Chapter 13: Bell Branch Troubles Interlude - Journal of the Dark Guardian "E-Er... Thank you, sir..." the knight said awkwardly as Darc dumped the bandit leader onto him. The nervousness wasn''t because of the dark elf but more so of the fact the bandit leader was foaming in his mouth and had pissed himself. With no care for the knight''s plight, Darc went back to the battlefield, to the spot where he had taken away the bandit leader. Passing through some of the knights disposing of the bodies, he found the place untouched. So there''s seven this time, Darc thought to himself, looking at the bodies. Two were drowned in a puddle of their own blood thanks to his blade while the other five were mangled beyond recognition by his stakes. Crouching down, he inspected the bandit he stabbed from the nape. Rummaging through his cape, he found a metal plate named ''Jack''. Darc took note of it and put the plate back. Standing up, he went over to the five corpses full of holes. Given the state of their bodies no thanks to him, there wasn''t much to find. Three of them have nothing on them of note; two of them have the same metal plates as the previous - were these bandits with plates adventurers? The first one was engraved ''Mitch'' and the second one had a hole in it with only the words ''A'' and ''w'' surviving. He''ll name him ''Andrew''. Turning his body around, he went to the last bandit he killed with a slash to his neck. He was the one who bravely tried to save his commander as Darc was about to take him away, quite admirable. Rummaging through his belongings, he found a handkerchief roughly made with ''To Daddy'' on it. "..." At the bitter irony once again, the dark elf... no, the half-dark half-light elf could only stare at it for a long time. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Today, he pulled out his leather journal and wrote: Jack Bandit A Bandit B Mitch Andrew Bandit C A Loving Father It was a bad day.
"Grr! Just you wait, puppet king!" Doug gritted his teeth. "I will have my revenge!" The accursed new king must have colluded with dark forces to have defeated his forces and captured him in the most absurd way possible. The noble had been thrown into this cell in chains, disheveled and unbathed, ever since. "Your corrupt judges may have been twisted of their right and wrong thanks to your honeyed words, but I will never yield to your evil!" the noble hissed, shifting uncomfortably from his restraints. "My followers are loyal and righteous, you will not deceive them like the rest. At any moment, they will mount my rescue and-" CRANG Suddenly, the cell door was smashed open, breaking Doug''s thoughts out loud. Shooting his head up, he saw a tall man dressed in black. He almost thought Grey''s company had come to his rescue when he saw his garb and aura as anything but. Sealing the coffin were his dark elf ears and the same piercing eyes being the last thing the noble saw at his mansion. "Y-You!" Doug pointed his trembling finger at him. "W-Why are you here!?" "I''m your executioner, Doug von salt waters," Darc stated coldly. Never mind how he seemingly butchered his family name, evil magic coalesced around his hand, and out with it came a wicked blade of darkness approaching with every step. "W-What!?" the noble squeaked, backing to the wall instinctively. "D-Do you have any idea what would happen if you killed me!? The kingdom will-" "I don''t care about your backward ideals," the dark elf snapped, raising his blade. "You lot are always stubborn in your views." "No! Wait!" SLASH
"There is one thing I will make it clear, your majesty," Darc stated. "What is it?" the king inquired, his eyebrow raised in confusion. "The noble''s mine and I''m not doing it in public. I am an assassin."
And that is for the children you hurt, Darc mused as he dismissed his Cherished Armament. He had enough of those delusional relics for a lifetime. As the blood on the disappeared blade dropped to the cellar floor, Darc pulled out his notebook and crossed out the name ''Doug von salt waters''. Doug von salt waters Alicia Chapter 14.1: Adventures in Manegia - Beginnings Manegia Year 1421 Two weeks after the mission regarding the Otherworldly Court''s eyes, the Bell Conglomerate branches aka the Bell Branches that escalated into preventing a rebellion. Alicia once again was back in the Otherworldly Court. After enjoying tea time with Rose and Jill, she was called in by the Fire Guardian, Aqua. "Today," Aqua said. "You will explore Manegia. We got a request from the Southern Kingdom to have some Court Wizards visit and so you will join them, to get experience. You do remember what I taught you last week, correct?" "Yes," Alicia nodded. "I do." Apparently, the Otherworldly Court wasn''t alone in this world. From what Alicia was told, during the time of the first generation of Court Wizards, the Otherworldly Court had basically propped up four countries aptly called: the Northern Empire, the Southern Kingdom, the Eastern Dynasty, and the Western Republic. Together, they were called the ''Four Nations''. There were smaller nations like principalities and such, but they were only on the side of the Kingdom, where Alicia will go today, as vassal states. The Empire and Dynasty usually made sure upstart nations weren''t long-lived while the Republic never had that problem. Otherwise, you get small nomadic tribes and such splintering from the Four Nations as they couldn''t fit into any of the societies. Usually, the Four Nations don''t mess with the Otherworldly Court''s operations. As evidenced by the Southern Kingdom''s call for assistance, they do need the Otherworldly Court for problems they couldn''t handle. Furthermore, people from the Nations actually worked here, the operators of the Transporter Room were from the Four Nations - refugees living just outside the Otherworldly Court couldn''t comprehend its operation, so they usually compete with the ''Manegians'' in the food court. "Good, you can head to the Transporter Room now," Aqua continued. "You will get your mission from them." And since the Transporter Room was able to transfer people between worlds, it should be obvious that it''d be able to transfer to places within a world. "Also," the Fire Guardian added, "take your cloak, people here would not recognize the robe."
PIING "Hello, my name is Fujiwara Haruto. Haruto is my given name and Fujiwara is my family name." Just before they transfer to the Southern Kingdom, Alicia was introduced to another Court Wizard. He was 171 cm in height with short black hair and eyes. His attire was covered by the ceremonial cloak of the Otherworldly Court which was primarily white in color. Given his name and how he introduced himself, he seemed to be Japanese. And as always, Owen tagged along, making it a group of three Court Wizards. KLING KLANG KLING KLANG The sound of some kind of metal struck four times with a pause after the second was heard upon entering a town in the Southern Kingdom. They were on a stone pedestal in a circular shape of a similar diameter to that of the wooden circle of the Transporter Room. Four stone pillars were erected around the perimeter of the circle at equal distances from each other. It was a designated spot where it was agreed upon between the Four Nations and the Otherworldly Court that the Court Wizards can transfer to. Looking around, a medieval-like town was observed. Medieval-like because of the architecture as there were vintage automobiles roaming about. Quite a strange combination and Alicia could feel fire maneg coming from those vehicles. The townsfolk nearby turned around to look at the Court Wizards'' arrival and talked amongst themselves. "Look, mommy! It''s the Court Wizards!" "Now what kind of commotion required their presence?" "Is that Haruto?" "Who is that red-headed girl? A new recruit?" "She is quite pretty." "Mommy, why is that lady''s hair so red like an apple?" "Hush dear, that''s rude so don''t say that in front of her." "But mommy..." Suddenly, the lady with red hair akin to an apple was in front of the little kid. Alicia bends down to the child who had become nervous upon seeing her, smiling. "My father had red hair and my grandfather too," she explained. "But their red hair is much darker, mine is brighter because my mother has bright blonde hair like yours." "Really?" the child asked. "Yes," Alicia smiled. "Do you want to touch it?" "Can I?" "Yes, you can." After hesitating for a bit, the child gently caressed Alicia''s red hair. "Waah, so pretty!" "Thank you, I am glad to hear it." Alicia, your hair will get dirty! It is fine, Voice. That is what a shower is for. Stolen novel; please report. "Can I ask your name?" Alicia asked. "It''s Alisha!" the little girl exclaimed. "I see, my name is Alicia." "Wah, they sound the same!" "Yes, I suppose our names do sound similar." "Alicia! We gotta go!" Owen called. "Oh, I need to go, farewell. I am sure we will meet again." "Hm, okay!" "I am sorry for taking your time." The child''s mother apologized to her. "No, it is fine. I do enjoy their company." As Alicia went back, she looked back to see the little girl named Alisha waving her hand and saying, "Bye-bye!" Alicia waved back at her and carried on.
Hunting Guild It was the inscription of the plaque, decorated with a sword and rifle. Haruto opened the wild west saloon-type door and let the other two Court Wizards in. Inside, there were a bunch of people with weapons and armor. It was like those ''adventurer guilds'' in modern Asian fantasy novels. People pick up quests and go slay monsters or other adventurer stuff. Although in this case, they are called hunters. However, when they looked at the Court Wizards who had entered, the hunters seemed tense, as if they were wary of them. Then one guy raised his beer. "Yo, Haruto!" he yelled with a huge grin. "Hello," Haruto greeted back, waving his hand. This seemed to break the weird tension. So the hunters went back to their business, which was loitering around. One woman in a uniform, looking at all of this, simply sighed. She bowed to the Court Wizards. "You must be the Court Wizards," she said. "I will escort you to the guildmaster''s office immediately."
"Ah, Haruto you came! Sit, sit! The same goes for you two." He''s way shorter than Short Cream! Voice... Though the pixie was right. The man who invited the Court Wizards to sit down on the sofa was an unbelievably short elderly sporting a goatee. He was just under Alicia''s hips. "Let me introduce myself to you sir and madam," he said. "I am the guildmaster of this Hunting Guild in Southwood, the name''s Rudolf." Alicia and Owen then took turns introducing themselves. "Oh?" the guildmaster raised his eyebrow. "Ronald''s daughter and Joshua''s son, eh? I remember those lads and..." Then for some reason, he stopped speaking, a sweat flowing to his chin. "Um..." "Ahem, excuse me." The guildmaster quickly recomposed himself. "All I gotta say they made quite the pair. How are they?" "My father is doing fine, but..." Alicia replied, but she felt uncomfortable explaining the rest. "I''ll tell him," Owen said.
"I see, sorry for the predicament," the guildmaster said. "I''m sure you''ll find your father." "Right," Owen replied. On a brighter note, the guildmaster looked at both of the Fire and Ice Court Wizards and chuckled, giving question marks to the two. "You both took after your fathers," Rudolf explained. "Reminds me of when they came here twenty-five years ago." He cleared his throat, "well now, let''s get down to business." The guildmaster hopped off his seat, tottered towards a desk, and picked up a piece of paper. He went back and place it on the table between the two sofas. "This here is a quest for an A rank wolf-type ''Maneg Beast'' commissioned a week ago," he explained. "I''ve sent one of the best hunter teams in my guild to exterminate it, but the beast had turned into an S rank and they had to retreat." "Whose team did you send?" Haruto asked. "It''s Emile''s team. Fortunately, they have survived, though most of them sustained serious injuries and are out of commission for at least a month." "I see, that''s a relief." "I''ll call Emile here. He was only lightly injured and has recovered." Meanwhile, Owen whispered to Alicia, "You remember what I told you about ''Maneg Amalgamations,'' right?" "Yes," Alicia whispered back. "Otherwise known as Maneg Beasts, it is more like a phenomenon where two or more maneg of different Elements of high concentration, called a ''Maneg Pillar'' for its shape that we sensed it as, collide with each other, which is where the formal term ''Amalgamation'' comes from." "Yeah," Owen nodded. "And unofficially, we usually called it a ''Maneg Geyser'' ''cause it usually forms by bursting from the ground like a geyser. Anyway, Maneg Geysers after it''s formed can move around far from where they came from which was how they could even mash together, creating a sort-of-a Maneg Soul that mostly takes the shape similar to animals except it''s a nightmare fuel. And because they''re pseudo-Maneg Souls of different Elements, they''re unstable and attack anything that moves." "And this phenomenon only happens in Manegia." "It''s only because maneg in this world is higher than other worlds, being the origin of maneg, so Maneg Pillars only exist here. Furthermore, a fully formed Maneg Beast can still take another Maneg Geyser and become more of a problem. And remember that we Court Wizards can create Maneg Beasts if we get our formation Orders to crash into each other; hence we usually take turns giving Orders, keep our Orders far from each other, or just use creation Orders. "Also, remember what I told you in order to not feed a Maneg Beast another Element since, at the end of the day, the best way to fight a Maneg Beast is with maneg, ironically." "Right, use Orders starting with the creation command, fight Maneg Beasts with my Element, or not strike them with equal amounts of maneg."
The Hunting Guild was Manegia''s international establishment primarily to combat Maneg Beasts. There, they classify Maneg Beast based on the number of Elements mixed which also correspond to their threat level: D rank, two Elements. D+ rank, three Elements. C rank, four Elements. C+ rank, five Elements. B rank, six Elements. B+ rank, seven Elements. A rank, eight Elements. A+ rank, nine Elements. S rank, ten Elements. S+ rank, eleven Elements. Consequently, hunter teams are graded with the same ranking, just without the ''+,'' to directly correspond their strength with the Maneg Beasts. However, rank A was the absolute limit a hunter team could achieve. The leap of the strength of Maneg Beasts going from A rank to S rank was of a league of its own compared to the lower ranks, though S+ rank still maintains the same curve. So, whenever an S and S+ rank appeared, the Court Wizards were always called in. CREEK The door was open and came in a blonde-haired man with a light-metal chainmail and greaves. By his hip was a sword. He also had a bandage around his head, covering his left eye. "Hey, Emile," Haruto greeted. "You alright?" "Yeah," Emile replied. "I''m good, Haruto." "You lost an eye." "There are a couple of guys with eyepatches." "Yours is a bandage." "Whatever," Emile shrugged. "I should introduce myself to your two friends. I am Emile Woodford and I lead the hunting party Little Red Riding Hood..." Wow! Their team name''s Little Red Riding Hood and they got done in by Big Bad Wolf! Voice, you should not add salt to the wound. But it really fits, you know! Also, I am pretty sure the Big Bad Wolf was in the Three Little Pigs. "...An A rank team and one of the best in this town," Emile continued. "Though we just failed an A rank quest." Alicia and Owen exchanged their names. "Good," the guildmaster spoke. "Now can you sit here and tell us what happened."
"As you know," Emile began. "A week ago, a village spotted an A rank wolf-type Maneg Beast. However, they were only able to report it two days ago. "Since my team, the Little Red Riding Hood was the only A rank team on this guild, guildmaster Rudolf forwarded the quest to us." "That''s true," the guildmaster confirmed. "After that, we head straight to the site and got to work. And well, it was going pretty well until it suddenly gained another Element, everything went downhill after that. So we opted to lure the beast far away from the village." "Right," Haruto muttered. "Guildmaster said you guys survived, but I assume you didn''t go off unscathed." "Yeah, Harry''s arms'' are basically dead; Jess got burned, particularly her hair; and Rufus''s staff got destroyed, splinters stuck on his arms. And I lost my eye." Hearing this, Alicia winced at the Little Red Riding Hood''s wounds they sustained. "Well, those injuries ain''t gonna stop you guys, anyway." However, Haruto seemed to downplay it. "Yep," Emile agreed. "Moving on, we told the villagers that we will call the Court Wizards and hurried back to the guild, and here we are right now." "I see," Haruto said. "You guys did well to keep yourselves alive. We''ll handle the Maneg Amalgamation." "Right. Take me with you, I want to get back at that wolf." "You sure? You just lost an eye." "I''m sure." "Fine... you were always this stubborn..." "Excellent," the guildmaster spoke. "I would like the Beast to be exterminated as soon as possible. We will make preparations immediately." """Right.""" Alicia Chapter 14.2: Adventures in Manegia - Complication and Conflict VROOM Three hours after lunch hour, a red old-school automobile was drifting through the plains. Ahead, a village was seen. Villagers gathered over the visitors, though it seems they were half-expecting them and not. SCREECH The brakes were hit and out came a blond man with an eyepatch and a sword. Then, three cloaked figures in the shades of red, blue (on the lighter end of the spectrum), and white got down as well. "Emile! You returned!" An old man exclaimed among the crowd of villagers. This seemed to be the chief of the village. "I did promise to bring Court Wizards here, so here I am with Court Wizards this time," Emile replied as a little girl in villager clothing with black hair stood out from the crowd. Emile looked at a little girl with black hair. He seemed guilty looking at her. The child seemingly looks at him with sorrow. Before Alicia thought of talking to the child, Haruto beat her to the little girl first. "Hello," Haruto greeted the child. "My name is Haruto, what''s yours?" The little girl pauses for a moment at the sudden black-hair man in front of her and answered, "Rina." "I see, Rina, what about your parents?" "...Mama got sick and papa said she went to heaven. Papa died saving me from that wolf" "Oh, I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked you that." Her father must have distracted the Maneg Beast to get it away from her and was killed. "It''s alright. They loved me very much, I know they don''t want to leave me and that makes me happy." Haruto chuckled, making Rina giving out a "Hm?". "You remind me of my little sister. She''s about the same age as you." He took a closer look at her. "My word, you look like my sister." "Really?" "Yep, even the names are similar. Her name is Rin, by the way." "Wah...!" Alicia gazed over Emile still looking downcast and asked him why. "I promised the kid to kill the Maneg Beast, and me and my team failed. I don''t really know what to do with her." "Well," Alicia said. "You should at least talk to her." "I guess I should, thanks." "Your welcome." Emile then approached Rina as she was asked where she lived now to which she responded, "In my friend''s house." Haruto backed off seeing his hunter friend trying to strike a conversation with Rina. Emile awkwardly tried to say something but... "Are your friends okay?" The black-haired girl asked. Emile paused for a moment and said, "Yes, yes they are." "Are you still hurt?" "No, I am fine. This time, we will surely defeat that beast." "...Please don''t die." "I won''t." She''s a sweet little kid! I figured she would be angry at Emile for failing to kill the Maneg Beast that killed her father and showed up again. She is really mature for her age. H????O???????W???????L???????? A bright white light shined over the horizon along with an incomprehensible howl. Haruto got worked up. "That wolf got the Light Element! It''s an S+ rank now!" "W-What!?" The village chief exclaimed. His face was white like a sheet of paper. The villagers begin to panic. Rina is particularly scared. "We''ll be going, Rina. Come on, we gotta kill that thing now!" Haruto yelled as a TZANG from the [Eject] Order was let out, propelling him forward, onto the direction of that light. ""Right!"" TZANG TZANG Alicia and Owen too, propelled at high speed, following the Light Court Wizard. "We''ll be back, Rina. Wait for us!" Leaving a certain eyepatch hunter behind. He scrambled to catch up to them. "Please don''t die," Rina muttered. Suddenly, one of the Court Wizards, the one with the white cloak was bending his knees in front of Rina. Haruto headpatted the surprised child. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "Don''t worry, kid." Haruto smiled. "We will not die easily. I promise that." "Do you promise?" "Yep," He ruffled her hair a bit. "Gotta go now!" TZANG Haruto, how did you know the Maneg Beast obtained the Light Element? I felt a Light Element Maneg Geyser getting stepped on. It must''ve been the wolf since it howled. (Haruto)
H????O???????W???????L???????? It was six meters tall and twelve meters long. It has very large claws and teeth. Its fur pattern was chaotic. Think of all eleven colors of the maneg Elements as individual paint in a bucket and dump it all on the wolf at the same time at a different angle. Alicia would think it''s a giant-rainbow-colored wolf, but it is a chaotic mix of maneg, the term wolf-type was simply the general shape of the beast. For one, it had tendrils coming out on every part of its massive frame. It also had feather-like parts behind its four limbs, which happened to grow just now. Does that mean it could sprout wings and fly? It did split its mouth into four pieces when it howled. Scary...! Haruto, how do we defeat it? Just keep shooting it with Orders ''till it runs out of maneg from excessive regening. (Haruto) Technically, you don''t just throw Orders at it. You need to use Orders with the same Element as the Maneg Beast. Otherwise, you will run the risk of adding another Element to it. However, an S+ rank already had all Elements anyway, so it doesn''t matter. Its eyes and tail shone different colors every time it hurled an Order of a different maneg Element. It had devastated the surrounding area to near wastelands. Multiple scorches and holes, and devastated forestry made the land uninhabitable. Alicia could feel fire maneg in the area in a chaotic state, particularly at the S+ rank Maneg Beast. The presence of the fire maneg appearing and disappearing. The Maneg Beast noticed the Court Wizard flying(?) over the devastated forestry and split opened its jaws in four. H????O???????W???????L???????? A beam of fire and light maneg tore the air. Owen quickly ordered a wide and thick [Barrier] to block the attack. BOOM The beam made contact with the sheet of ice. The [Barrier] was able to hold long enough for the beam to finish and disappeared afterwards. 99.7% integrity left. I''ll throw a lightning Catalyst. It will stun it, attack when it does. (Haruto) Catalysts refer to tools that are designed to ''catalyze'' Orders. The auto-mobiles are Catalysts using fire maneg in place of fuel. Most weapons hunters use were Catalysts. Catalysts stores maneg inside a ''battery'' attached to the object which passively collects maneg of its specific Element if it''s not full. For weapon Catalysts, the ''battery'' is attached outside the weapon it which could make the weapon unbalanced if it''s too big. Alicia too carries a Catalyst. After what transpired at the last mission, Alicia was given a fire Catalyst made by Amelia Rickens, that scientist Court Wizard that had ''tested'' her Maneg Soul with a hundred percent loyal maneg which ended with the Court Wizard beaten to a pulp by the test subject''s father. It was in the shape of a red vial hung on a necklace for Alicia to wear. The vial, which is the battery, stores specifically disloyal fire maneg (some Catalysts can alter its battery to store which Element on the go) which automatically shields Alicia of any indirect magic like what that mage did two weeks ago. However, the vial stores a limited amount and will run out if activated a few times in succession without rest. This Catalyst was made specifically for Alicia and there were no other similar objects such as this. Because Court Wizards use their soul as a Catalyst to give Orders, very few Catalysts are of use to them, not to mention that they are quite a baggage to carry. Court Wizards would use an easy-to-carry disposable one-shot Catalyst of a different Element like what Haruto is using right now. BZZZZT H????O???????W???????L???????? Haruto threw a cube that split four pieces which formed a huge net out of lightning maneg. The lightning Catalyst caught the head of the amalgamation of eleven maneg Elements and shocked it. The giant wolf was staggered. 99.6% integrity left. H????O???????W???????L???????? SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE Without letting up, Haruto ordered [Launch] vertically and then unleashed multiple beams of light of high intensity that it burned the Maneg Beast''s face. 96.6% integrity left. STAB STAB STAB STAB The wolf shook off the Catalyst, however, Owen shot four large icicles onto the wolf''s feet while it was distracted. Rooting it to the ground. 94.6% integrity left. STABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTAB He then unleashed more icicles down on its hide(?), it would become a porcupine if not of its large stature. 86.6% integrity left. Let''s do this, Alicia! Alicia pulled out a red baton with a red-glowing weight attached around one-third of the length of the baton which was half the length of her arm. It had a very intricate carving that looks like a simple decoration. She pointed the baton towards the wolf and a part of the carving glowed red. KABOOM A red dot was projected on its forehead and an explosion was set off which covered its entire head. The red glow on the weight faded away. Because it would be dangerous for Alicia to use loyal maneg Orders on Maneg Beasts, she was given another Catalyst which was a custom-made baton that she could use to bash skulls or activate Orders carved on the baton. The battery is also more potent in maneg gathering. 81.6% integrity left. H????O???????W???????L???????? Its head was destroyed by the explosion, but it reformed it instantly. But it was clear that it was severely damaged, the Maneg Beast was getting smaller by a bit. Its tendrils tensed up and out came missiles of maneg. They soar through the sky where the Court Wizards are jumping sporadically in the air with maneg. Left! Right! [Barrier]! Down! Alicia barely avoided the attack with Voice screaming inside her head. 80.6% integrity left. H????O???????W???????L???????? Owen''s icicles had faded. The wolf became free and surprise, surprise, it sprouted wings and flew. For a few centimeters in the air until Haruto busts out a katana and launched himself to the back of the wolf and sliced its newly formed wings. Owen then ordered a bigger icicle which pinned it by the side when it fell to the ground. 73.6% integrity left. H????O???????W???????L???????? Another round of maneg missiles was launched. This time, twice the amount. 72.6% integrity left. KABOOM Amid the onslaught, Alicia launched another explosion after her Catalyst had been filled. Voice screamed to simply get away from the Maneg Beast. Alicia agreed and put a distance from it. 67.6% integrity left. As Alicia backed away, she spotted Emile. She had almost forgotten about him. She saw him pulling out his sword and was about to charge at the Maneg Beast. But then the wolf launched even more missiles so much that it is akin to a bullet-hell shooter. Emile backed away and simply pointed his sword which shoots out a ball of fire maneg in which the wolf did not even register the impact. 62.59% integrity left. At this point, it has been Owen and Haruto dodging missiles while shooting icicles and high-intensity beams. Alicia is worried if they will run out of maneg, the boys seemed to give Orders left and right. She also set off explosions whenever she gets the chance. Emile also hurled [Fireball] from his Catalyst when it''s charged up. 60.59% integrity left. STAB STAB SIZZLE SIZZLE H????O???????W???????L???????? BOOM 56.38% integrity left. STABSTABSTABSTAB SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE 50.88% integrity left. KABOOM BOOM 45.07% integrity left. Halfway through, it should try a more intense attack. (Haruto) Alicia could also tell that as the wolf was now half its size. With the repeated attack and the Maneg Beast sacrificing its maneg to protect itself, it was getting weaker. It will only deplete itself with the increased intensity of its counter-attack. H????O???????W???????L???????? Get ready. (Haruto) Alicia Chapter 14.3: Adventures in Manegia - Conflict H????O???????W???????L???????? Get ready. (Haruto) Blobs of maneg of all Elements was excreted from the wolf''s body, it numbered thirty. It fell to the ground like a water balloon. 41.92% integrity left. Then, the blobs of maneg rise up forming smaller wolves. Twenty of them sprout wings on their back and flew. So ten for each of us? It seems so, kill them quickly, they are simply distracting us while the bigger one tries to recover. (Haruto) I''ll keep pressuring the Maneg Amalgamation. (Owen) Please do. (Haruto) Hey, are there any mini-wolves for Emile!? I do not think it even recognizes his existence... Poor guy...! They''re coming. (Haruto) Ten wolves are rushing after her. Two wolves, of a mixture of ice and nature maneg, and of a mixture of water and death maneg shot a ball of maneg from their mouths. Alicia responded with a [Barrier] on the more maneg-dense side so as to not break, thus damaging her instead. BOOM BOOM Loyal maneg, return. Alicia, try that Order! Another carving of her Catalyst shined red. From the battery, fire maneg rose up, covering the longer side of the baton and upward until it was twice the length, converging at the tip. CRACKLE CRACKLE It had become a sword of a fiery blaze, with fire maneg stored within the Catalyst as the blade. We got thirty seconds, beat them up! I hope this works. I only had a week and a half worth of sword training... Alicia readied the crackling blade, with a ninety percent efficiency on the Catalyst, the Order would only last for half a minute. She will need to defeat all ten wolves within that time frame. Thirty. She launched herself towards them. Twenty-nine. A wolf of ice and nature maneg howled at her and jumped. Twenty-eight. The blade met the torso of the wolf. Twenty-seven. Alicia brought the wolf down. It was not dead, however. Twenty-six. A wolf of ice and death maneg lunged at her while she was occupied with the other wolf. Twenty-five. "I''ll take care of it!" Emile rushed in front of her and slashed the wolf. It disintegrated in a single swing. Nine wolves remain. Twenty-four. Alicia pulled her Catalyst out of the wolf''s torso. The wolf tried to scratch her but was out of reach. Emile slashed the air which formed a crescent that flew towards a wolf of nature and ice maneg. Twenty-three. Alicia swung her sword twice towards the wolf during the second. The crescent of fire sliced the wolf in two and disappeared afterwards. Eight wolves remain. Twenty-two. Alicia stabbed the neck of the Maneg Beast''s spawn, killing it. Emile blocked a bite from a wolf of light and lightning maneg but let another wolf of water and earth maneg towards the Fire Court Wizard. Seven wolves remain. Twenty-one. [Fireball] 30 cm diameter. Emile kicked the wolf off of his sword. Twenty. The wolf of water and earth maneg sidestepped the incoming [Fireball] and pushed forward. Emile slashed the wolf while it was down. Six wolves remain. Nineteen. The wolf of water and earth lunged at Alicia. Alicia prepared her Catalyst. Another wolf of life and air shot a ball of maneg towards Emile. Eighteen. Alicia batted the wolf to the side. The wolf tumbled to the side. Emile activated an Order on the carving of the blade which was a [Barrier]. Seventeen. Alicia rushed to the downed wolf with her sword ready. The ball of life and air maneg crashed against the [Barrier] Emile erected. Sixteen. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Alicia stabbed the torso of the wolf and pulled it out. The wolf was not dead. Emile came face to face with the wolf who jumped at him with its sharp claws. Fifteen. Alicia stabbed the wolf again, this time on the head. It was dead. Emile thrust his sword to the chest of the wolf. The wolf was dangling in the air. Five wolves remain. Fourteen. Alicia began to rush to the eye-patched hunter''s side. Emile threw the wolf to the ground. The wolf howled as it dies. Four wolves remain. Thirteen. Alicia and Emile dashed to the next wolves. Twelve. Alicia caught up to Emile as two wolves, of death and light, and of lightning and fire are approaching them. Eleven. They met the wolves. Ten. Alicia thrust the torso of the wolf of death and light as it jumped. Emile slashed the other by the stomach in half. Three wolves remain. Nine. Alicia threw the wolf down and pulled her Catalyst off of it. A wolf of fire and nature jumped behind the disintegrated wolf of lightning and fire. Eight. Watch out! Stabbed the wolf but it was still alive. The wolf howled as a ball of maneg materialized. Emile made an opposite swing towards the wolf trying to surprise him. It too suffered the same fate. Two wolves remain. Seven. Alicia barely dodged the wolf''s attack at the warning of Voice, it grazed her hair a bit. She felled to the ground. One final wolf of water, fire, and nature howled as it charged towards Emile. This must be the alpha. Six. The wolf opened its fangs in which chewed Alicia''s fiery Catalyst which burned it. Emile stood his ground against the wolf which would have been a B+ rank. Five. Alicia wrestled the wolf to the side, pinning it down. Another carving lit up and Emile''s Catalyst was bathed in fire. Four. Alicia pressed down her sword against the wolf. The wolf howled in pain, if it could feel it anyway. Emile swung upwards and a fire crescent flew towards the alpha wolf. Three. "Ah!" Alicia! Alicia continued to press down the wolf as it tried the scratch her in which it succeeded in doing so. It scratched her left cheek. She backed away as blood fell from her cheek, relieving the wolf. The fiery crescent had missed its target as the wolf ducked under it. However, Emile took the opportunity to jump at it. Two. Don''t let go! The wolf then dug its claws on Alicia''s hands holding down the sword against it. She lost her grip on the Catalyst and fell on her butt. Emile flipped his sword upside-down as he came crashing down on the alpha wolf. One. The wolf tossed the Catalyst to the side and lunged at Alicia. The alpha wolf''s head was met with a burning blade that melted its skull if it had one. One wolf remained. Zero. Watch out! The Order on the Catalyst expired, not that it would help its wielder in this situation anymore. The one last wolf opened its jaw to the defenseless neck of the girl clad in a red hood. Emile rushed to help her, but he could not make it in time. "Agh!" It dug its fang deeply to Alicia''s right arm which she lifted instinctively. There was not enough time to give an Order. It also pressed down her left arm with its claws. She felt a pain greater than what she had experienced before. That''s not all, the wolf injected death and light maneg, increasing the damage. "Ahh!" Although it was only a few seconds, it felt long for her. A very long and torturous pain. Claws and fangs tearing her flesh. Light maneg burning in high intensity like Haruto''s [Beam].Death maneg killing her cells but somehow spared the nerves. If her emotions weren''t suppressed, she would have felt fear, but... Am I going to die? A?m? ?I? ?g?o?i?n?g? ?t?o? ?d?i?e??? A????m???? ????I???? ????g???o????i????n???g??? ????t????o??? ?????d????i?????e????????? For the first time, her Maneg Soul could not hold back her fear. Actually, she did not just felt fear. There was something else that she felt, and it was familiar. She had felt it before, but where? Well, it doesn''t matter as she was going to- "GET AWAY FROM MY MASTER!" Voice? Although still in her head, she could hear it outside. Emile seemed to be staggered by that shout. Voice had just suddenly roared. It was a familiar voice, where had she heard it? Oh, that''s right, it was the same voice as the day when she awoke to her Maneg Soul. Back then, it was the pixie''s voice calling her in the brink of helplessness, when she watched her friend almost died saving her. It was also the same familiar feeling she just felt besides fear. But this voice was not the same as that time. It was aggressive, very aggressive. Not the cool angelic-like voice nor the cheery/obnoxious tone, just pure aggression. It was as if a switch had been flipped on the little pixie in the sense of her master''s life being threatened. BOOM WHIMPER Her arm had burst fire. The wolf that was biting her arm had taken the full brunt of it. The resulting fire had destroyed the wolf''s grip and was knocked away to the ground. Voice had taken control and directed her loyal maneg towards her arm. She had then ordered the loyal maneg to explode around her arm to drive out the assailant. "DIE!" KABOOM The fire loyal maneg from her arm shot out to the wolf, creating an explosion. The wolf disintegrated completely under the blazing fire. It was very bright. Zero wolves remain. Alicia felt 20 percent of her loyal maneg was being directed. Now that was an insane amount of loyal maneg used. By context: [Fireball] only took 0.1 percent. [Barrier] only took 1 percent. [Burning Fist] only took a minimum of 1 percent of activation and from it, expends 0.05 percent per hit, making 20 hits. Voice had at the very least, used 20 times more loyal maneg than Alicia usually uses. It was not 5 percent like what Voice was told to limit. "Whoa!" From the deceased wolf whose corpse no longer exist, the fire rose and sought its next threat that could endanger its master, the eye-patched man with a sword gasping in awe. "GET AWAY!" "Crap!" Fire loyal maneg tried to crash into Emile, but he manages to evade it. But it stopped in its tracks and moved backwards as if it were a homing projectile. "Voice, stop it!" Alicia screamed. Voice did not listen and Emile barely rolled out of the way, sheathing his sword and put a distance between him and Alicia. Voice, however still directed her loyal maneg after him. Her loyal maneg relentlessly chased after Emile, who was panting evading the mass of fire. Alicia tried to tell Voice to stop, but she wouldn''t listen. The pixie was getting annoyed with Emile''s dodging as more loyal maneg was released from Alicia and- "Maneg Soul of Alicia Bell, your master is no longer in danger, cease your defense!" And every loyal maneg stopped in its track, just as Emile was about to be hit. He sighed in relief. WHOOSH That came from Owen who had landed near Alicia. Slowly, her loyal maneg returned to its master. Also, Voice materialized herself. "Alicia, I-" "Not now Voice, give me your hand, Alicia." Owen interrupted. "Voice, don''t block it." "Okay..." Voice said. Slowly, her bloody arm that was bitten was covered with layer upon layer of ice gradually forming. It was cold, but it did not remove the pain which she was getting numb to. Owen also covered her left shoulder as well. His face is close to me, wait, why am I asking that!? "There, it should at least stop blood loss," Owen said. "Thank goodness your okay." "Voice, what just happen?" Alicia asked, looking at Owen. "Owen, you are hurt!" Upon a better look, Owen fared much worse than her. His attire was in shambles: one part was burned; another part was torn; the hood looked dissolved. She could see several parts of his skin, covered in ice. He must have been hit by the Maneg Beast. "I''m fine." "No, you are not!" "I said I''m fine." "Owen, I-" H????O???????W???????L???????? The Maneg Beast howled. It was now about a quarter of its original size. Owen and Haruto made a good job whittling it down, the latter which is still in the air. 27.32% integrity left. "We''ll talk about it later, once this is over and your arm healed. Voice, go back to Alicia." Owen looked at Haruto, probably giving [Telepathy]. Haruto launched himself high in the air and looked down on the Maneg Beast. Then, he pointed his arm in its direction. But nothing happened. H????O???????W???????L???????? But it showed otherwise. CRACKLE CRACKLE The sound of burns was heard, but there was no fire. The Maneg Beast was burning, but no flames are in sight of it. Whatever it was had caused the wolf to shrink further in size. 23.42% integrity left. 20% integrity left. 14.83% integrity left. 10.1% integrity left. And then as it shrunk to the tenth of its original stature, it suddenly dispersed completely. 0 integrity left. S+ rank wolf-type Maneg Beast defeated. "What just happened?" Alicia asked. "Er, you know what microwaves are right?" Owen said. "Yes, the heat from the microwaves and ovens, right?" "Yeah, and microwaves are electromagnetic waves in the electromagnetic spectrum or stuff like that, right?" "Um, what?" "Eh, I don''t really know." Alicia and Owen have not learned about electromagnetic waves yet. "Basically, Haruto ordered his light maneg to turn into microwaves and cooked that thing." "What? Is that possible?" "Yeah, apparently light maneg can do that." "I see, ow!" "Alicia, don''t move too much. Come on, let''s go back and heal. We''ll take care of everything else afterwards." "Right." PIING Haruto had landed and caught up to the two afterwards. Owen called for transport and the circle appeared beneath the Court Wizards. They disappeared fifteen seconds later. PIING
"I got left behind!" Emile exclaimed. Alicia Chapter 14.4: Adventures in Manegia - Conclusion All of your injuries should be healed, but try not to move too much for a while," Gabriel said. "Thank you," Alicia replied. Gabriel himself had used his own healing magic with its high potency to mend her arm. There was not a single scar visible on her arm. She was quite amazed by it. He had used life maneg to heal her shoulder and other injuries while keeping in mind her privacy. "There shouldn''t be any scars," the Life Guardian continued. "Do tell me if there is. It''s not good for a lovely lady such as you to be tainted with a scar." "I will." "Good," Gabriel smiled. "You may leave." She went outside to find her father talking (read: lecturing) with Owen and Haruto. Russel was standing on the sideline with a look of sympathy. She also saw her mother chatting with Aqua, Rose, and Jill. James and Richard seemed to be dragged here and were awkwardly standing there which only made the infirmary more cluttered. "Alicia, are you alright?" Rose was the first to notice. Reinforcing her leg with her loyal maneg, she stood up and grabbed Alicia''s hands. "Are you still hurt anywhere?" "I-I am fine," Alicia assured her, slightly taken aback by Rose''s suddenness, but appreciating it overall. "Oh, thank goodness..." The vampire sighed in relief. "Idiot," Jill said angrily. "Do not make us worry like that! Almost getting yourself killed!" "Forgive me, I promise not to do that again." "Well, it is not really your fault," Jill puffed her cheek. "It can not be helped." "Oh, thank the Great Spirits you are alright." Alicia''s mother praised, burying her daughter in her chest. Aqua reacted to her statement, being the Great Water Spirit. "M-Mother, you are choking me!" Alicia cried. Her mother let go and she gasped for air. Then, she was hugged by her father. "Thank you, Gabriel, for healing my daughter," Ronald thanked. "I am simply doing my job," the Life Guardian humbly stated. "Why are you here, mother? And you too, father," Alicia asked. "I have a feeling you got into trouble, so I came here. I brought Irene as well," her father explained. In other words, parental instinct. "I-I see..." CREEK A man in a military uniform and a village girl came in, it was Hanz and Crea. But the soldier''s outfit was in tatters and blood. They were supporting each other. Beside them was Alice, the Ice Guardian, who was slightly scuffled. "What happened?" Gabriel calmly asked. "Uh, we kinda made a bunch of Maneg Beasts on the Training Grounds," Hanz explained. "One of my [Icicles] redirected itself to hit his Order," Alice muttered. Her head down. "And Hanz blocked an attack from a wolf-type when it tried to strike me from behind by surprise." Alicia winced hearing ''wolf-type''. It looked like it will be something uncomfortable for her to hear for a while. The Life Guardian simply sighed. "Alright, no need to feel guilty, Alice. Come inside, Russel, assist me." "Yes, Master." Russel followed suit. "We should leave this room," Ronald announced. "It''s not exactly the best room to hold many people."
"So, what did you do, Voice?" Alicia asked the pixie in the middle of the table. They had moved to the balcony of the Fire Guardian''s Chamber. The vampire and its hunter, a knight, and another knight had other business after confirming Alicia''s wellbeing. Haruto meanwhile, was busy filing the report of the mission to Aqua. "You were going to die, and you felt scared." Voice declared. "So I had to do something!" "It''s a ''defense mechanism'' in every Maneg Soul," Ronald explained. "When a Court Wizard under the suppression of emotions breached the suppression, normally in fear of death, the Maneg Soul partially takes over. There are two cases: the first, it will simply increase the efficiency and power of the Orders given without its master''s consent; the second case, the Maneg Soul will make its Orders and carry them out whilst ignoring its master''s command. Yours is the latter case, aa with... Voice''s behavior." "Then how did Owen stop her?" Alicia asked. "It stops when the Maneg Soul had deemed no threat remains or a Court Wizard who is..." Ronald took a peek at Owen. "Close to you told it to stop." Owen averted his gaze while sipping his tea. A tinge of red can be seen on his cheek. Alicia felt heat gathering on hers as well. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "I''m sorry, Alicia." Voice bowed her tiny head to her master. "It is okay, Voice." Her master picked her up. "You were trying to protect me, I thank you." "I- Waaah!" A little red pixie letting tears out (how she was able to, who knows), wetting her master''s shoulder as she gently hugged her. Owen and Ronald pulled out their smartphone (don''t ask how Owen''s smartphone survived) and started recording. Once Voice was done crying, they both quickly pocketed their recording for ''future use''. "I''m glad that this has resolved well," Ronald murmured. "Frankly, I wouldn''t let you come here anymore, but by my experience, even if I did, you will inevitably come back here anyway." "I feel quite the same way." "Well now, I believe you still have unfinished business, correct?" Ronald said. "It''s not good to leave it unfinished."
"You guys left me!" Emile shouted. "Sorry, sorry!" Haruto apologized. "On a side note, you alright, Alicia? That wolf-type did a nasty wound on you." "I am fine," Alicia replied, showing her completely healed arm. "That''s a relief." Emile sighed. "Anyway, Rina''s worried sick when I came back alone. Haruto, you better go apologize to her!" "Alright, alright."
"Hey, Rina." A white-cloaked Court Wizard stood across a black-haired village girl. Haruto simply smiled at her. "My friend Alicia got a bad injury while we fight that wolf so we transferred back to court." "Is she okay?" Rina asked. "Yeah, she is. Full recovery as if it never happened." Alicia waved her hand to Rina. "Are you okay?" Rina asked him. "Yes." Rina approached Haruto and then wrapped her small arms around him. "I''m glad." "I''m glad too." He hugged her in return. She was more concerned about us than the Maneg Beast. True true! I believed he said his sister was similar to Rina, do you know, Owen? Yeah, Haruto kept preaching of his precious ''imouto''. She made Master Darc smile which is basically like telling an ostrich to fly with its wings. (Owen) I see, I would like to meet her someday. I wanna meet her too! Let us hope so. The village chief thanked the slayers of the Maneg Beast. They then prepared to take off for Southwood. "Can I see you again?" Rina asked. "Sure, and maybe you can see my sister too," Haruto answered. "I''m sure you''ll be great friends with her." "Really?" "Yes, I''m sure of it." "Oi, Haruto, we''re going!" The eye-patched hunter called. The engine of his auto-mobile Catalyst raring to go. "Well, I gotta go. See you later, Rina." "Yes, see you later!" VROOOM The auto-mobile drifted off beside the sunset. Rina waved her hands, smiling, along with other villagers
Southwood. "Oh, you''re back!" the guildmaster of Southwood''s hunting guild, Rudolf, exclaimed. "I was worried something happened." "Stuff happened, but we''re fine," Haruto replied. "I see, come sit here, I would like to hear the report myself." "So that''s what happened," Rudolf said. "Well, it had all ended well. This quest is complete. I will distribute the bounty, you will get a cut as well, Emile." "Eh, why?" the eye-patched hunter asked. "My team failed." "You have assisted Alicia here in dealing the D rank Maneg Beasts which proved to be too much for her considering her... Accident." "Ah, I forgot to say about that," Alicia said. She bowed to Emile. "Thank you for assisting me, and forgive me for that incident." "N-No, that''s fine," Emile got all flustered seeing a young red-haired woman lowering her head to him. "P-Please, raise your head!" "Huh, I wonder what would Jess do if she finds this," Haruto snickered. "Hey, leave her out of this!" Emile yapped. CREEK Just then, the door opened and a girl peeked out of it. Her long-pink hair looked burnt and she had bandages all over her body. "Emi~le, what is it that I see?" She said, with a creepy tone. "Crap," was all Emile could say. Ohoho, this is getting interesting!
"What just happened?" Emile asked, taking a spoonful of grain and meat. "Dunno, man." A rather buff guy with tanned skin and casting on both arms replied to Emile. This was Harry, one of Emile''s companions. "I must say," A bespectacled boy under a red hood said. He took a spoonful of soup and fed it to Harry. "Her ability to get along with Jess is terrifying." "You got that right, Rufus," Emile said. They were seeing the red-haired girl talking with the pink-haired girl, giggling. The boys were sitting in the corner, having dinner as it was the start of the evening. "Well, it''s nice she could have someone to talk to," Owen said, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "You said like she never had this opportunity before," Haruto said, slurping his noodle. "She didn''t." "How so?" Emile asked. "She seemed the type to have lots of friends if she got Jess." "It''s something that held her back in our world. I''m also partially responsible for it." "Now I''m curious," Emile said. "Same here," Harry added. "I would like to hear it too." Rufus joined in as well. "Hey, you guys shouldn''t really dig into people''s past." Haruto scolded. "Hmm, sure, why not." Owen surprisingly said. "I''ll tell ya guys."
"Well now, it was nice knowing you," Haruto said. In the evening, they were back in the Otherworldly Court, in the Transporter Room. "It''s getting late, I''m pretty sure Rin had already eaten dinner without me," Haruto muttered. "John, get me to Rakarok-Earth, at my house, now!" "Sure sure, you doting brother," John, one of the operators of the Transporter Room, snarked. The staff that operates various stuff in the Otherworldly Court are non-Court Wizards that are from other worlds or in Manegia. Sometimes Court Wizard part-time in handling the transfer. "Well, bye now!" Haruto waved his hand. "Yeah, later." "Goodbye." Well, this was an eventful day. Mhm! Although the extermination of the Maneg Amalgamation had its problems, most of it was generally fine. Another day in her life as a Court Wizard. CRACK "Huh?" CRACK "Crap." The transfer process was interrupted by a cracking noise. CRACK "Hold on to something, now!" BOOM The operators are holding on tightly to whatever was within their reach. Alicia felt a tug from the back. She looked back. WHIRL WHIRL A vortex of blue swirled about, across the entrance. It was sucking everything in its vicinity. The operators were holding very tightly to their grip so as to not get sucked in. Owen backed himself against the wall beside the entrance. Haruto materialized his sword and stabbed it to the floor outside the circle. Alicia however, was right in front of the entrance with nothing to grab onto. "Aaah!" "Alicia!" her childhood friend shouted, going out of his cover as he tried to reach for her. THUD He was instead pushed right back to where he was. STAB Then a katana dug into his cloak, pinning him to the wall. "Haruto, what the hell are you doing!" Owen shouted at Haruto. He had stopped Owen from saving Alicia from getting sucked into the vortex because... "You don''t need to experience this, again," was Haruto''s simple answer. "What?" Haruto grabbed Alicia''s hand and swung her back to the entrance. Owen caught her and pulled her to his side. However, the momentum caused Haruto to be sucked in instead. "Tell Rin I''m sorry," Haruto smiled as the vortex pulled him in. BOOM An explosion was made as the vortex finally collapse. "You idiot..." Owen cried. Alicia Chapter 15: Because of a Promise "Onii-chan." "What is it, Rin?" "I saw a boy, younger than me. He was crying because his family died too." "I see." "I feel sad otou-san and okaa-san died, but I feel sadder seeing that boy crying because he lost his family." "Heheh, you are just like tou-san and ka-san, caring about others."
"Onii-chan." "What is it, Rin?" "What was that light and how did you make our family katana glow like that?" "Well, I suppose I was never clean about that. It''s kinda like this."
"Ooh..." "That''s about it. Any questions?" "Then are you a superhero?" "...Not really..." "Why?" "I couldn''t save tou-san and ka-san..." "That''s okay, you still saved me and everybody else." "But..." "Then, can you make me a promise?" "What promise?" "Otou-san and okaa-san always try to save a person so people that care about him won''t cry because he dies." "I see, you want me to save people so their loved ones won''t lose them and grieve, right?" "Yes, I want you to save people so people like that boy won''t cry because those he cared about died. Can you promise me?" "Yes, I promise." "Unh! Then give me a pinkie promise!" "Alright, alright." Two fingers of the outermost side of the hand interlocked and a promise was made that day.
A vortex that suddenly opened in front of the Transporter Room has left it in shambles, but operational. The operators immediately operated their monitors after the vortex collapsed. "All signs of the vortex-type Rupture is gone, we can''t track him anymore," one operator reported. "Damn!" John banged his desk before turning to the Court Wizards. "Sorry you two, but we lost him." "No!" Alicia exclaimed. "...Call Master Darc and Master Pierre," Owen ordered. "Right." The operator fiddled the machine in front of him to call the Dark Guardian and whichever Mother Soul this Pierre guard. Alicia assumes Pierre is the Light Guardian considering Haruto''s Element. "Owen, what just happened?" Alicia asked, now that she thought about what happened to the raven-haired boy.
After cleaning some of the mess left behind by that vortex. "It''s called a Dimensional Rupture," Owen began. "But first, you''re gonna need to know this first." He pointed at one of the monitors that showed an animation of a black screen with numerous specks of white moving about. "Currently, the popular theory is that this entire black space, called the ''Sea of Worlds,'' also called the ''Sea of Nothingness,'' is where worlds are. Think of worlds like breadcrumbs in water." "So worlds move around this Sea of Worlds?" Alicia deduced. "Exactly." Owen continued, "sister worlds are usually two crumbs that are in some circle that keeps them traveling together but still maintains distance. That also means that travel between them is possible through magic or technology of those worlds." "I have been wondering, can there be only two worlds as sisters?" "No, multiple worlds can be sisters too. In that case, it''s called a ''Circle of Sister Worlds''." "Then what happens if they clump together?" "Usually, it''ll create a stable pathway, like a portal or a gate, between them that could stay up permanently but could still be severed. Otherwise, a ''World Merge'' will occur where they fuse into one. Haruto''s world is one, Rakarok-Earth World Merge." "I see, I understand." "Right then, now we''ll talk about Dimensional Ruptures." Owen continued, "they occur when two worlds that are not sisters collide. When that happens, a Dimensional Rupture, or just Rupture for short, is created in various forms like that vortex-type Rupture. "Because it''s made between non-sister worlds, it''s unstable and would pull in anything from one world to the other and then collapse within minutes after it was formed. "And... that''s how dad got missing." "I see..." Alicia muttered. So that was how Joshua got missing... "It''s dangerous for us since our disloyal maneg will forcefully leave our Maneg Souls to maintain the amount in the world." "But I have only loyal maneg, wouldn''t I be fine?" "Ah..." Going to another world, not with the transfer of the Transporter Room was lethal to Court Wizard because it could not transport disloyal maneg with them. Court Wizards flung to another world without disloyal maneg are at their weakest as they could not even order [Telepathy]. Additionally, depending on their Element, it will be hard to gather enough maneg to call for rescue. Furthermore, the repercussion for losing all disloyal maneg at once was brutal. Most lose their consciousness and there are even some cases of amnesia. By that time, the Court Wizard could at worst get themselves killed or get tangled up in a mess that would last for a long time without ever stepping back to the Otherworldly Court. Everything above, however, theoretically does not apply to Alicia since she had no disloyal maneg. So by the time she landed into whatever world she was thrown into, she could immediately send a [Telepathy] to the Transporter Room to pick her up, meaning Haruto''s sacrifice was pointless. "Haruto knew about it, right?" Alicia asked. "Yeah," Owen nodded. "We talked about it extensively on the car, he''s smart enough to know that implication and he still did it." "Why would he do that?" "...I don''t know." PIING Just then, a man 192 cm in height, with a blonde hair and blue eyes appeared on the transfer circle. He wore a frilly white suit with a black shirt underneath and a white bowtie on his neck. On his back was a cape, white on the outside, red on the inside. He also had a top hat on his head. His look overall was pretty eccentric. He is the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Light, Pierre Rickens. Alicia had met him before during her run-in with Amelia Rickens, his little sister. Right at the same time, Darc had entered the Transporter Room. "Owen, is it true that a Rupture had manifested and taken Haruto to the unknown?" Pierre confronted. "Yes," Owen confirmed. "I''ll explain what happened."
"Well, Haruto will definitely do something like that," the white suit guy said. "And why did he do something like that?" Owen demanded. "It has something to do with his personal life," Darc answered. "I will need to inform his family about this." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Please, take me with you," Alicia requested. "It is my fault for what happened to Haruto, I want to at least apologize." "Fine," the Dark Guardian said. "At least inform your father first."
PIING Rakarok-Earth World Merge Year 2032 DING DONG CREEK A small girl in her sixth grade with a wavy black hair and black eyes opened the door upon hearing the doorbell. "Darc-san!" the little girl cheered. "Hey, Rin," the dark elf greeted. "Where''s onii-chan?" Rin asked as she could not see any trace of her brother. However, she did see three other people behind him. "About that, can you call Daisuke." Darc''s voice was low, as he has bad news for the little girl. "We got something to discuss."
"I see, for such a thing to happen." Besides Rin, an elderly man in his sixties with a grey hair holding a cane. He was a Light Court Wizard who had retired from service. He introduced himself as Daisuke Fujiwara. They were in the dining hall as the living room could not fit the crowd. Rin had brought tea for everyone. Both parties introduced themselves. Then, the two were told everything that happened. From the S+ rank wolf-type Maneg Beast hunt to the forming of the vortex-type Rupture and to how Haruto had saved Alicia which ended up with him being sucked into the vortex leading to who knows where. Darc handed over Haruto''s Cherished Armament which he left behind. Daisuke had taken in quite calmly, befitting his age. Rin, however... "Are you okay, Bell-san?" Rin calmly asked her. "...Huh?" Alicia was surprised. This is a little girl who had been told that her older brother had been cast into a vortex saving a girl who would''ve been fine if she was sucked in, thus an unnecessary sacrifice; and now the same girl was asked if she was alright! But then she remembered... "You remind me of my little sister. She''s about the same age as you." She is just like Rina. "Y-Yes, I am okay..." Alicia meekly said. "Thank goodness." Rin smiled. "W-Why? Because of me, your brother is-" "No, it''s also my fault." "What?" Three out of four guests widen their eyes at the raven-haired girl''s remark. The retired Light Court Wizard cleared his throat to get attention. "It''s complicated." Daisuke turned to Rin. "Rin, can I tell them?" "Yes, it''s okay," Rin nodded. "Right." He then turned to the guests. "Now, settle down. This will be a lengthy one, and please ask questions after I have done speaking."
"Haruto and Rin''s parents worked in a hospital that accepts patients regardless of race or nationality," Daisuke explained, "it was one of the beacons of unity in this day and age. "However, there was a terrorist group that didn''t like that idea and, well, they first revealed themselves by attacking that hospital. "At that time, Haruto was in a mission in another world when the attack happened, so his arrival was delayed despite rushing. Fortunately, Darcassan-kun and Ilezenya-chan were on the scene but the opposition was too many so they were stuck dealing with those outside. "By the time Haruto transferred here, he barged into the hospital but it was too late. Haruto was only able to save Rin, who was there too. While he had made the perpetrators pay, both of their parents had unfortunately lost their lives. "Now, Haruto wasn''t only guilty of failing to protect his parents. At the time, he had hidden his status as a Court Wizard and it was only revealed at the attack; he felt bad that despite his powers, he still couldn''t save his and Rin''s parents. "Naturally, Rin forgave him," Daisuke said while giving Rin a warm smile. "But her brother still couldn''t forgive himself. So instead, she had made him make a promise." "I promise to save people so that their loved ones would not grieve for their loss," Rin recited. "The exact words onii-chan said." "The context of that promise was also the reason for their parents'' career decisions," Daisuke continued. "They both had once lost their relatives to illness, and they both had seen their other relatives grieve more than them and that struck them. "Since then, they decided to become doctors, saving people from sickness so no one else has to grieve. Coincidentally, they also liked the idea of the hospital that treats everyone and decided to work there, that was how they met and married. "Rin here loved her parents'' ideals and made the promise her brother keeps based on that. So, he will save people with the Maneg Soul inside him so others would not cry, same principle." "I see..." Alicia muttered, she gazed solemnly at the little girl. She is very strong... Indeed! "Moving on," Daisuke continued. "After the incident, Haruto and Rin had no other relatives that could take care of them. So I, who was a mentor to Haruto, adopted them. So technically, I am their father now." Daisuke ruffled Rin''s hair. She giggled. "But Rin here still referred me ojii-san, Haruto insist on calling me ''old man''." In other words, people who cared about Alicia would be in grief if she were to be lost to the unknown, even though it would''ve been only for a short while. Haruto''s stubbornness to keep his promise to his sister is what drove him to save Alicia. "Well, Haruto can be quite stubborn," Daisuke continued. "And I''m sure he''ll be fine, even if it took years, he will return." "Yeah, onii-chan will come back!" Rin cheered. The two were not in the slightest, dejected by the news. They had every bit of hope that Haruto will come back home. "So that heroic siscon was like me..." Owen murmured. "Is that why he..." Rin caught his murmur, she seems to have an idea about the white-haired boy''s statement. She came up to him. "Did you lost someone too?" "Huh?" Owen raised his eyebrow. "Should I not say that?" "It''s fine..." Owen then told her about his mother, who had died from childbirth. Then, he talked about his grandmother, also passed away. Then... "What about your otou-san?" Rin asked. "...He''s missing," Owen answered. "Like Haruto." "Are you trying to find him?" "Yes, yes I am." "Unh! I''m sure you can find him!" "...Thanks, kid." In a way, both were similar. They both had lost a loved one to death: one lost a mother and a grandmother, and one lost both parents. Both had lost someone cherished to the unknown: one lost a father, and one lost a brother. Both had lost someone to both entities. "Also," Owen continued. "Sorry." "Uhn?" "I kinda told that to Haruto. I''m pretty sure that''s why that guy did it. Idiot..." Owen confessed. Though he did not let that last statement enter the ear of the black-haired girl. "That''s okay, onii-chan will still save Bell-san even he doesn''t know about that because Bell-san is your friend!" "Oh, I am so sorry!" Alicia apologized to Rin, her hand clasped her mouth and tears welling up. "It''s okay, Bell-san." Rin patted the crying maiden. "Oni-chan did it because he wants to." "T-Thank you, I will find your brother. I will make sure he returns," Alicia declared. "I''ll help find your brother too, I promise." Owen also jumped in. "Arigatou, but you should find your tou-san first." Rin turned to Alicia. "Bell-san, you are helping him, right?" "Yes, I will help Owen to find his father and then we will find your brother," Alicia continued. "We will definitely find them." "Uhn! I''m sure you can!" Initially, this started as a bearing of bad news. A little girl was supposed to be comforted upon hearing her brother''s sudden disappearance, but she was the one who ended up comforting instead. It was a very eventful day, one that ended on a good note. KETINK KETINK KETINK "Oh?" Pierre raised his eyebrow. "What do we have here?" A clear sound followed by a white light shining from the frills of Pierre''s white suit. The light was so subtle, it was the sound that got the attention of everyone, otherwise, no one would notice. "Is that what I think it is?" "Great, another one." "This will be the second this year." "Oh my, I wonder who will it be?" "Woah!" The light separated from his chest, forming a white ball of light. The stray Maneg Soul had runes of unknown language carved all over it that Alicia''s Maneg Soul did not have in its memory. Weird, considering her Maneg Soul should have those same runes when it merged with her. The stray Maneg Soul moved about, left and right, leaving trails that fade quickly. "I''ll contact the operators to track it," Pierre said, putting his fingers behind his ears. "Lest we have a dramatic first episode, ohoho!" His efforts proved futile, however, as the stray Maneg Soul moved upwards to the sky, well not to the sky per se. It made an arc, almost scraping itself against the wall, and landed into Rin''s undeveloped chest. "Eeh!?" Rin was taken aback as the ball of light squirmed its way into her. Her adoptive father (though it should''ve been grandfather) caught her as she tripped. "I see my efforts were meaningless!" Pierre chuckled. The Light Guardian was still on his [Telepathy], probably to tell the operators to cancel the search. "I must say, it''s as if a perfectly crafted story has unfolded for this to happen!" "What''s happening, magician-san?" Rin was making a confused expression as she demanded an answer from the man with the magician''s getup. The kind of magician that pulled rabbits out of a tophat. Coincidentally, magician-san put his right hand over his face and his left below his right elbow. "Call me Maestro Pierre, my dear." Magician-san switched the position of his hands. But ''maestro'' is for musicians, right? Don''t bother, he says what he likes. (Owen) "But isn''t ''maestro'' for musicians?" Rin pointed out. "Guh! You have no need to sweat the intricate details!" Pierre''s ego was struck. He bent his upper body to be back while dabbing. Hihihi, he''s funny! Oh, I was wondering where you have been. Eh, I''m always here! Sorry, I meant that you were awfully quiet. I expected you to come out anytime soon. Well, I''m waiting for the perfect time to introduce myself! I see, good luck with that. "Forget about that." The not-maestro switched back to his original pose. "What that elegant light was, is a Maneg Soul of Light. Yes, the light that opens the eye to the beautiful world we see." "Basically, it''s the same thing that your brother has," Darc explained to the girl. "A Maneg Soul." "Gah! Sir Darcassan, don''t interrupt my enumeration!" Another pose was switched into. This time, both arms pointed towards the dark elf with both hands crooked inward. However, Darc carried on explaining everything that the soon-to-be-Court-Wizard needed to know about Court Wizards, especially the burden of it. Noises from the Light Guardian were simply ignored. "Also, this guy will be your direct leader..." Silent for a second, Darc continued, "good luck with him. Any questions?" "Hey, what perchance is that supposed to mean!?" Pierre demanded. "Then can I find onii-chan?" Rin asked hopefully. "Sure," Darc replied. "Rather, you should." "Hey, listentomeplease..." Pierre sobbed. "We will help you look for him too," Alicia offered. "Uhn!" Rin smiled. "So, who''s her mentor?" Owen asked. His question got the attention of everyone. Rin was tilting her head, not understanding his remark. "That will be you, Owen," Darc said bluntly. "What!" Owen screeched. "New Court Wizards are to be accompanied by the first Court Wizard who contacted them first and the Guardian for at least a year," Darc explained. "We''re both Guardians, Alicia has not been a Court Wizard for a year, and Daisuke is too old to go into service again. So that makes you the only candidate." Meanwhile, Alicia explained the whole menagerie to Rin. "So Ruze-san is my senpai?" Rin concluded. "Yes, I suppose he will be your senpai," Alicia nodded while giggling. "Wha? I what? I''m already mentoring Alicia!" Owen exclaimed. "Don''t lump me with another one!" Hearing this, Rin approach Owen with a sad face. "Am I not good enough?" "I uh, fine, I''ll do it." Unable to withstand Rin''s puppy eyes, Owen gave in. "Please take care of me, Ruze-senpai!" Rin bowed her head to Owen, flustering him more. "Hoho," the old Light Court Wizard chuckled. "I will also let her practice here to lift some of your burdens. Please take care of my daughter well." "I''ll do what I have to do," Owen sighed. "Wonderful," Alicia smiled. "Rin-chan, we will be working together from now on. It will be my pleasure." "Uhn!" Rin smiled. "A pleasure to work with you, Alicia-nee-chan!" She''s so cute! Alicia blushed internally. "heypleasedontignoreme..." Ignoring the Light Guardian''s wallow in despair, it has certainly been an eventful day. Now, it can finally end. "Allow me to introduce myself!" Or not. Alicia Chapter 16.1: New Steps - Initiation A week after a Light Court Wizard had been sucked into a vortex-rupture. PIING Manegia Year 1421 An eleven-year-old girl, 141 cm in height appeared on the transfer circle. She had black hair that reached below her chest tied to a ponytail and matching obsidian eyes. She wore a white blouse with a blue jacket over it, blue shorts, white fingerless gloves, and a pair of white shoes. She also had a cylindrical bag strapped to her back, as half as tall as she was. "Rin, good to see you! Welcome to the Otherworldly Court." A red-haired girl greeted her. "Uhn! Good to see you, big sis Alicia! Hello, Ruze-senpai," Rin greeted back Alicia and also said hi to Owen. "Yeah, morning," Owen said. "So this is the Otherworldly Court big brother talks about," Rin muttered. One of the Transporter Room operators, John, turned his swivel chair around. Other operators did the same. "This lady is?" the operator asked. "My name is Rin Fujiwara, please take care of me!" Rin bowed to them. "Oh, Haruto''s sister. We heard a lot about you." "Really?" Rin tilted her head. "Well, your brother has always spoken about you every day," The operator said. "And to be honest, it''s quite annoying." "Eheheh, sorry." "No, we should be sorry." The expression of the operators gloomed. "We couldn''t find where your brother had been sent to by that vortex-rupture." "It''s okay, you guys did your best, right?" Rin said with a smile. "Now I see what Haruto was spouting," one operator muttered softly.
Looking in awe of the main hall of the castle where the Otherworldly Court was based. "I assume Daisuke taught you about maneg?" Owen asked. "Yes, it was really weird, everything was very bright for a day." Rin waved her hands above her head, gesturing a star or some circular motion. It was adorable. "Grandfather taught me Orders." Daisuke had informed that the Maneg Soul had completely merged with Rin''s soul the day after it entered. Since it''s a light Maneg Soul, the pseudo-symptoms she experienced was increased sensitivity to light. Lightbulbs seemed brighter, she can see well in the dark, the sun shining down made everything white; no physical evidence was shown in her vision. It was mostly gone after the light Maneg Soul was fully merged, Daisuke then taught her some Orders. "I see, but I still need to see you give basic Orders with my own eyes," Owen said professionally. "We''re heading to the Training Grounds."
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM "Eek!" Rin yelped in surprise as multiple missiles in a circular formation flew across the horizon and then fell, hitting the ashes creating an explosion. "I was surprised too," Alicia sighed. "This is a common occurrence, you will need to get used to it." "O-Okay." Rin smiled wryly. "Keep your distance, we don''t wanna make Maneg Beasts here," Owen told her. "Daisuke told you about them, right?" "Yes," Rin nodded. "But I have a question." "Yes?" "If Court Wizards could make Maneg Beast with two Orders with different Element, why deploying Court Wizards with different Elements in the same mission? Haruto told me stories about how he and his teammate creating Maneg Beasts in their mission." "Yeah about that, deploying Court Wizards with the same Element wouldn''t be very flexible," Owen explained. "Risking Maneg Beasts is better than failing a mission, or worse, getting killed." Talking about it, Alicia was quite lucky that a Maneg Beast had not been created during her mission so far. She shuddered thinking about that wolf-type that gave almost killed her. She prayed she would never encounter such a scenario during her missions, ever. "But creating a Maneg Beast is a rare occurrence, as we usually take turns giving Orders or keep them away from each other. Even if it did, we usually keep our Orders small so that there''s less maneg around to form Maneg Beasts if the Orders do collide and just collapse immediately. It''s just that your brother..." Owen trailed off before suddenly glaring at Rin. "Actually, screw that, your brother does the exact opposite of all of that! Haruto is the only guy who kept making Maneg Beasts left and right that we got pretty good adjusting around him so that it doesn''t happen. We are supposed to hold back so we wouldn''t make them, but that idiot never listened. Don''t do the same as him, you got that!?" W-Wow... I have never seen Owen snap like that... You betcha! And with what Owen told in consideration, Alicia realized that Owen and Will had been unusually careful when giving Orders around Haruto, who had been giving larger Orders than the two, against the - she shuddered - Maneg Beast, something she didn''t do. It was only fortunate that the worst-case scenario didn''t happen. Wait! Can loyal maneg even cause a Maneg Beast to be formed, Voice? ''Course not! Loyal maneg is loyal maneg! Me is me! I see, that is a relief. "R-Right," Rin responded meekly at Owen''s warning. "But what about that person?" She pointed to where the explosions are being set off. "Which is precisely why we won''t ever get close to that guy, got it?" Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Yes."
"Alright, first Order, [Shine], make it last three seconds," Owen ordered. "Okay," Rin nodded. She concentrated her mind and then, a ball of light manifested in her right hand. She threw the ball into the air and then... SHIING Argh, too bright! It stopped in the empty space (save for the air) and it then emits a light so bright Alicia shielded her eyes with her hand. "Oi! Don''t make it too bright!" Owen yelled. "Sorry!" Three seconds later, the Order broke, Owen simply continued on. "Next, [Beam]. Make it small and just direct it to the ground." Rin focused her mind again. A small circle, 10 cm in diameter was formed 20 cm in front of her. It shone a beam of light directly to the barren land, burning it a bit. That reminded Alicia of Haruto''s Orders on that Maneg Beast, giving her goosebumps. "Next, [Mirror]." A white square, two meters in height and a meter wide formed in front of her. The white color faded to reveal an exact image of Rin who was standing in front of it. "Wow!" Alicia exhaled. "Finally, [Eject]," Owen simply continued on. "Across, not up to the air." "Hai." Responding in her mother language, a large burst of light maneg was released from her back. The force from the release of light maneg emulating physical form launched her like a catapult across the wasteland. She landed about ten meters from her initial position, almost faceplanting to the ashes. "Did I do good?" Rin asked after returning the other two Court Wizards. "It''s not bad, the basic Orders are simple enough to not mess up on the first try," Owen said. "You still need to stick that landing." "Uhn! Thank you!" "Yeah, sure sure." Owen shrugged. "So after this," Alicia raised her voice. "Rin will need to see Master Pierre, correct?" "What!?" Voice appeared, looking upset. "I don''t wanna go there!" "Why, Voice?" Rin asked, a figurative question mark appearing over her head. "Because there''s that Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head, unsure of the pixie''s rambling. "It is a long story," Alicia explained. "Master Pierre''s younger sister, Amelia, wanted to do tests with my hundred percent loyal Maneg Soul. She wanted to see if Voice and I were separated. Suffice to say, Voice became very hysterical." Rin already knew about Alicia''s Maneg Soul, by the way, courtesy to a certain pixie. "Yeah! That''s why she''s an Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" Voice yelled. "I also can''t believe you helped her, Alicia!" "Oh," Rin could only let out a single word to such an event. "Well, she sort of went too far because my father suddenly came and beat her up," Alicia said with her head down. "Eeh!" Rin gasped in surprise. "Yeah! That b*tch got what she deserved!" Voice smugged with her arms crossed as she casually swore. "Language, Voice," Alicia scolded. And the sound of explosions went on.
Going up the elevator, completely ignoring the beautiful spiraling staircase, they were in front of a wooden door painted white. It had a sign saying, ''Maestro Pierre, Guardian of the Mother Soul of Light, Greatest Magician''s Chamber.'' Quite the long name and narcissistic too. RATTLE RATTLE Well, the sign jerked off as the door opened on its own. Rin was staggered for a moment, Owen seemed unfazed by it. Well, it was surprising at first... It must be a normal thing for this particular chamber. "So you have come, young Rin!" PON A man in a white magician''s garb appeared in front of the open door after blasts of smoke ignited dispersed. "Hee~!" Rin jumped in surprise. Again, Alicia and Owen did not react too much as they had concentrated themselves to detect that particular light Maneg Soul on the ceiling. Alicia was told to focus her Maneg Soul to detect the Light Guardian''s Maneg Soul to anticipate whatever stunt he would pull every time you enter (detecting other Maneg Souls was an on and off thing). Pierre''s surprise was really meant for Rin. Turning on her Maneg Soul for detection, Alicia could feel another Maneg Soul inside the chamber "I welcome you to my chambers," The Light Guardian bowed with his left hand below his stomach and his right arm holding the hem of his cape and raised it high in the air. "Come in!" "Is the Evil Mad Scientist Lady here!?" Voice asked while hiding behind Alicia''s shoulder, scanning the chamber. "Ah, unfortunately, my beloved sister has required her presence in another realm." Pierre held his hat to hide his face. "So fortunately for you, little pixie, she''s not present." "Well, I did not felt her Maneg Soul," Alicia said to Voice. "Well thank goodness!" Voice jumped from her master''s shoulder and flew inside. "Also, refrain from addressing my beloved sister with that epithet," Pierre mooted. "She is not an Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" Turning his back with his cape fluttering behind his back, Rin was first to step into the room. Owen, looking unamused, entered next, and then Alicia.
Name: Rin Fujiwara Age: 11 Sex: Female Species: Human World: Rakarok-Earth World Merge Element: Light Element Color: White Cherished Armament: - Rank: New Wizard A white sheet of metal-containing Rin''s ID was engraved. Owen quickly demanded the Light Guardian to make the ID before he gets into performing sleights of hand which struck his ego. "Now then," Pierre continued. "I would be giving you your first mission, but perhaps-" FLING "My hat!" he exclaimed as Owen suddenly swiped his top hat and threw it out to the open balcony like a frisbee. The wind blew the hat away. Pierre frantically chased after it, launching himself with [Eject] to catch up to it, though it seems he won''t be back anytime soon. "Why did you do that, Ruze-senpai?" Rin asked, surprised by his action. "That guy will do magic tricks for on and on," Owen grumbled. "It''s better to have another guy giving you missions." Due to the current Light Guardian''s antics, the chamber needed to at least have one more light Court Wizard when Pierre was present. Then, you will distract him by doing something similar to what Owen did and then the other Light Court Wizard will take over his job. "Yes, I will give your assignment." A white knight who was lounging with a glass of juice put his drink down and stood up. "I am called Richard Sworsis." He gave a salute. "May I ask your name, young miss?" "Oh, my name is Rin Fujiwara," Rin gave her name. "Nice to meet you!" "Ah, Haruto''s brother," Richard noted. "Sorry for what befell him." "It''s okay." Rin gave him a smile. "I can see why your brother speaks fondly of you," the knight mused. "Well now, I will give your first assignment." He rummaged the desk, which was littered with magic trick tools. Well, the entire chamber was decorated with the current occupant''s interest. There were posters of magician-related stuff plastered all over the wall, a bookshelf full of magician books, several wooden stands holding different colors of the same garb Pierre was wearing, a bunch of playing card decks, etc. And that was only the first floor. Yes, you read it right. The castle of the Otherworldly Court was split into three stories, however, the first and second are twice the height of the third story, the unused observatory, so really, the former are two floors high, hence it should really be five stories high. It''s just that some rooms on the first two stories have utilized the high ceiling to have two floors and some do not. For example, the Transporter Room used its high ceiling to build a second floor to house more monitors, however, the hallway outside the room reached the ceiling. Also, the second floor of a room was only accessible in that room. So it''s much less confusing to say that the castle of the Otherworldly Court being three stories high. Besides, the elevator only has two buttons (you still have to take the spiral staircase to the observatory due to architecture failure). So, for the second story, it would be a waste to have each chamber a very high ceiling filled with nothing. So, a second floor was made. Mind you, the chambers for the Guardians are meant to be a family-size apartment for them to live in, even if they don''t live there. So, most of the chambers are decorated for other uses according to the Guardians and their relative''s tastes. Amelia Rickens, Pierre''s sister, had transformed the entirety of the second floor of the chamber into a laboratory, a high-tech even. There was your standard lab equipment; then there was that expensive equipment you''d see in sci-fi movies like full-body scanners, holographic monitors, a bunch of weird science stuff on locked cabinets, and even a stasis chamber! It''s empty though. Alicia remembered while having a casual tea time with the other female Fire Court Wizards, that girl suddenly grabbed her arm and dragged her from the fire chamber and all the way to the second floor of the light chamber. She then demanded to do some ''tests'' on Alicia''s Maneg Soul which ended up with Alicia''s father coming over and promptly beat the ''Evil Mad Scientist Lady'', as Voice called her, up. "Ah, this is a good one," Richard said as he opened a particular file on a computer, never mind how a medieval knight was able to operate one. "The record here says that this was the first assignment your brother took." "Okay, I''ll accept!" Rin did not even bother hearing the mission''s content. "Well, that was a quick response," Richard chuckled. "So the assignment is..." Alicia Chapter 16.1.S: Scientific Law and Fantasy Law, and Maneg It''s another day in the Otherworldly Court, the fire chamber was empty save for Alicia (plus Voice) and Aqua. Jill was in Irongrad doing her business related to this particular day of the week. Rose had other business with James. "Right," Aqua said. "I have called Rin, we will begin when she gets here." "Why do you want Rin here?" Alicia asked. "Oh, that is because what I am teaching you is not something I would trust Pierre with to Rin," the Fire Guardian replied bluntly. "I see..." Alicia smiled wryly.
CREAK "You called me, Master Aqua?" Rin asked, closing the door behind her. "Just call me Aqua. Anyway, sit down here." Aqua beckoned her to the couch. "Cookies?" "Thank you!" Rin sat down beside Alicia and took a piece of cookie from a plate in which a red pixie sat on it, munching the contents of the plate. "Alright." Aqua laid out a tablet on the low table. Alicia and Rin hovered over it closely. "This is the subject for today." The tablet showed the words ''Scientific and Fantasy Law by Amelia Rickens''. "Scientific and Fantasy Law," Rin uttered out. "By Amelia Rickens. Oh? Maestro Pierre''s little sister made this?" "Yes," Aqua nodded. "Also, no need to call him maestro." "And call Evil Mad Scientist Lady bi-" Before Voice could finish, Alicia forced a cookie on her mouth. "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head, confused with what just happened. "By Scientific Law, you mean like gravity, Hooke''s law, and such?" Alicia asked, unperturbed with what she did. "And Fantasy Law refers to the same thing, but for supernatural elements like magic and fantasy creatures?" "Precisely," Aqua nodded. "Each world is governed by these two Laws. They dictate the rules of how a phenomenon works in a world." "Uhn?" Rin raised her eyebrow. "Why is that fantasy?" True, things out of the imagination and are impossible to exist are what''s known as fantasy but Rin was from Rakarok-Earth World Merge, a fantasy world, so stuff like that would be ordinary to her. "Hmm..." Aqua mulled on Rin''s question, she too had similar inquiries when she was recruited as the Fire Guardian. "Ah, I know." TAP TAP FLICK TAP Aqua then fiddled the machine to show a picture of a cow, except it had a hard-stone-like plating over some parts of its body. "Let us take Beohar for example. This is a farm cow from Beohar. As you can see, it had natural stone scales and they are bigger too unlike Earth cows. By the way, they have been under pastures for centuries so tell me, do cows that live in farms protected from harm need this?" "...No," Rin replied. "Is there a reason not to have it?" "Uhn... it''s heavy for them to have around?" Aqua chuckled. "Close enough. It is as you say, things that are wholely unneeded and yet were not weeded out would make it fantasy. It is because of the influence of the Fantasy Law that it exists when it could not have. The ability to use magic or skills under Fantasy Law is also the same case." "Uhn...?" However, Rin was still confused. "Hmm... How about this." Aqua then changed the picture on the screen with a SWIPE to that of the planet Earth. "This is Earth Base. When the First Guardians were trying to figure out a standard for classifying worlds, they decided to use this world as a standard. This world is considered a scientific world in which would be compared to every other world, determining whether they would be a world of science or fantasy." "What makes a world scientific or fantasy then?" Rin asked. "I believe it has something to do with which Law is more dominant on the world," Alicia answered. "Right Aqua?" "Yes. And to answer that, let us continue to where we left off." Aqua closed the image and went back to where they were. "Now, Scientific Laws should be straightforward, so there is no need for me to explain such. Fantasy Law is a more important topic. Fantasy Law is the collection of rules of magic systems, fantastical traits of living beings, and any events that Scientific Law does not have." SWIPE Aqua swiped the tablet, the slide shifted to the next. It showed a rough drawing of two large circles with smaller circles inside them and labels. "That''s an ugly drawing!" "Voice, that was rude," Alicia chastised her pixie. "Now." Aqua ignored the conjecture and went on to explain, "in every world, they have the exact same Scientific Laws." Aqua pointed out the label ''Same Scientific Law,'' which stretched out to every smaller circle, representing worlds. "Even the most seemingly absurd world heeds to the same Law. Fantasy Law, however, is a different story." The label for Fantasy Law read, ''Different Fantasy Law for each Circle of Sister Worlds'' and it stretched out to the two larger circles, representing the Circle of Sister Worlds. Aqua continued, "Each world has its own unique Fantasy Law. But, there is always a group of worlds that shares the same Fantasy Law, this is what makes them sister worlds. So we group them together into what is called a ''Circle of Sister Worlds,'' though we shortened it to ''Circle of Worlds'' or just ''Circle." "So then a spell in Kaomagi would work in my world, Kaomagi Earth, as it is in the same Circle, correct?" Alicia asked. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Correct, and because each Circle of Worlds has different Fantasy Laws, any ability or trait that falls under the Fantasy Law of one Circle will work differently in another." Aqua swiped the screen. FLICK Changing the slide yet again. It showed these sentences from top to bottom: A Fantasy Trait/Ability in a Different Circle will be integrated into the new Fantasy Law. If the new Fantasy Law has a rule similar to the trait/ability, it will be slightly less effective. If the new Fantasy Law only has a distant rule the trait/ability fits into, it will be partially weakened. If the new Fantasy Law has little to not rule the trait/ability to fall into, it will barely work or is disabled completely. "As you can see here," Aqua said. "These are the effects if you try to cast a spell in a different Circle with a different Fantasy Law." Alicia scrutinized the slide. From what it implied, that meant personal magic of Court Wizards like Darc was more powerful than it seemed. She shuddered what it would look like if the Dark Guardian were to go all out in his world, Rakarok-Earth World Merge. "This goes for physical traits that fall under the Fantasy Law," Aqua continued. "For example, this world, Manegia, vampires never existed here and so, Fantasy Laws related to it did not exist either." "Oh?" Alicia raised her eyebrow, remembering that Rose''s vampire race. "Then what would happen Rose?" she asked worriedly. "Do not worry," Aqua assured the red-haired girl. "It is just most of her mystical traits as a vampire is gone. Traits like her weaknesses as a vampire; burning under sunlight, being damaged when exposed to the cross or touching running water, all of them are gone." "I see." "But, that also makes most of her vampire powers useless, though she mastered few of them, to begin with, so it was not a loss. Also, she can see her own reflection on the mirror now that rule was not a thing in Manegia." "That is... quite fortunate for her," Alicia muttered. "Indeed," Aqua agreed. "Incidentally, there are some aspects of her that will not be eliminated even when she moved here. Her fangs and albinism for one are under the Scientific Law, so it still exists in any world. Also, garlic is just a common allergy among vampires in her world, Arknoir, and not a mystical weakness, so it is a Scientific Law and is still carried over here." "Why is that?" Alicia asked. "Are they not there as a result of Rose being born as a vampire as it exists as a Fantasy Law in Arknoir?" "That is because there are some elements under Scientific Law that can only be implemented through Fantasy Law," Aqua explained. "There has always been a Scientific Law where vampires have sharp fangs, you could consider it as an adaptation being creatures who drink blood. But you can say that it requires a ''key'' known as the Fantasy Law of vampires for that Scientific Law to appear. "The same goes for that cow in Beohar. If you take it to another world, those stone plating would not disappear. It is a Scientific Law but it could only appear by the will of the Fantasy Law. So unlike what you think, Scientific and Fantasy Law are not completely like water and oil, while sometimes they do, they can also go hand in hand. This is also beneficial for us non-human Court Wizards as most of our traits are still intact." ""I see/ Ooh..."" Alicia and Rin mumbled. "But, the presence of these Laws is a different story," Aqua said, catching the girls'' attention. FLICK She swiped the tablet again, switching to the next slide. It was similar to the previous, only this time it was just a single large circle with two smaller circles. "Alicia, while your world has the same Fantasy Law as Kaomagi, you do not see any Vengefuls there or magic in that regard, correct?" "Yes." Alicia nodded. "So is that why my world is considered scientific as there is not any fantasy element present?" "Correct," Aqua nodded. "While the magic system of Kaomagi exists in Kaomagi Earth, it is another thing for its practitioners to be present in Kaomagi Earth. Just as the Law for the mystical workings of the Vengefuls is present in Kaomagi Earth, the Lord of Vengeance is not in your world so there would not be any Vengefuls running around." "Uhn? What are Vengeful?" Rin asked. "And the Lord of Vengeance?" "...It is a thing in Alicia''s Circle of Worlds," Aqua explained to the black-haired girl, not wanting to stray off from the subject at hand. "I will tell you about it later. Now, when I explained how Circles of Worlds have different Fantasy Law, that does not mean that they can have their Fantasy Law mingle with the other." Aqua put her hand on her chest. "An example is myself." Alicia and Rin both blinked. "What do you mean?" Alicia asked. "I am the first greater water spirit of Spiri Raia and Spiri Raia was created by the greater spirits." "Eh~!" Rin exclaimed. Alicia widened her eyes. Having already been astonished before by the fact that Aqua was a water spirit despite being the Fire Guardian, apparently, she was also involved with her world''s birth. "As such," Aqua continued regardless. "I made the Spiri Raian Fantasy Law''s water spirit art system. So naturally, I have a copy of that Law as I was its origin." "Incredible..." Alicia gasped in awe. "Miss greater water spirit, did you just wanna brag!?" """...""" And they all stared at Voice, still nibbling a cookie as she nonchalantly ruined the moment. "Ahem," Aqua coughed. "Moving on, as I ''carry'' the Fantasy Law of Spiri Raian water spirit arts, I can utilize my arts without restriction in any world." "I see," Alicia said. "That is certainly convenient." "True. Also, do note that when we say Personal Skill, it always refers to techniques under Fantasy Laws like my spirit arts or any magical spells that are not of maneg." Aqua continued, "and speaking of maneg, what I said before is also the case for us Court Wizards." ""Oh/Uhn?"" SWIPE Aqua then swiped the tablet once again to show the next slide. "So, what were you taught when maneg encounters a new world?" Aqua asked. "Well, it gets filled with maneg?" Alicia answered. "That is inaccurate, that is an initial answer when you get recruited so you would not be overwhelmed." Aqua then directed the center of attention to the presentation. "After all, maneg in a world is always constant, so how does Manegia get to pour its maneg into another world?" It showed a text saying ''Maneg System inserts itself into Fantasy Law'' with an arrow directing it to a Circle of Worlds. "The most probable theory is that when maneg visits a new world, either by a Maneg Soul searching for a vessel or a Court Wizard visiting for the first time, it taps into the world, or perhaps the entire Circle''s Fantasy Law and inserts its Fantasy Law, which we call it the ''Maneg System,'' into it." Aqua took a sip from her tea before continuing, "and with the presence of the Maneg System, maneg will just ''appear'' in that world, allowing us to traverse into it and use Orders." "Ah, so that is how it is..." Alicia muttered. It would make sense if the initial explanation was given first. Otherwise, Owen would''ve had to give her a much longer and complicated answer from the get-go. "And this is what makes the Maneg System unique than the others. Additionally," Aqua added. "The Maneg System also stabilizes the flow of time of that world to match Manegia''s, so we would not have to deal with a world going ten years faster than us. Though that does not stop other complications with time..." she mumbled the last sentence. True, considering the Otherworldly Court had to observe many worlds, it would have made anyone''s head explode if they also have different pacings of time. "But, that is not all. Now, the Maneg System is the one doing all the leg work for its insertion, now would it not make it so that it is superior?" Aqua asked. "...Ah," Alicia clicked. "That means...!" "Yes," the Fire Guardian nodded. "And one of these advantages is our immunity against indirect magic and anything similar to it by the sacrifice of disloyal maneg." Which Alicia needed a Catalyst to do so. "It was already a part of the Maneg System, however, but we still call it as that because we believe it still needed to analyze the other world''s magic system first. However, indirect attacks seemed to be all that the Maneg System could achieve. Furthermore, it can only prevent it from striking you, once it has been applied, maneg cannot undo it." "I see..." "Anyway, do you all understand so far?" Aqua asked. "Any questions?" "If a Circle has three worlds, two fantasy worlds, and one Earth, what do you name the Earth world?" Alicia asked. "Oh, the Earth is named after the first fantasy world discovered in the Circle," Aqua explained. Rin raised her hand. "How was the Maneg System able to travel worlds in the first place?" It was an innocent question. However, Aqua does not address as such, and Rin could sense it and she did not like it. "Well now," Aqua said, it was of a graver tone. "That is another can of worms to open. A can of worms called the ''Eleven-Century War''." Alicia Chapter 16.2: New Steps - Biwharls PIING Osainicd Archipelago Year 364 SPLASH ""Owen!/Ruze-senpai!"" The three Court Wizards were transferred on a cliffside near water. The transfer circle had formed on the edge of the cliff, with a wee bit of area that did not touch the ground and Owen happened to stand on that exact spot. He fell into the water which was a very short distance drop that he couldn''t quickly give an [Eject] order fast enough. "Why do they always put the circle halfway near the edge every time they transfer here!?" Owen, in his light-blue ceremonial cloak, shouted as Alicia and Rin, also wearing ceremonial cloaks with colors according to their Element Color, come to pull him out. Grabbing Owen''s soaked hand, Alicia felt the fake minuscule sting that she has long since treated like breathing. It was something shared by her fellow female Fire Court Wizards being avid tea drinkers. "Should we go back to get you a change of clothes?" Alicia said with concern. "You could catch a cold." "Huh!?" Voice came in. "Short Cream''s getting a cold!?" BONK "You will never see the last of me!" Promptly knocking the pixie back to Alicia, Owen got himself back up. "I''m fine," Owen said. "It''ll dry, let''s go to the Bell Branch in that town ahead." "Alright." "Uhn!" Speaking of Bell Branches, there were also several branches in Rakarok-Earth World Merge, including in Rin''s hometown. It was also well known there. Haruto had told Rin about the true nature of these branches. But she was surprised when she was told about Alicia''s relation with them.
CLING CLING "Welcome!" The receptionist greeted, looking at their colorful cloaks. "Oh, I will bring you to the manager''s office, come this way." Ignoring murmurs from everybody else in the lobby, the Court Wizards followed the branch worker upstairs. They then came upon a wooden door. KNOCK KNOCK "Yes?" A voice emanated behind the door. "Sir, the Court Wizards are here to see you." "Ah, let them in." CREEK "Welcome," The manager, who was in his middle ages, rose from his seat and gave a bow. "Owen, and may I ask the two of your names, young ladies?" "Alicia Bell." "Rin Fujiwara." "Alicia Bell, you''re boss'' daughter, it is my honor to meet you." The manager gave another salute. "P-Please rise," Alicia asked, still not used to people kowtowing in front of her. "And you are Rin Fujiwara, are you Haruto Fujiwara''s sister he mentioned?" "Yes!" "I see, how''s your brother?" The manager asked, then the mood darken. "Should I not ask that?" He was then given a brief explanation of what happened a week ago. "I see, my apologies for what happened to him." The manager said. "I will be on the lookout for him as well." "Uhn! Thank you!" Rin smiled cheerfully. "Alright," Owen said. "Now for why we''re here." "Right," The manager picked up a file and present it to Owen. "Here''s the report we''ve found." "Anything about Joshua Ruze?" "Unfortunately, no." "I see," Owen turned to the girls. "Alright, we''re going to the next kingdom."
PIING SPLASH "Dammit, again!?" Owen groaned.
Haruto''s first mission was a bit boring. Transfer to a part Osainicd Archipelago, go to a Bell Branch, collect report, Owen asks about Joshua Ruze''s whereabouts, transfer back to Otherworldly Court, repeat. It comes with at least one Court Wizard falling into the water every time they transfer to another island. Osainicd Archipelago was a world consisting of mostly ocean with numerous islands scattered all over with each island ruled by a single nation, sometimes two islands are under a single kingdom''s rule. So it''s simply more efficient to transfer back and forth. That said, there are seventeen island countries with Bell Branches. That means seventeen times a Court Wizard falls into the water. This happens every time for some reason. It was mostly Owen, but occasionally Alicia or Rin fell into shallow water or a puddle. Quite a boring mission indeed.
At the 6th Bell Branch. "I have a request." The manager of that Bell Branch said. "What?" Owen asked. "There has been a large group of Biwharls gathering near the island. The king has prepare troops to combat them, but I''m afraid their numbers are insufficient." "Ah crap, those things again..." What are Biwharls? They are basically killer narwhals with human arms and legs making them bipedal, hence ''Bi'' in their name, that happens to like the taste of human flesh! The Otherworldly Court calls them ''Semi-Anthropomorphic Narwhal''. Oh, and they happen to communicate in binary codes with each other which was one of the most absurd things Otherworldy Court seen while the denizens of Osainicd Archipelago had accepted it as a normal thing. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. They hunt in packs, and they are capable of retracting their limbs into their bodies when swimming in the water, jumping out of the water, quickly growing their limbs back, to attack local fishing villages, attacking with their sharp claws or tusks before biting their prey. "If it will not trouble you, I request that you thin their numbers so the navy can handle them easily." The manager said. "Okay, we accept," Rin shouted. "Right, Ruze-senpai?" "W-Wha? Fine, I was going to accept anyway." Owen mumbled. Hohoho, is that what we call ''tsundere'', Short Cream!? Shut up. (Owen) Uhn? (Rin) Hmm? Taking Voice''s remark to all three of the Court Wizard''s head aside, the manager was bowing furiously. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" "M-Mr. Manager, your head will get dizzy, please stop!" Rin stuttered at the manager''s behavior. Alicia help but notice that almost every Bell Branch managers she encountered were elderly and had the same way of conduct, with the exception being the manager of the first branch visited in this world.
FLUTTER FLUTTER White sails were pushed by the ocean wind. A flag with a bell covered in rust save for a tinge of gold wrapped around a light-blue cloth. The manager lent a merchant ship (technically it was Alicia''s father''s ship) to go to where the Biwharls are gathering. There were a few select crew members who knew and kept the secret of the Otherworldly Court (no open contact was made on this island nation yet) that operated the ship. They will retreat inside the ship once the fight begins. The Court Wizards don''t want any of them to get killed. "Waah~" Rin was admiring the open sea with her ponytail hair fluttering about by the wind, leaning on the edge of the deck ignoring the fact she will be fighting a bunch of narwhals that could grow human limbs and speak in binary for some reason. Well, Alicia too couldn''t help but looked at the crystal-blue ocean, giving off pleasant waves; clear sky with pure white clouds; Voice flying above Owen in circles trying to annoy him; narwhals hopping across the sea shouting binary codes. "01000110 01101111 01101111 01100100!" Narwhals hopping across the sea shouting binary codes!? "Biwharls spotted!" The lookout of the ship yelled before coming down from the nest. "Everyone under the deck!" Another crew yelled. "Best of luck to you, Court Wizards, lady Alicia." A crew saluted before going down with the others. "01000110 01101111 01101111 01100100!" "01000101 01100001 01110100!" "01000001 01110100 01110100 01100001 01100011 01101011!" A lot of narwhals swimming across the water, roaring noises of the computer binary codes. They are not making two different sounding clicks that resemble a binary code or anything similar to that, but literally saying ''one'' and ''zero'' rapidly. One Court Wizard fighting these Biwharls happened to record what they are saying and slow it down which was how their communication method was discovered. "Ruze-senpai, this is?" "Yeah, Biwharls, fifteen of them." The Court Wizards got to the edge of the deck looking over the oncoming Biwharl. Voice had gone back into Alicia. "Alright, we''re taking them out," Owen said emotionlessly. Rin opened her cylindrical bag to pull out a white ornate katana out of its sheath. This was Haruto''s Cherished Armament that was left behind when he got sucked into that vortex-rupture. "Do you know how to use it?" Alicia asked in a monotone voice. "Uhn. I had my brother practice with me for years." Rin answered in a similar voice. She took to a stance with her mentor already forming fifteen long and thin [Icicles] and launched at the oncoming sea beasts. All fifteen hit their target. 15 Biwharls defeated. Suppression lifted. "Amazing, Ruze-senpai. How did you do that?" Rin asked in awe. "Yes, the [Icicles] clearly travel in individual directions. How did you calculate the angle for each and every one of them?" Alicia asked. "Too much practice and memorization," Owen answered with an annoyed face. "Mind you, but we have to remember all of the geometrical stuff out of our heads. We all have to remember exactly how long a meter on a ruler is; how long the angular displacement of a degree angle on a protractor; how fast each velocity is; and don''t get me started on the more specific things relevant to our Elements." "T-That is...?" Alicia asked meekly. "For fire maneg, it''s possible to set your Orders to homing on heat signature, but you have to specify the amount of heat your target has." "W-What about my Element?" Rin asked. "For you, you need to remember every light physics which you would learn in high school." "Eeh~" "Is that how hard making an Order is?" Alicia muttered. "Well, our Maneg Soul helps our brain out to memorize all of these." "I see, that is a relief." "But even then, your Orders are technically Vague Orders." "Well, that is true." Yep, thanks to me, you got it easy, Alicia! "Whatever," Owen''s voice was monotone again. "Another wave of Biwharls are coming. Fifty of them. I won''t be able to kill all of them like last time. They''re too spread out. Get ready to fight them head-on." He tossed a volley of fifty [Icicles]. This time, thirteen hit their targets. 37 Biwharls remain. While Owen throws another volley of [Icicles], Rin ordered three [Beam]s aimed towards the Biwharls'' general direction. Because the beam of light produced from the circle is simply concentrated light and not light maneg, there will be no risk of creating Maneg Amalgamations. Alicia however, cannot do anything just yet. Giving Orders with loyal maneg over that distance is too risky and using her Catalyst (which was retrieved repaired after that ''incident'') ran the risk of creating Maneg Beasts with Owen''s [Icicles] flying about. This was how Court Wizards of different Elements fight together. If it''s a single target or multiple targets clustered together, they would take turns throwing Orders. If they are spread out, then the Court Wizards will simply split tasks and make sure not to get in the way of each other. That and keeping maneg usage to a minimum or better yet, frequently use Personal Skill or Cherished Armament. Anyway, the resulting [Icicles] and [Beam] took down fifteen Biwharls. Well just [Icicles], none of the [Beam]s hit their target. 22 Biwharls remain. Alicia nodded to her pixie. Pointing her Catalyst towards five Biwharls that are awfully close together, she activated the runes engraved on the Catalyst. A red line pointed at the center of those Biwharls. KABOOM Fire maneg concentrated around that single point then expand rapidly while also eat up adjacent oxygen to increase its explosive potential. The water that was engulfed by the resulting explosion instantly evaporated leaving a crater on the ocean before the water surrounding it filled that space. Those five Biwharls obviously, were disintegrated into a bloody mess. 17 Biwharls remain. "You two, go to the center and prepare for close combat. I''ll throw another volley." They were now getting close to the ship, Owen had instructed his juniors to move to the center of the ship. He then ordered twenty [Icicles] which killed thirteen. He then retreated to the center of the ship. 4 Biwharls remain. SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH THUD THUD THUD THUD "01000110 01101111 01101111 01100100!" "01000101 01100001 01110100!" "01001011 01101001 01101100 01101100!" "01000001 01110100 01110100 01100001 01100011 01101011 00100000 01100111 01101001 01110010 01101100!" Four Biwharls made a splash vaulting to the deck. Three on the western side and one on the eastern side. Just before they landed, they grew arms and legs under a second. They made a solid landing and then screamed at their prey pointing their sharp and long protruding horns. "I''ll take three of them. You two, take down the other. They are more dangerous fighting head-on, be careful." Both girls nodded. Owen then charged to the western side of the ship and in his right hand, a crystal rapier was created. "Big sis." "Let us go." Rin ran towards the lone Biwharl spouting more binary codes with her brother''s katana at hand. The Biwharl charged like a bull intending to stab the raven-haired girl with its horn. CLANG With a swing, Rin stopped the charge by parrying the horn to the wooden floor. The Biwharl was stuck in place. Rin then stabbed its head, but its skin was too thick to reach its brain. Three [Fireball] 20 cm diameter. Voice, do not let it hit Rin. You got it! Three balls of loyal fire maneg were formed and then hurled themselves towards the Biwharl, going around the katana-wielding girl in front of it. It hit the sides of the absurd aquatic creature, far away enough that Rin would not be in the blast radius. BOOM BOOM BOOM Loyal maneg, return. Rin unstuck the white katana ordered [Beam] above the Biwharl. SHIING "01000111 01110010 01100001 01100001 01100001 01101000!" With a scream, the Biwharl fell to the floor, completely fried. Three Biwharls remain. Alicia and Rin shifted their sight to Owen. One Biwharl was already killed, with stabs and ice over its body. The ice was slowly dissipating. Two Biwharls remain. It was quite a sight to behold for the two junior Court Wizards. A short boy dancing around two narwhals with human limbs bigger than his size. Constantly moving between them as they tried to strike him with surprising speed for its stature. Repeatedly stabbing them as he moves and covering their bodies in ice maneg to slow its movement. Freezing them outright was more maneg costly as their bodies had a very high specific heat capacity. Soon another Biwharl fell. 1 Biwharl remained. Screaming another binary code, the almost-dead sea monster made one last strike. Owen simply parries it and struck its neck. All Biwharls killed. Emotion suppression off. "That was so cool!" Rin yelled with her black eyes beaming. She then went on to ramble about how cool Owen fought. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Owen shrugged as he went to the entrance to the lower deck. "You can come out now. We''re going." It was quite a bizarre adventure. To be continued. Alicia Chapter 16.3: New Steps - Of Pirates and Invasions After the encounter with narwhals that could grow human limbs and speak in binary codes, the Court Wizards had lunch in Manegia and resumed their mission.
At the 13th Bell Branch. "Ice Boy, eh? ''hoy, mate!" "You again, and stop calling that," Owen grumbled. Ice boy!? Hihihihihi! They were leaving for the next branch when some man in the middle of the road called Owen. He was in his thirties, 193 cm tall with curly brown hair and bright green eyes under a black tricorne and sporting a pitiful excuse of a shaved beard. He wore a blue trench coat that looked like it was never ironed with a white undershirt, brown trousers that was slightly torn, and a wet pair of brown boots. "Woah, he''s a pirate!" Rin beamed. "Why yes, I am! Name''s Jake Rhaims. Captain of my own ship, the Kraken. A hand me down from me pops. Named the ship after killing a kraken with his ship and crew alone, then used its skin ta decorate the Kraken''s hull. The ship''s been the best vessel of all Osianicd for decades!" He said with pride. "Wow!" Rin gasped. "How does kraken skin reinforce a ship?" Alicia asked. "Why krakens here got scales as hard as diamond," Jake explained. "It''s only weak on the inside. Me pops ordered the crew ta blast it with everything they have right as the beast was about to swallow the ship whole on side. Took some trouble ta skin the thing." "I see..." Alicia nodded. "Ooh~," Rin said in awe. "Even a kid here knows what krakens are here and Ice Boy''s with ya. So that means you two fine miss are Court Wizards." Jake deduced. The two girls were startled by this pirate''s show of deduction. This guy just showed up and said they were Court Wizards after conversing a few sentences. "No need to be scared. Me here is a fellow Water Court Wizard." Jake said, relieving the girls. "You girls new? Never seen ya before." "Yes, my name is Alicia Bell, please to meet you." Alicia gave a small bow. "My name is Rin Fujiwara!" Rin gave a bow whilst giving a smile. "So you''re Ronald''s kid!" The pirate exclaimed. He then looked at Rin. "And you''re Haruto''s sister. Heard what happen to''em. He''s the toughest guy I met, me here is sure he''s fine." "Uhn! Thank you!" Rin said. "A fine lass you are," Jake complimented. "That Heroic Bastard really loves ya!" Rin frowned on her brother''s nickname the pirate gave him. "Can we go now?" Owen said coldly. "Egads!" The pirate cried. "I almost forgot. Me needs to hurry to see the queen!" "Why?" Owen glared at the blue trench-coated man. "We''re being invaded."
Surprisingly, the guards simply opened the gate letting a pirate captain and a bunch of strangers, save for a certain Ice Boy, inside. On the notion of what the pirate had said, Alicia and Rin agreed to go with him, Owen dragged along. They strolled through the castle halls where servants passing by even greeted him. They then reached the throne room just as when a discussion was concluded according to the guard in front of the door to the throne room. Opening the door, they saw an old man in a red robe. That guy''s irrelevant. Sitting on the throne is where the queen sat. A young girl who could have only been a year or two older than Rin with a white tiara on her platinum-green long hair. "My queen." Jake kneeled, head straight. "Sir Jake!" The queen exclaimed, but then the mood turned sour. "Why are you kneeling?" "Judging by your action, something serious happened." The old man in the red robe said. "What''s happening, my boy?" "Aye," Jake said. "Me and me crew were sailing the seas hunting Wet Wolf hide and me hawk saw lots of Laegar ships full of armed men ready for war. A scouting ship going ahead saw and fired at us. Pretty obvious they want ta invade this place. Obviously, we sank that ship and sailed straight back here, but not before me hawk tossed oil all over the water and light it up ta slow those bastards." Alicia flinched hearing ''Wet Wolf''. What does he mean by his hawk, Owen? Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He has a pet hawk that learned to speak human languages, so it could relay messages. Also, it''s five times bigger than an ''Earth'' hawk. (Owen) This world has a very weird fauna... Alicia, in Osianicd Archipelago, this stuff is normal. (Owen) I will keep that in mind. "Me also risk me limb snatching a Laegarian helmet off a soldier if yer skeptical, old man." Jake pulled out a metal helmet of a unique design and show it to the very young queen and the red-robed elderly, the former covering her mouth in fear and the latter wearing a grim expression. "I''ve told the navy general ta get ready. Now they just need your word. My queen, your orders?" "Y-Yes, I will allow it." The queen said. "Brilliant!" Jake stood up. "Now we talk war."
But before that, some names need to be introduced. "I am the queen of Celeste, Stella Orion Celeste." The queen, Stella, said. "I am the prime minister, Obex Stryat." The red-robed man said. Again, this guy''s irrelevant. "My name is Alicia Bell, a pleasure to meet you." Alicia gave a small bow. "Are you Ronald Bell''s daughter?" Stella asked. She knows about what Bell Conglomerate really is from her late parents and they were fine with it, and so is she. "Yes, I am," Alicia answered. "My name is Rin Fujiwara, nice to meet you!" Rin gave a bow too. "Fujiwara?" The young queen muttered. "Aye, she''s that Heroic Bastard''s little sister he always bragging about. He''s right about how sweet she is." Jake yapped. Rin''s cheek was rose-red hearing his compliment. "I see, where is Sir Haruto now?" Stella asked. And the atmosphere turns sour. "Considering his... Personality, something happened to him, is he not?" The irrelevant side character said. "Well..." They then explained what happened to Haruto. "My goodness..." Stella mumbled. "Don''t you worry, my queen," Jake said. "He''s a tough guy, he ain''t kicking the bucket. Besides his sweet little sis'' will look for''em. Even if none of us here got any clue where his hide went to." "You are right," Stella composed herself. "I am sure you can find him, Rin." "Uhn! Thank you." "Brilliant!" Jake exclaimed. "Now we talk war!"
In some war room, generals were discussing the defense against the invading Laegarian army. Actually, there was only one navy general in command of the entire army of Celeste, the rest were captains of the Celestian vessels which totaled ten ships. Celeste was a small kingdom. The queen, prime minister, and the Court Wizards were there as well. There was also a blue marble sphere on top of a pedestal. "Now then," The navy general spoke. He was an elderly man with a fit body, an experienced warrior in war. "Sir Jake''s hawk will now carry the mirror to transmit the image to the Ball of Scouting. Sir Jake? Will you please explain the situation for now?" The Ball of Scouting was that blue marble sphere which is an artifact that lets the user see images based on what its ''mirror'' extension sees. The ''mirror'' functions like a camera and the ball show the footage. "Aye," Jake began to explain. "Me hawk told me it saw at least fifteen ships filled with at least twenty Laegar bastards manning the boat, not counting the scouting ship we sank." "That''s at least three hundred soldiers, not counting those inside." The navy general said grimly. "Not to mention we are already outnumbered in ships." I''M HERE A sound came out from the Ball of Scouting. It resembles the noise of a bird. "Everyone," One captain interrupted. "Sir Jake''s hawk has reached the enemy." And so everyone surrounded the Orb of Scouting. "George, fly higher. We''re countin'' all the ships." Jake commanded his hawk, George, through the Ball of Scouting. AYE AYE CAP The hawk squawked through the Ball of Scouting, the image zoomed out. There, an image of many ships bearing the Laegarian flag sailing across the sea, besides a long and wide sea of oil burning, lighting the water on fire. Farther from the fire, there are a couple of ships that had crashed into each other and sinking. "27... 28... 29... 30. Thirty ships coming ta invade us." Jake reported grimly. "Not countin'' the suckers that crash into each other and sank." "That''s three times our forces!" One captain cried. "There are over fifty soldiers in each ship!" Another captain exclaimed. "And we don''t know how many are inside the ship!" "Can we win?" "We''re doomed!" BASH BASH "Simmer down, you lots!" The pirate smacked the table repeatedly. "The queen''s here with us, you chickens are giving her a spook!" They see Stella on a more designed chair looking frightened. She was just a child, a little older than Rin who was still an elementary student. "And you call yer'' selves captains? So simmer up!" Jake''s ranting had calmed down the panicking captains. "We''re here ta discuss how''ta kick their asses out''f our land. Even if it ain''t lookin'' good, we''re still doin'' it!" Owen, what should we do to help them? Was what Alicia wanted to say, but for some reason, she had a feeling that it wouldn''t end well. Rather, she knows it would not end well. "Ruze-senpai, what do we do?" But Rin knew otherwise. Asking an innocent question, silencing the room. "Rin," Owen said. "We are not doing anything about this." "Huh? Why not?" Rin was surprised by the unexpected answer. All the natives in this world remained silent as if they knew this was going to happen. "We cannot interfere with other world''s affairs if it doesn''t affect the world entirely," Owen said bluntly. "Celeste is just a minor kingdom and so is Laegar. Jake can interfere since he''s native here, but he can''t use maneg." "Then what about back at Qantasia? Big sis Alicia said you guys saved a kingdom from a rebellion!" "That was different. We were supposed to solve a problem the Bell Branch has which escalated to stopping some coup." Owen retorted. "Besides, rule number five: Maintain the flow of the natural order. We let whatever happens as it is as much as possible; if that coup went through, we will do nothing to revert it. Maybe just evacuate some people like the royal family to Manegia, if Jonathan wants to." Alicia had been a Court Wizard for two months. During that time, she learned of that rule which was why her and Owen''s fathers just gave up after the burning of the Illyer mansion, letting her uncle''s younger brother take the throne; the burning of that mansion should''ve killed everyone. So to Spiri Raia, they were dead. Nothing will be done about it. In a sense, she somewhat agrees with this stand. Court Wizards probably were never meant to interfere with otherworldly affairs, yet they did. Quite ironic when her birth was the result of her father''s meddling. "He''s right, lass." Jake agreed. "Me could''ve blast those Laegar bastards with some Orders, but me duty as a Court Wizard tell me no. Me will bring the Kraken ta defend me country. If Laegar conquered Celeste, me will just bring queen Stella to Manegia and the Kraken will just haf''ta find new hunting ground." "We can''t do anything?" Rin begged, her face looked dejected. This was her first mission and she had to let a kingdom fall and do nothing. "Aye," However, Jake had a grin on his face. "But that changes today!" ""Huh?"" Even Alicia wasn''t expecting that. He approached the queen. On his right hand, a blue parchment appeared. "Queen Stella, me would like to offer you the Contract." Alicia Chapter 16.4: New Steps - The Contract "Queen Stella, me would like to offer you The Contract." Jake declared. The queen, Stella, the prime minister and the navy general raised their eyebrows hearing it. The captains were confused and so are the two female Court Wizards. "I figured this would happen." Owen sighed. "You kept challenging Master Miriel over and over again last year." "Ruze-senpai, what is a Contract?" Rin asked. Her gloomy expression replaced with one of curiosity. Alicia also nodded in agreement. "Well now, lass." Jake showed them the blue parchment floating above his hand. "This thing here is a piece of paper that will let me and you ta help defend me country!" "Ahem." Owen coughed, taking back the lead of this conversation. "The Contract is a treaty signed between the Court Wizard and the other party. Once signed, anything inside The Contract takes effect." What Jake said was inaccurate. Contents of The Contract can be anything, but the use of maneg to interfere with minor affairs was the most common. "I brought ya guys here to be me witness," Jake added. One rule of The Contract is that the signing of it requires another Court Wizard to witness the signing. "Well, are you sure about this?" Owen asked. "Remember what happened two years ago all because of The Contract." ""Hmm?/Uhn?"" "Aye, me didn''t ask Master Miriel to fight for nothin''." Jake turned to the girls. "What happened two years ago ain''t something we like talking about, maybe later. The point is, The Contract ain''t something you can make willy nilly." The Contract is very sacred to Court Wizards. To be eligible to offer one, one needs to be a Guardian or a Duke/Duchess. For non-Guardian, they have to challenge the Guardian until the Mother Soul recognizes them. "Whatever was signed in The Contract, it cannot be retracted. Every Court Wizard will adhere whatever was stated, no exception. The Contract is the highest form of relationship with whoever." "Aye, me will make this Contract here to beat back those Laegar bastards and defend me beloved kingdom!" The Contract is a way for Court Wizards to be able to use their power to protect what they care in their own world. It is an actualization of the ninth Rules of Engagement: Preserve your duties, loyalties, and wishes. A Court Wizard who is a loyal citizen of a kingdom is a loyal citizen of a kingdom first, then a Court Wizard; or the other way around. However, The Contract does not ''magically'' bind all Court Wizard forcing to follow it. It''s simply a fancy signed treaty between the two parties. Court Wizards can still disobey The Contract. But as The Contract was typically given to your non-Court Wizard best friend as a sign of friendship, doing so is basically a slap to the face to the Court Wizard who gave The Contract. Furthermore, that would be a violation to the sixth Rules of Engagement: Cherish your partner, comrades, friends and those whom you care. "Then Celeste can be saved?" Rin asked. Jake simply grin while nodding to her. "Truly?" "Can we be saved now?" "Thank lord..." The captains sighed in relief. Maybe the kingdom was not lost any time soon. "Then if you knew that Jake will propose this, why say what you said before?" Alicia asked. "Well, I need an opportunity to teach you guys about this. The mentoring style of the Otherworldly Court is explaining things about it as the need rises. We don''t sit and teach class very often, I need a situation like this to tell you guys something important." Owen replies with a blank tone. "Eeh~?" Rin pouted. "Really now? You had Rin sad all for this?" Alicia complained, glaring at her childhood friend like a mother who had seen her child misbehave. "Eh, sorry..." In the midst of the return of the hope of survival, Stella spoke up, "Sir Jake, is it fine for us to receive The Contract? I do not feel like we deserve it." Now that kinda ruined the mood. "Aww don''t be shy!" Jake chuckled, slapping his knee. "Me fully intents to give ya one to begin with. Why else would I challenge me Master Miriel on every freakin'' chance? Besides, me pops actually gave one to your pops back then. Me is here to renew it since your pops'' restin'' in peace and me would like to keep it that way." "Really?" Stella widened her eyes. "Well yeah, The Contract was written for me pops ta wash''em Laegar bastard ta davy jone''s locker when they first invaded back then!" "I see. Very well, I will accept The Contract." "Well said, my queen!"
"We will now commence the signing of The Contract," Owen said in a very formal accent. The table and chairs in the war room were moved to make an empty clearing. The navy general, the captains, and the prime minister stood in the sidelines watching Jake in front of their queen with a blue parchment floating on his hand. The other Court Wizards are on the other side looking between them. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "I, Owen Ruze, Ice Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court will witness the signing of The Contract." "I, Alicia Bell, Fire Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court shall witness the signing of The Contract." "Y-Yes. I, Rin Fujiwara, Light Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court will also witness the signing of The Contract." "You may start." "Queen Stella Orion Celeste." Jake declared. Unlike before, he spoke in a formal tone. The blue parchment hovering on his hand began to shine. "I, Jake Rhaims, Water Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court would like to offer you, Stella Orion Celeste, ruler of the Kingdom of Celeste, The Contract. A sign of the height of my trust to you. "The Contract state as follows: "1. Jake Rhaims, pirate loyal to the Celeste crown may defend his kingdom as Jake Rhaims, Water Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court, and so those any other Court Wizard under his consent. "2.The Otherworldly Court will never perform their duties in favor against the Celeste kingdom." As the words spoken came out of his mouth, a blue quill materializes in front of the glowing blue parchment and began to write exactly what he had said. Each word engraved shone a white light. "For this is a sacred treaty to us Court Wizards, we will not violate this contract no matter the circumstances. I trust you to not abuse The Contract for your personal gain at the cost of the destruction of this world. "Failure to comply will yield consequences that of betrayal and treason once The Contract ceases to exist. "Do you accept?" With the final sentence spoken, Jake grabbed the quill and written his name and signature on the bottom right of the parchment. Then the quill floated to the other party. The queen of Celeste was quite surprised that the pirate, who she knew since she could start keeping memories, could speak in such formality. She was intrigued with the last two paragraphs he made, but since she would never intend to break her friendship with him, she does not hesitate. "I, Stella Orion Celeste, ruler of the Celeste kingdom accept the terms of The contract. I swear to not abuse this contract for my own gain which would inadvertently cause the destruction of my world, thus breaking your trust in me." Picking up the flying quill, she wrote her name and signature to the space given on the bottom left part of the parchment. Once it was done, the quill gave a tug, prompting her to let it go which she did. The quill shone brightly as it wrote more words below the two signed names, the parchment itself grew to house this space. The Contract has been made. It shall exist indefinitely until either Jake Rhaims, pirate loyal to the Celeste crown and Water Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court''s soul perishes or Stella Orion Celeste, ruler of the Kingdom of Celeste''s soul leaves the living world. When the day that it happens, The Contract shall appear before you and shatter. This will be the proof of the end of The Contract. May the signing of The Contract will never be regretted. Witness(es) to The Contract: Alicia Bell Owen Ruze Rin Fujiwara "Please sign beside your names." Jake beckoned as the quill flew to them. Each took the quill and put his/her signature then gave it to the other by the order of each name. With that, the quill disappeared. The Contract rolled up, broke into tiny blue nodes, and was absorbed into Jake. Wait, is The Contract made out of loyal maneg? Yeah, it is. Our Maneg Souls will be able to create The Contract when the Mother Soul lets it. That''s also more reasons that it''s sacred. (Owen) Ooh...(Rin) Yes! Yes! Once we''re a Duchess, you can give one to your best friend in another world! "With that, The Contract''s complete!" Jake cheered. CAPTAIN THE LAEGAR BASTARD HALFWAY OUT OF FIRE "Well now, we still have some time before preparing to react to the invaders." The navy general explained. "Though I suggest we wrap this up quickly. We will form a battle plan with our new addition in mind and move out quickly!" """Yes, sir!""" The captains shouted in unison. "Now me know what yer thinkin'', lass, but me don''t give me consent ta help fightin''." Jake asserted, making an "Eeh~" from Rin. He did explicitly stated in The Contract that other Court Wizards can join in only in his permission. "Why not?" "Cuz'' me is more than enough ta stop''em." The pirate clarified. "Also, you lasses ain''t ready and shouldn''t be going ta someone''s war." "Rin, we always make sure to make it so that others have to get our permission in our Contract," Owen added. "Ok, I understand..." The black-haired Court Wizard nodded. "We wasted enough time," Owen announced. "We''re leaving." After a little bit of complaint, the girls at least get to say their farewells with Stella and they promptly left. "Have fun splashin'' ta water!" The pirate grinned as he spoke his parting words. Owen winced and Voice laughed until her stomach hurt inside Alicia''s mind. All but Rin understood what he meant.
At the port, twelve warships were anchored there, with two of them completely different from the rest. Their crew was present and have prepared the ships to sail. However, they looked tensed. People gather around the docks with a worried look. Then, on one of the ships, particularly a ship with a grey-scale like hull which was the second-largest vessel, a man in a blue trench coat and a tricorne fell from the sky. "Incoming!" He said. Anybody there retreated to make an empty space in which the falling man blasted it with a spray of water coming out of his feet, slowing his fall. Everyone in that area turned their attention to him. Making a ''superhero landing'', he stood up and shouted, "Boys! Raise the sails and flags of the Kraken! The shooting star!" He paused for a moment, catching his breath. Everyone in the docks stayed silent. Then the man raised his right hand to the air, a cutlass with a blue pommel and a ''water motif'' on the blade appeared from it, "And the scale over the spear and shield!" He also pulled out The Contract, "Me got permission from OC right here!" And the crowd cheered. The people of Celeste knew of Court Wizards because of the late Edward Rhaims, a Court Wizard. By a series of a chain of events (a story for another time) happening by chance, Edward, a pirate, made deep bonds with the previous ruler of Celeste. With the signing of The Contract, he had defended the kingdom by invaders from all sides coming for this land''s riches. However, after he and the previous ruler passed away The Contract shattered. Jake Rhaims, his son could not use maneg to defend this minor kingdom because of his second allegiance. Only the current ruler and her close aides knew specifically why, the meaning of the shattering of The Contract and why Jake Rhaims couldn''t just make a new one; The citizens only had a vague idea about it, but they understand demanding that privilege was too much. But now, he seemed to have ''earned the right'' to sign The Contract and use maneg to fight the invading Laegar kingdom. The Celeste kingdom went on to defeat the attacking Laegar kingdom. With the once again forged alliance, the Celeste kingdom grew into a powerful nation, in a manner that did not break their alliance, that it does not need to rely on it anymore. But the Celeste royal family still maintained a healthy relationship the Otherworldly Court, specifically the Rhaims family of Court Wizards. However, that will be a story for another day. Alicia Chapter 16 Extra 1: Of the Defense Against Laegar - Prelude Prince Rath Gareth Laegar, the third prince of the Laegar kingdom also leader of the Laegarian fleet was not having a good feeling about this. By the order of his father the king of Laegar, the third campaign to conquer the Celeste kingdom after the first and second failed attempt was made. Six years ago, the pirate Edward Rhaims had died, but news of his death did not reach Laegar until four years later. He was not a notorious pirate to warrant a huge bounty, or rather he was not a pirate, to begin with. He was actually a Celestian Sea Hunter, hunting sea monsters and sell its materials. But, what really started it all was thirty years ago when he did the impossible; Killing a Steel Kraken, with his ship and crew alone. To kill a Steel Kraken would require a whole army fleet of at least the size of the forces sent on this campaign. Of course, this was thought as false rumors until he brought its eye and other parts of its carcass back to Celeste. It was enough proof to get the Celestial royal navy to sail with him to retrieve the entire creature, which was oddly still floating, back to Celeste. A traveling ship saw the huge carcass and spread the news. Laegar sent a spy into the kingdom to report what was happening. Being the slayer of the Steel Kraken, Edward has the right to most of its materials, some given to the kingdom for the ''towing the Steel Kraken'' service, and used it to enhance his ship. Though he did donate half of its spoils to the kingdom to reinforce its small army, one of the reasons the first campaign failed. That was not why he became a pirate. During the dissection of the Steel Kraken, it was discovered that the belly of the thing contained vast amounts of gold and riches; most of which were in good condition unable to be digested by the sea monster. Perhaps it was from all the ships it had swallowed whole, there was also wooden debris inside. But the most valuable thing inside were artifacts. Lots and lots of artifacts. The spy reported that they pulled out ancient artifacts thought lost such as the Ball of Scouting (which Rath was sure is being used to observe this invading fleet at this very moment), the Jug of Infinite Oil (probably why the sea was on fire), a bunch of grimoires, magical swords and more. Edward, of course, got to keep it. He did give some to the Celestian royal family and his crew. By ''Some'' I mean half of the money and some artifacts; he apparently had no use for that much. The spy reported that most of his share of money and artifacts seemed to be missing. Now, this is how he became a pirate. Considering a mere Sea Hunter got all of that got everybody else jealous, especially Rath''s grandfather, the previous king of Laegar, who wanted those artifacts. Some of those artifacts originally belonged to Laegar and there are records to prove this. His grandfather demanded the return of those artifacts, but Edward refused as he has the right to claim it being the one to found it and he was right. So Rath''s grandfather hatched a plan. He sent a Laegar scouting ship disguised as a merchant ship and sent it to intercept Edward''s sailing route according to the information sent by the spy. Then, the disguised merchant ship attacks Edward''s ship. Naturally, it ended with the Laegar ship destroyed. But, there was another ship following the scouting ship. That ship had the Orb of Memorization, an artifact that could record images and show them, to memorize the part where Edward''s ship destroys the disguised ship. With the Orb of Memorization containing that recording, the previous king twisted the events to say that Edward had attacked that ship unprovoked. The former king used that as a justification to brand the Sea Hunter a ''pirate'' and put a bounty on his head. He also issued an ultimatum demanding the Celestian royal family to hand over the ''outlaw'' as well as all of the artifacts within a week or it will be war. Suffice to say, the Celeste kingdom did not give a response so war was declared, Rath''s grandfather had intended to conquer Celeste anyway. Celeste had just crowned its new, but inexperienced ruler, so it was a prime opportunity to attack. And so the first campaign against the Celeste kingdom began. Laegar had a large fleet and army; so even if the Celestian navy was reinforced with Steel Kraken materials and artifacts, Laegar will simply defeat them with sheer numbers. It was an obvious outcome, even Rath''s grandfather himself joined in the campaign. However, the campaign failed. When the Laegarian fleet was about to reach Celestian shore, Edward''s ship which by then had been named ''The Kraken'' spearheaded the countering Celeste navy. The Kraken had sported the flag of Celeste; a flag of a Steel Kraken which looked like it was made in a hurry; and a flag of a scale in front of a spear tucked into a shield; all hanged on the crow''s nest in that order. The last flag confused everyone. The first flag was apparent; the second was understood after Edward shouted its name; the third flag, however, was out of place, the spy did not find anything about it. Adding to that, Edward was at the bowsprit of his ship, wearing a blue cloak that covered him from neck to bottom, certainly did not fit the yellow theme of every other Celeste ship. Whatever that flag was, Rath''s grandfather simply ordered the charge. At that moment, everything fell apart. The Laegarian survivors of the battle told them that when The Kraken approached the line of Laegarian ships, water suddenly erupted beneath one of the ships. The pressure of the water caused the ship to tear apart into two pieces. And then another ship was destroyed by the sea erupting beneath it. Then more ships fell victim one by one. Rath''s grandfather demanded to know what was going on when he looked to his telescope to see Edward doing some gesture that suggested that he was the cause of this. And he was right. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Because once The Kraken had gone close to the Laegarian fleet, the eruption had stopped. Edward steps back and, base on what the survivors had said, multiple giant lances of pure water materialized in front of him. He stroked his right arm holding a cutlass and those lances then launched themselves like a cannon fire each traveling in different directions, all firing into the Laegar ships. With a lucky few that had only suffered a scrape to the side, the impact was hard enough that it tore two massive holes to most of the ships that it inevitably sunk. It was quite the nightmare for Laegar as The Kraken had destroyed their ships left and right with some kind of water sorcery that the ''pirate'' possessed. The Kraken was difficult to sink as it was very fast and the Steel Kraken hide reinforcing the hull of the ship rendered most cannonballs barely making a dent to it, but not vice versa for The Kraken''s cannonballs which was colored blue for reasons unknown. Also, the Celestian navy behind The Kraken also fired from behind, inflicting more damage to the Laegar side. However, Rath''s grandfather stubbornly refused to give up. He ordered the mothership to directly engage The Kraken. Once there, he ordered the men to board the ship in an attempt to capture it. The mothership was larger than The Kraken, so the soldiers simply jumped down when the mothership was beside The Kraken. But, when the Laegar soldiers boarded the ship, Edward sends a wave of water kicking the soldiers out of his ship and fell into the sea with their heavy armor causing them to sink into the sea and drown. In desperation, Rath''s grandfather straight up challenged Edward to a duel in which he cannot use whatever ''water sorcery'' he has. Surprisingly, Edward accepted. Rath''s grandfather jumped down to the deck of The Kraken with his axe and shield ready, his armor made out of the shell of Spin Turtles made most blades unable to penetrate. Edward, on the other hand, was armed with only a cutlass, which a surviving Laegar soldier noted being well-made and have a beautiful design. Rath''s grandfather banked on by defeating Edward, the Celestian army would lose morale and surrender. He also assumes that he would win the duel comparing his proper training and equipment to that of a mere Sea Hunter. If Edward did somehow got the upper hand, he had a blade hidden behind his shield and other ''surprise'' methods for emergencies. Despite all of that, Rath''s grandfather lost. It was described by the Laegar survivor, the one Rath kept mentioning in his mind was a Laegar soldier who was spared by Edward to tell the rest of the kingdom what happened, that the Sea Hunter/''pirate'' had a surprisingly expert swordplay. He danced around his opponent as Rath''s grandfather tried to swing his axe down upon him. Edward repeatedly thrust his cutlass into Rath''s grandfather whenever he gets the chance. Then at one point, Edward sliced his shield arm. With no shield to protect his vitals, Edward thrust his cutlass deep into his chest. The Sea Hunter/pirate then cuts off his head to show it to everybody else to signal the end of the battle. It was a humiliating defeat. The Laegarian fleet consists of twenty-one ships; Celeste only had six not including The Kraken. Laegar had outnumbered Celeste four-to-one. In the first and only battle against Celeste nineteen ships sunk, more than a third quarter of the Laegar forces were annihilated, mostly destroyed by The Kraken (or Edward singlehandedly). The casualties included Laegarian nobles joining the war because of obligation and for glory. Lots of aristocrats died under their sunk vessels without a chance to fire even a single cannon volley. But that''s not all, to add insult to injury the Celeste kingdom ''seized'' the remaining ships except for one, which was in an irreparably damaged state (a miracle that it sunk after its job was done), to ferry the surviving Laegar soldiers back to Laegar; with ransom which Laegar was forced to pay because some surviving nobles are among the captured and Celeste insisted on paying for all the hostages, or none of them will return at all. The rest including the mothership are absorbed into the Celestian navy. The only silver lining is that Edward had graciously sent the body of the deceased Laegar king back to Laegar and not keeping him as a trophy. With such defeat and the death of the king of Laegar, the next king, Rath''s father, swore revenge and launched a second campaign but that had met similar results. Only that no Laegar ships were captured and absorbed into the Celestian navy. And thus it has been until now. Six years ago, a great plague swept Osianicd Archipelago, named The Snowfall Plague for it had started when snow had fallen for the first time in winter that year (in Laegar at least), killing tens of thousands of people across all of the island kingdoms. This disease claimed the lives of both high and low people of society. A few of Rath''s relatives fell victim to this illness. But this disease had also opened the opportunity for a third war against Celeste. In Celeste, The Snowfall Plague had killed a good number of civilians and soldiers. But the most devastating blow was that both the ruler of Celeste and his children died, leaving the last living royalty of Celeste, Stella Orion Celeste, as the queen of Celeste at the age of six; Rath seriously wonders why nobody tried to take over the kingdom. Edward Rhaims too could not escape death by this sickness, his ''water sorcery'' did not include warding off disease. Edward''s son, Jake Rhaims, took over as the captain of The Kraken. A spy was sent to Celeste to observe him. That to say, he was quite eccentric. When the spy got to strike a conversation with him in some tavern, the spy noted that he had a very ''wild'' accent. The conversation did not yield any useful information. Then Rath''s father lured a couple of sea monsters to The Kraken, which has shown that Jake did not possess the same ''water sorcery'' that his father has as he had simply fight the sea monsters as any other Sea Hunter would. Edward Rhaims had used it during before the second war against Celeste launched, Rath''s father had baited sea monsters at him and he had used his ''water sorcery''. Another thing to note is that the ''scale on a shield and spear'' flag was not present on the ship, the Celestian flag was still there. Explanations aside, that mattered little. With that knowledge, Rath''s father ordered the third invasion against Celeste. Although it was delayed due to recovery from the Snowfall Plague, the invasion force mustered was larger than the first and second invasion. While it was a war for payback for the humiliation and the death of the previous king, Rath was only joined to lead the invasion because he needed some achievement to stand equally with his brothers. He was born years after those events and only heard of it as stories. He doesn''t care about revenge, but he will use this invasion for his personal need. Maybe he could take the young queen of Celeste''s hand in marriage once he conquered Celeste. But again, his gut feeling that this will not end well. After all, his fleet had to sail around the sea that was on fire, presumably oil from the Jug of Infinite Oil. Some of his ships collided with each other and sunk, he had to leave them behind. One ship lead by a young noble went ahead of the fleet before the sea was lit aflame; the wreckage of that ship was spotted after the fleet had gone around the flames. CRASH SPLASH And his gut feeling was right as a ship was met with a huge wave on its right flank causing it to be pushed back and crashed to another ship besides it. Both ships sunk soon afterwards. Rath looked into his telescope to see a gray ship with three different flags and a man in a blue trench coat and tricorne hat raising a cutlass with a blue grip standing on the bowsprit of the ship. Alicia Chapter 16 Extra 2: Of the Defense Against Laegar – Happenstance? Jake Rhaims had a great feeling. He polished his Cherished Armament, a cutlass, even though they don''t get dull nor dirty. He received this six years ago after his pops had unfortunately died to the Winter Sickness (Jake heard the Laegar kingdom calling it ''Snowfell Plague'' or something), the guy was too stubborn to accept any medical treatment from the Otherworldly Court. Even the previous king and his kids refused, saying it was too much for them after pops utterly destroyed the Laegar invaders twice. Jake had seen the royal Celeste family, especially his close friend prince Orion, kick the bucket leaving poor Stella, Orion''s daughter, alone and also as queen even though she was six back then! He''d seen his pops disappearing into blue dust and then the blue dust evaporate to nothingness. If only they weren''t this hardheaded! Well, there is no use complaining it to their dead souls using some artifact, especially his pops'' since there... isn''t. Despite that last stunt he made, Jake admired his pops. Jake was three at that time so he doesn''t remember it. But he heard stories from his mum when she was still alive (she died from natural causes way before the Winter Sickness). He was enamored with the exploits of his pops, especially the ''pirate'' part. Although his pops was supposed to be a Sea Hunter, someone who hunts sea monsters for a living, he took the pirate moniker branded by Laegar by some underhanded plot quite seriously; at least during the second war with Laegar. He raided Laegar ships on a daily basis to strain their logistics, taking whatever supplies there is and always letting go of their crew to strain food supplies with more mouths to feed yet so little food. Oddly, Jake''s friends at the Otherworldly Court kept telling him that he and Jake are called a ''privateer'' since they worked for a ruler of a kingdom. And that''s the second part he should talk about, the Otherworldly Court. Pops brought him there when he was twelve. It was a special experience in his heart, meeting all sorts of people and meeting the fifth generation Guardians of the Mother Souls. One thing he liked was when watching a screen with moving pictures they called a ''cartoon'' about pirates, he tried emulating the accent spoken by the characters there which he now uses like second nature. He wanted to be a Court Wizard like his pops which he did at the age of eighteen. Back then, when he told his pops about it, he simply smiled wryly. He came to understand his pops'' reaction after fifteen years of being a Water Court wizard, it ain''t a pretty job. He wonders how those lasses will handle it. Ice Boy was way too focused on finding his pops and probably alongside Celery Boy, didn''t give a sh*t about the job details of being a Court Wizard; the two recruits are a little too innocent for this kind of life. He didn''t need to reminisce about his missions, but now he remembers when his pops handed over the title of captain of The Kraken to him three years ago. While the Rhaims family were Sea Hunters, they are now pirates as well. Pirates loyal to a queen. Quite contradictory but it doesn''t matter. Now that Jake thought about it, the Otherworldly Court was the epitome of ''contradiction''. After all, the current Fire Guardian was a water spirit. When he received his pops'' Cherished Armament, he renamed it [From a Sea Hunter to a Pirate Loyal to the Celestian Queen] as he has to change its name. A very long name for a weapon but Jake has heard of a Cherished Armament with a name one hundred words long! There was no word limit when it comes to naming these. Done remembering the bittersweet memories, Jake checked his surroundings. The ship is in good condition, ready to kick some Laegar arse! He and the crew were hunting Wet Wolves, a sea monster which was a wolf with blue fur that was always wet and could walk on water, when the lookout from the crow''s nest had spotted a Laegar scouting ship that spotted them and attacked (the redheaded lass flinched when he explain it to the queen for some reason). They seemed to got cocky thinking they could take down The Kraken, though that ship was bigger and fancier than your usual reconnaissance ship. Sensing an invasion, Jake sent George carrying the Jug of Infinite Oil and told it to spread it across the ocean if there is an invasion which it did. Afterwards, Jake ordered his crew to fire a fire volley to set the oil on fire. It was quite convenient that Owen Ruze and his two juniors were on Celeste, he didn''t need to call the Transporter Room operator to call in a Court Wizard to witness the Contract being made. With the previous Contract gone, the citizens were afraid of a possible attack; they understood that the Contract lets him and his pops to do all of those ''water sorcery'' as Laegar calls it without repercussion with his other allegiance. Celeste knows not to rely on it, but it may have ironically made them too relaxed with their military development. That doesn''t matter because right now they still need that protection; especially with the Winter Sickness cutting down the currently developing military mercilessly. And so, Jake challenged the Water Guardian, Miriel, to get the Duke title in which he did just yesterday, lucky. Although Jake got distracted talking to Owen, he sent a [Telepathy] to Ice Boy only explaining his intentions to sign a Contract and how it would be very convenient to teach his juniors about it and he agreed. It was quite amusing seeing Owen cowering in front of his red-headed junior after she figured out the plan, it was like a mom scolding her child, after all, that Heroic Bastard''s little sister got upset. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Well now, the crowd cheer and it was time to wash the Laegar invaders back to where they came from. By the way, Jake managed to get the Laegar spy sent to observe him to think he couldn''t do those ''water sorcery'' and reported it; though in a way, it was right. Jake looks through his telescope and sees the Laegar fleet. There were twenty-four Laegar ships left after the initial fiery surprise, they reformed a somewhat good formation; this will be convenient for the Water Court Wizard. Five kilometers of empty sea between the Laegar ships and the Kraken. The battle will start at one kilometer, Jake will diminish those numbers until then. The trait of all Court Wizards in battle kicks in. The jolly attitude of Jake Rhaims was replaced with nothing. He spotted two ships sailing beside each other near the biggest ship there, so he will order [Push], a derivation of [Wall], to crash the former ship to the other, scaring whoever''s in charge of the fleet in the latter ship. His pops used [Geyser], a derivation of [Pillar], to destroy the ship by using maneg to bring seawater underneath upwards which saves maneg, but that Order was too hard to aim correctly over large distances. Preset: meters; I order you, form rectangle 60 in length 40 wide 1 thick 5100 in front 200 to right 25 downward face sideways, travel left, thus is my Order, [Push]. A large rectangle of water maneg formed parallel to the adjacent Laegar ship. The rectangle then moved towards the ship pushing seawater creating a huge wave. The wave crash upon the ship just barely missed it and washed it away towards the other ship dozens of meters beside it. If the wave didn''t push the ship, then the maneg formation will. Preset: meters; I order you, form rectangle 60 in length 40 wide 1 thick 5120 in front 150 to right 5 downward face sideways, lock, thus is my Order, [Wall]. Jake was not done, he ordered a wall of water maneg a few meters off beside the other ship. When both Laegar ships collided, it was like pressing two berries against a wall; one berry sitting in front of the wall and another pushed by a hand to the former. It ended with both ships severely damaged that both sunk. 22 Laegar ships remaining. That was quite the Order even if it did take him a second to weave the Order in his mind. He remembered the time where he used to just give Orders with their given name and parameters. However, as he becomes a ''veteran'' Court Wizards, he often modified Orders to suit the situation, so he can''t just say its name only. A ''Memorized Order'' has a fixed set of steps, parameter scaling, and directional method, so it is inflexible; only the first step''s parameters can be altered with these Orders. This is true for most ''high-level'' Court Wizards, with the exception of creation Orders, they would often switch parameters and directional methods or adding new steps into it. The latter could go so far as to record a new Order entirely into the database. Eventually, those two lasses recruited this year will have to make Orders traditionally in a matter of seconds - Court Wizards tend to have a fast thought process; probably not the Bell heiress though. Although that meant giving names to Orders was meaningless, it''s not - the Otherworldly Court needs it to record Orders to its database. Bestowing names at the end of an Order was a habit. 4 kilometers to Laegar fleet, 3 kilometers left to engage battle. Those Orders was just the opening act. After resting for a while to gather stray water maneg which was in abundance in the middle of an ocean, Jake will give out more Orders in a gradual increase of power to try scaring them off to a retreat. As the second Rule of Engagement has said, he has to be efficient with his maneg usage, he is literally breaking a piece of his soul and use it as ammunition after all (fortunately, Orders take the bare minimum amount needed unless he told otherwise). And the best way to limit the use of maneg is to not need to use it at all. Some ways to do it is to solely use Personal Skill or Cherished Armament, but neither options are available at the moment. So the other way is something called... ''Fear Tactics'', to utterly mutilate one enemy in front of others to frighten them (Court Wizards get very creative with that). Or make a very flashy, but low-costing Orders. Edward Rhaims did those [Geyser]s ship by ship in hopes of scaring them to a retreat, which that Laegar king stubbornly refused to do so. For now, Jake will use [Push] and [Wall] on a few more Laegar ships, and then proceed to use [Geyser] once they got closer as it will be easier to aim afterwards. Preset: meters; I order you, form rectangle 60 in length 40 wide 1 thick 4050 in front 250 to left 25 downward face sideways, travel right, thus is my Order, [Push]. Preset: meters; I order you, form rectangle 60 in length 40 wide 1 thick 4050 in front 190 to left 5 downward face sideways, lock, thus is my Order, [Wall]. This time, three Laegar ships are sailing almost horizontally align with each other. A wall of water maneg was formed to the right of the rightmost Laegar ship. A huge wave coming from the left pushed the leftmost ship, then collided with the middle ship and swept away too, and then came crashing down into the third. 19 Laegar ships remain. 3 kilometers to Laegar fleet, 2 kilometers left to engage battle. The Laegar fleet had begun to disperse, looks like the commander of the fleet had figured out Jake''s attack strategy and ordered his fleet to spread out and not be horizontally nor vertically aligned. Not matter. Preset: meters, rectangle 60 in length 40 wide 1 thick ; I order you, form rectangle 3050 in front 50 to left 25 downward rotated 45 degrees angle horizontally anticlockwise, travel northwest, Order break, form rectangle 3025 in front 75 to right 25 downward rotated 45 degrees angle horizontally clockwise, travel northeast, thus is my Order, [Push]. Preset: meters, rectangle 60 in length 40 wide 1 thick; I order you, form rectangle 3100 in front 100 to left 5 downward rotated 45 degrees angle horizontally anticlockwise, form rectangle 3075 in front 100 to right 5 downward rotated 45 degrees angle horizontally clockwise, lock, thus is my Order, [Wall]. This time, two waves were formed. Both travelled in separate ways diagonally. The first managed to sweep away three Laegar ships just missing one more sailing a few more meters to the left. The second wave got two Laegar ships; a total of five Laegar ships were caught in Jake''s Orders. All five Laegar ships were met with a wall of water maneg and were crushed between the wall and the wave. 14 Laegar ships remain. 2 kilometers to Laegar fleet, 1 kilometer left to engage battle. Alicia Chapter 16 Extra 3: Of the Defense Against Laegar - Dual Eye CRASH CRACK KABOOM "What happened!?" Rath demanded. "I want answers now!" Before he spotted the fabled ship, The Kraken, along with the small Celestian fleet in the enhanced sight of his telescope (which was like a modern-day artifact) he had heard a huge sound: the sound of bashing, water spilling, wood cracking, and finally an explosion. "Y-Your highness!" An officer saluted. "Two of our ships to our left have been destroyed!" "I can see that! I want to know why they have sunk!" He had seen the aftermath of those ships - to his left, two ships that sailed a few rivers beside his had collided with each other. (a river is half of a meter). Both ships sank and there was an explosion coming out of those ships, probably the explosives. "There was a huge wave coming out of nowhere. The wave caught the first ship and then it swept the ship to the other ship, the ships collided and both sank." "How did two ships colliding cause both of them to sink!? They should only be damaged, but sinking entirely is absurd! And where is that wave now!?" "Your highness! Right when the wave was about to hit the second ship, some kind of blue wall appeared on the opposite end of the ship. That caused both ships to collapse entirely." And then the officer''s face paled. "Could this be the ''water sorcery''?" He saw his soldiers on the deck fall into a state of panic. "So Edward''s son can do it too!" "It will be like thirty years ago!" "He''s going to kill us all!" "We have to retreat while we can!" BASH "Do not panic!" Rath slammed his shield into a wooden railing on the hull, the soldiers turned their attention to him. "That was just a passing wave that hit our fleer unluckily. There is no way that was ''water sorcery''. Didn''t the spy said he wasn''t able to?" He attempted to give a decent explanation, though he could not make an excuse about that blue wall. But it still calmed down his soldiers. Besides, if it were to be this ''water sorcery'' done by Jake Rhaims, then this would''ve happened from ten lakes! (a lake is half a kilometer). That is an absurd distance, the farthest a cannon could fire was two lakes. Edward''s ''water sorcery'' certainly did not reach that far and it wasn''t water shooting beneath the ships. Rath pulled out an artifact capable of sending orders to all of the fleet. "We keep going as planned," he ordered. """Yes, sir!""" They sailed for about a lake. Rath breath a sigh of relief, perhaps it was just an unlucky wave coming at them. "See, I told you-" CRASH SPLASH He was interrupted by yet another familiar sound. "Your highness! There is another wave incoming, it hit the ships to our right!" "What!?" He looked to his right, a large wave of water enough to engulf a standard Laegar warship swept across an unfortunate ship. That ship, in fact, was carried across the ocean, almost flipping over. CRASH SPLASH And it crashed into another ship. Both ships stuck together as the wave pushed both of them even further. "Oh, Sea Lords!" One officer exclaimed. "The wave is coming straight for us! Brace for impact!" Every man on board held onto whatever was close to them, Rath too held on to a railing. After all, the crew of the Laegar mothership was able to witness this because those unlucky ships were sailing right beside the mothership. The wave with two ships in tow had claimed its third prey, next will be the biggest ship of this fleet. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. CRASH SPLASH CRASH However, a wall of see-through blue appeared on the opposite side of the third ship. With the huge wave approaching the wall, the three ships were crushed like killing a bug with the clap of a hand. CRACK KABOOM And the explosives inside those ships ignited, setting the ships on fire as it sinks into the watery grave. "Men, calm down. That was just another naturally occurring wave." Rath bluffed - again, he couldn''t explain the blue transparent wall, but his soldiers seemed to accept it. How will I keep my men calm if he keeps doing this? but his mind betrayed what he was saying. Rath could deduce it clearly. That blue wall had stopped the wave from touching the mothership. That was most likely a demonstration. A demonstration by the son of the ''water sorcerer''. Rath looked into his telescope again to see the grey ship, particularly on the man in a blue trench coat with an awful beard shaving standing on the bowsprit of that ship. His right hand holding a sword with blue details. It was just like thirty years ago. What are you thinking about? The Laegar prince looked at the pirate''s expression, only there wasn''t any. His gaze is not of a happy-go-lucky attitude like the spy reported nor was it that of a war maniac craving bloodshed. It was not the face of a cold-calculating tactician nor it was the face of an arrogant prodigy. It was a blank face that of a person who had lost all semblance of life. This was not in line with what Rath assumes was his doing. That pirate has clearly shown that this entire fleet''s predicament was his doing, he has shown that they were at his mercy and he indeed showed it. He could''ve destroyed this mothership if he wanted to, it''s not like he needed the commander alive; Edward Rhaims certainly killed the commander. Jake was toying with his enemies but his demeanor was not of enjoyment or remorse. Do you even feel anything? Rath wonders. If anything, it was like a switch turned off all of the pirate''s emotions. No, that is not important. Rath concluded as he issued a new order to his fleet, "We are changing formation!" He said, "make sure we do not travel beside each other! Tell this to all ships!" """Yes, sir!""" Well, he certainly can''t retreat. It would be dishonorable and he would be made a laughing stock. He has to stick with it ''till the end. Another lake was traveled, nothing happened at all. Rath looked into his telescope and see no changes with The Kraken and the Celestian fleet that was sailing at the same pace. "Your highness! There''s another wave, two this time!" CRASH CRASH SPLASH SPLASH Two waves traveling diagonally in the opposite direction to each other to the fleet''s perspective. Both waves each caught their first victims. CRASH CRASH SPLASH SPLASH CRACK KABOOM And two more ships were consumed. The wave to the fleets left had enough taking down two ships and ammunition inside those ships ignited. CRASH SPLASH One ship was lucky enough to sail a few streams away to avoid the wave. But another ship wasn''t so lucky. CRACK KABOOM And three more ships drowned without a fight. "Keep going, men!" Rath yelled into the communication artifact. Thankfully, the soldiers'' training had made them so that none of the ships tried to turn their sails and run away out of cowardice. For the noble ships who joined the war, it''s a matter of pride - they would be disgraced if they turned back. Also, this is a matter of vengeance for what happened thirty years ago.
14 Laegar ships remain. 2 kilometers to Laegar fleet, 1 kilometer left for open combat. Welp, they got their chances, Jake thought. He was hoping to make the enemy retreat through that show of prowess. He was sure the enemy commander was watching him through his telescope. But it seems either pride or idiocy got the better of that guy. While Jake is eager to fight the opposing Laegar fleet, he is not one of genocide. He also runs the risk of losing the lives of his crew. Jake even made some unnecessary gestures to make it obvious that those waves were his doing. Most Court Wizards only wave hands or strike a pose when intending to let their enemies know it was them or to not fuss about aiming. Otherwise, they would simply stand there doing seemingly nothing while maneg orders are forming behind them. Anyway, a naval battle was inevitable. Both the Celeste navy and the Laegar fleet had no reason to turn back now that they are this close. Jake had filled all of the missing maneg inside his Maneg Soul after the last Order. Granted, that Order didn''t even cost double digits percentage of his supply. But like any other experienced Court Wizards, the Water Court Wizard always make sure to maintain the supply of disloyal maneg above ninety percent at all time. Since disloyal maneg still counts as a part of his soul, missing too much will have a physical impact on his health. He recalls Ice Boy getting severe body weakness after dumping a third of his maneg to freeze a huge lump of land with fire inside; the kid could barely move a muscle. Remembering that, he really hoped that Heroic Bastard would be alright will all of his disloyal maneg lost. "Now then," Jake muttered without so much of a tune in his voice. "Time use that Order." Preset: meter; I order you...
SPLASH CRACK It is here, Rath thought. A ship to his left was met with a gush of seawater from the ocean. It had been the ship of a noble from the Powers household. It was a very decorated ship with red silk around the hull and carpets on the deck. Quite wasteful to be used for war, especially if it gets destroyed. However, the shot of water did not destroy the ship. It had come out from an angle and the pressure of the water had destroyed the sails. That ship was a sitting duck now. SPLASH CRACK Another ship in front of the mothership fell victim. This time, it was a Laegar ship. Please, let this be over soon, Rath hoped as he watches more ships getting destroyed without so much a single cannon fire. Alicia Chapter 16 Extra 4: Of the Defense Against Laegar – Third "Men," Jake commanded. "Ready the cannons." """Aye aye, captain!""" The crew of The Kraken shouted in unison and they got to work. The captain of the ship retreated from the bowstrip and walk across the deck. He climbed to the back of the ship where the wheel of the ship was. A crewmember manning that wheel let go of it to let the captain take control of the ship''s movement. Jake took hold of the wheel and grabbed the circular shape in the middle of the object. The circle in the middle of the wheel came off to reveal runes embedded in another layer of the wheel''s frame. Jake touched the runes and the runes glowed in blue light. SHIING SLIPSTREAM ACTIVATED Jake could see an outline of blue light around the perimeter of the ship. Yes, The Kraken itself was a Catalyst. It was an upgrade by one Amelia Rickens, the new resident scientist of the Otherworldly Court. That girl had a brilliant mind, she was the one to really push the boundaries of maneg in the 300 years the Otherworldly Court existed, or perhaps the 1400 years since Manegia came to be (supposedly). Most Court Wizards or what they were used to be called before the Otherworldly Court was formed were not of worlds where the understanding of Scientific Laws was mainstream, modern and post-modern worlds, which was exactly what maneg emulates. Only the lightning Element was truly understood because of its First Guardian, who created the Transporter Room, hails from a post-modern era world, but he did not try to learn other Elements. There were barely any Court Wizards from modern and post-modern worlds and they too did not try to understand maneg. This seriously impeded the advancements of Orders. It was probably in the 1400s in Manegia when the ''Earth''s'' entered the modern era and gained an understanding of the laws of nature, more modern Court Wizards were recruited and comprehension of the Elements came after. And then comes Amelia Rickens. Out of all Court Wizards from the modern era recruited she was the one who really got curious about the Elements. She was able to identify how each Element emulates the aspect of nature that each followed and compile them into an easily understandable single sentence explanation. With that discovery, and using English as the basic language for making Orders due to its large vocabulary, Orders became more advanced and efficient. Also, she had made improvements on Catalysts. Mostly made to kill time, Amelia had created many Catalysts which included a moving-wagon run by fire maneg, a metal box that could cook food with light maneg somehow, and poles with lights on top also with light maneg. Now, the Scientist Girl (the nickname Jake come up with) visited Osianicd Archipelago and on a whim, turned The Kraken into a massive Catalyst. The Order in the runes could make the ship go faster by pushing away water in front of the ship to the side reducing friction or something like that. He doesn''t really get what she meant but it just makes his ship go abnormally fast. The Scientist Girl calls it [Slipstream] in which the name gets announced every time the Catalyst was activated. Jake could not remove that feature lest risking the entire rune to malfunction. The Catalyst can also be dialed how fast he wanted it to be. Anyway, with [Slipstream] activated, The Kraken is now the fastest vessel in this water-ridden world. It was not a boast, it was a fact. But of course [Slipstream] can only be used for Otherworldly Court purposes so it was almost never used. In fact, this is the second time the Order was used, the first time was a test run. Jake steered his ship to the right. The Laegar mothership which was across to his ship was guarded a few ships in front, rushing straight is too risky. Instead, he went for a nearby Laegar ship to his ship''s right. "Prepare to fire the left cannons by my command, " Jake said to his crewmates. The Kraken zoomed through the battlefield ahead of its comrades. It was about to pass by the right flank of a Laegar ship few meters apart when the captain of the ship gave the order, "fire." BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM Six cannonballs let loose from The Kraken. The Kraken had 14 cannons, 6 each on the left and right side of the ship and 2 on the bow. It was a small number of cannons compared to other ships, but that was because cannons are useless for a Sea Hunter vessel; these cannons were loaned by the way. Anyway, the cannonballs flew above the azure sea aiming for a Laegar ship that should be unprepared for a sudden attack. CRASHCRASHCRASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH Only three balls hit the target, but that should be enough. KABOOM If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As one of the cannonballs must have struck some of the explosives in that ship. Laegar battleships were equipped with explosion rounds inside in order to damage its enemies even further, but that was also a double-edged sword as to what happens if they got struck. That was a major weakness in the Laegar fleet and they did not learn from last time. One remains of a Laegar ship had sunk into the deep abyss. 1 Laegar ship destroyed by The Kraken. By this time, both sides are releasing lead balls at each other (so trying to count how many Laegar ships are left in a large battlefield could not be done). The Laegar commander must have ordered his fleet to focus their fire on The Kraken because right now, Jake is incessantly steering his ship in a zig-zag trying to avoid cannon fire from all sides. It''s a good thing a Sea Hunter''s profession demanded high skill in ship maneuver when hunting bigger sea monsters, which also meant smaller-sized ships for mobility. BUMP BUMP A few metallic spheres hit the ship. The Steel Kraken skin reinforcing the hull rendered those attacks as mere scratches to the vessel. By this time, the Celestian navy had caught up with The Kraken, so at least the enemy fire does not concentrate on the smallest ship in this open-sea skirmish. Jake spotted another Laegar ship northeast in his direction. "Prepare the right cannons," Jake commanded his crew. While the right side cannons are being loaded, Jake saw a Celeste ship approaching an incapacitated Laegar ship of nobility. "Fire," he ordered and more cannon fire was let off. BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM CRASHCRASHCRASHCRASH This time, four rounds landed on the hull of the enemy ship. However, that ship was still standing - looks like the cannonballs did not hit any bombs inside. "Men, take your rest, " Jake said without a tone. "We are leaving this to the Celeste navy." A part of why Celeste was untouched was because of the Contract. But that will not last indefinitely, so Celeste will have to let go of it eventually. That''s why the Contract Jake wrote did not make defending Celeste as a Court Wizard an obligation - he may do it, but he won''t need to protect Celeste if she can take care of herself. As a part of it, the Celeste kingdom needed to show the world that she can fight without relying on some Sea Hunter with ''water sorcery''. But taking on an invading fleet three times their size in an open sea is unreasonable. So Jake had the courtesy to cut down the size of their adversary first, the weaker ships are prioritized. Afterwards, The Kraken will show itself that the Sea Hunter vessel was no such either, then it will leave the battle. "George, " Jake called for his per bird. George flapped his wings from his opened cage and flew to his master''s shoulder. "Take this and start recording." Jake gave his bird an amulet with a clear mirror on it. AYE AYE CAPTAIN George cawed, gripping the amulet with his beak, and flew off to the clear skies over the azure sea. There was a reason Jake only destroyed the weaker ships and leave the bigger ships afloat. The Celestian navy needed to prove its valor after all. That amulet was the recorder for the Orb of Memorization - Celeste had one from the Steel Kraken Edward Rhaims killed.
Why those the Laegar kingdom insist on those explosives? Prince Rath Gareth Laegar thought frustratingly. It was a problem stocking too many explosives inside a ship meant for a naval battle. One strike from cannon fire to it and the entire ship goes down. Despite that, the Laegar kingdom still insists on bringing them onboard, they were a national pride. The Laegar kingdom prides itself on razing their enemies with fire, but that also works against them too. Frequently, Laegar ships were destroyed due to the explosives in the cargo being shot. He watches as his fleet getting destroyed ship by ship. After the entire massacre, The Kraken entered naval combat. Rath ordered the fleet to concentrate their fire on that ship as that ship actually went ahead of the Celestian navy. However, a blue light suddenly emanated throughout the hull of that ship. It then sailed faster than any ship he has seen and fired its cannons which hit one of his Laegar ships and the ship''s explosives were hit, exploded and sunk. The Kraken then did an absurd feat of maneuvering as it dodged most of the cannon fire directed at them. A few cannonballs hit the ship, but the Steel Kraken hide reinforcing the hull meant it was only a scratch. To top it all off, the Celestian navy had arrived and fire their cannons, the Laegar fleet was forced to divert their assault to them. The Kraken then fired another volley to another Laegar ship but the ship still stood, The Kraken promptly left the battle. The Kraken left the battle!? Rath looked into his telescope to double-check. The Kraken really turned its sail and sailed away from the battle. Rath doesn''t know why but he is certainly not going to miss this chance. "Men!" Rath shouted into his communication artifact. "The Kraken has abandoned his comrades and fled the battlefield. This is our chance to strike back!" """Uuoh!""" Morale was boosted and the war might not be so hopeless after all.
"W-We surrender," prince Rath Gareth Laegar weakly muttered through a voice amplification artifact. A white flag rose above the crow''s nest - but it was actually white undergarments hastily torn and sewn into one, he didn''t have a proper flag of surrender. That day, the Celeste kingdom had successfully defended the island kingdom against the invading Laegar kingdom for the third time. Even with the help of Jake Rhaims and his ''water sorcery'' destroying two-thirds of the invading force, a recording from the Orb of Memorization had proved that the Celestian navy wasn''t useless. The Celestian navy had shown its prowess against the elite ships of the Laegar fleet. Even with most of the fleet destroyed, the elite ships that defined the Laegar war power were not touched by Jake''s ''water sorcery'' as only the weaker ships were targeted. Instead, the elites were bested by the ''inferior'' Celestian navy. Prince Rath Gareth Laegar was captured following the surrender along with all of the nobles except one - who had gone too far ahead of the fleet and was later found destroyed with the entire crew dead - that participated in the war. It was another humiliating defeat for the Laegar kingdom as the prince had to fashion a white flag out of underthings in which one Jake Rhaims found out and made a laughingstock among the Celestians. Alicia Chapter 17.1: Fighting the Demon Lord in the Shadows - Brief Manegia Year 1421 A week after the shenanigans in the aquatic world with a very... unique marine life that was the Osianicd Archipelago, the two Court Wizards recruited this year along with their mentor we''re called again for another mission that happened on Saturdays. Taking the elevator to the second floor of the castle of the Otherworldly Court, they went into the fire chamber. The Fire Guardian was not in the room, however, but there was Rose Bloodlight, the vampire, sitting in a wheelchair pushed by James, the former (technically) vampire hunter, in the fire chamber. "Hello, Aqua," Alicia greeted with the wave of her hand, "and hello Rose, James, what brings the both of you here?" "Greetings, Alicia," Rose replied. "And Owen too, we were called in by Aqua for this mission." The albino spotted the raven-haired girl with a long-cylindrical bag strapped on her back. "You must be Haruto''s sister, Rin correct?" she said, "my name is Rose Bloodlight, pleased to meet you." "Yes, I am Rin Fujiwara." Rin gave a bow. "Nice to meet you!" The black-haired girl stared at the wheelchair-bound girl for a while until Rose asks, "Is there something?" "Uhn, um... You''re so pretty..." Rin meekly said while blushing. True, for a woman over two hundred years old, Rose Bloodlight looked like a beautiful woman in her prime. With silver hair and a pair of crimson eyes giving her a bewitching look along with pale porcelain skin. Not to mention, her bodily curves in the right place adding to her maturity and... Nope, I am definitely not jealous of that. You said it! Alicia was definitely not envious of one of her first friends'' (after Owen) bountiful chest that rivaled her mother''s. "Why, thank you, Rin," Rose mused. "And..." Rin looked at her wheelchair. "Oh, it is a long story," Rose said, "it is something that happened a few years ago. It does not hinder me at all actually," standing up from her wheelchair, "see? I am using loyal maneg to help me stand up and use a wheelchair because it is dangerous to use loyal maneg frequently." "Uhn, glad your okay!" Rin smiled. "Thank you," The vampire giggled. "I have heard about what happened to your brother, I am sure he will be fine and you can surely find him." "Thank you!" Well, Rin Fujiwara can surely put a smile on everyone''s faces. Though it seemed that the particular blonde hair boy was ignored entirely. an: in other words, I''m not wasting words on him. Voice: poor lad! an: *sigh* now why do did I decide to write 4th wall break. Voice: dunno! You forgot to put my input! an: well, as I finished this chapter I realized I completely forgot to put her dialogues. Again, all of Voice''s dialogue ends with an exclamation mark so I will not clarify her name in any of her dialogue.
After Rin gave an adorable reaction when the vampire told the human girl of her race, the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Fire, Aqua, came inside the chamber with the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Air, Will, in tow (read: dragged along). Beckoning (read: throwing) the Air Guardian inside her chamber, she said, "I see everyone is present, good. We will start the briefing." The Court Wizards sat on the sofas while Aqua closed the curtains of the balcony and pulled down a blank screen hanging in the ceiling in front of her desk. She then boots up the computer on her desk, went to the short table between the sofas where the others are sitting and turned on the projector prepared on that table. All the while the pixie, Voice, is at the table munching cookies. "Uhn? Why is there a projector?" Rin inquired, tilting her head. Wondering why there was modern tech in a medieval world with magic. "Because it is convenient," Aqua replied. "Even if we do not interfere with advancements in technology in worlds, that does not mean we cannot use them to better our job." And light was projected onto the blank screen. "But most of us could not understand post-modern technology, so we do not generally use it. There is also the matter of acquiring them," she concluded, pressing the remote button in her hand. A photo of a world was shown on the screen. It was an overview shot of the general landscape in which there were four main things: several kingdoms of many colors according to the number of visible castles there; mountains upon mountains whose life had faded taking up the middle right side of the picture with a huge grim castle at the center; and a thick line of forestry separating the previous two items apart in a semi-circle, encircling the latter - as you go from the first to the second item the greenery gets darker; finally, many beacons of light scattered throughout the map, every kingdom had at least one while there was only one dark beacon at the dark grim castle. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "This," Aqua began, "is Geron Yor. We do not need to be explained every detail of this world so we will cut to the chase." She then scrolled to a hand-drawn illustration that showed a glowing yellow manly figure, he was striking a T-pose and had a halo on his head; another manly figure that has a green color so dark it could be mistaken for black, he had an exaggerated wicked appearance. "Eew! Those are really ugly drawings!" Ignoring the pixie with a mouth full of cookies, she continued, "In this world, there were two deities (after that, various lesser spirits and such): the Yellow Deity and the Green Deity. "Now, the Creation Deity was, of course, the one who created Geron Yor and was the sole deity in that world. "The Green Deity, however, was not a deity from Geron Yor, rather he was an alien to the world. He was called a deity by the masses so we went along with it. We do not know where the Green Deity comes from as the archives relating to him were corrupted two hundred years ago and we still have not repaired it. He seems to be an Outsider that had come to Geron Yor and decided to stay there." Aqua then showed a picture of the two deities fighting each other. The Yellow deity had the Geron Yor denizens at his side while the Green Deity had his own army of dark green. "Long story short, the two deities ended up fighting and the Yellow Deity was winning, because of that the Green Deity did this." The greater water spirit pushed the remote control button again. The overview picture of Geron Yor was shown again, but it was zoomed to the thick forestry. "This," Aqua dramatically spoke, "is the Green Line. The Green Line is the forestry spawned by the Green Deity. It is sentient and can move left and right according to this map." The next picture shown was another overview but this time the Green Line was at the center and the landscape between the line to the easternmost side was of the wasteland. "Anything and anything that the Green Line passes through gets corrupted. Plantlife instantly dies while humans and animals are slowly killed so they could not stay at the other side for too long. The Green Deity''s monsters, of course, gets unaffected, rather they thrive inside their deity''s domain." Then the presentation switched to a gold pedestal shining a pure white light. There were many of these scattered throughout the Yellow Deity''s domain. However, the ones on the other side of the globe we''re of green color. "In response, the Yellow Deity created these Beacons that pushes back the Green Line. The problem is, the Green Deity''s minions could corrupt them and allow the Green Line to go pass them." "Wow, that''s some really good defense!" With everybody sighing on Voice''s sarcastic remark, Aqua continued "But, the Geron Yor natives can convert the corrupted Beacons back. "This has been the state of this world for centuries: each side fighting over the Beacons, constantly losing and winning back Beacons. Most of the time, it had been a stalemate, but..." The projector now goes back to the first picture. "As you can see here, the Green Deity is on his last legs." "Does he have legs though!?" "He does. Right now, he is down to a single Beacon which is surrounded inside a fortress he built. The Yellow Deity''s army is now making preparation for the ultimate assault on the fortress." "So, are we trying to kill the Green Deity, Master Aqua?" Rin asked. "No," Aqua bluntly said. "Uhn? Why?" "Because of rule number eight: Let actions be done by those who deserved it. While the Green Deity is an Outsider that is clearly cancerous to Geron Yor and must be eliminated, our rule implied that the extermination of the Green Deity should be done by the people of Geron Yor themselves. After all, you would not want to see someone else taking care of your problems when it should have been you, right?" Rin nodded in agreement as it does make sense. She then asks, "Then the Yellow Deity''s army will fight Green Deity?" "Yes, but apart from the Beacons, the Yellow Deity also appointed a champion blessed by himself to fight directly against the Green Deity," Aqua explained. She shifted the projector to show a picture of a young man with black hair wearing an overly gaudy set of armor, obviously to stand out as some sort of banner for which the Yellow Deity''s army can follow under. "There were several champions before him as they were unable to defeat the Green Deity in their lifetime. This boy here is the current champion chosen by the Yellow Deity. I believe his name is Rei, Rei Furuta." "Uhn?" Rin seemed to have noticed something about the man in the picture. Alicia too noticed something about this champion. Considering all the Japanese light novels her father had brought home to read and the obvious name, she mutters, "Do not tell me..." "Yes! This boy right here is a Japanese high-school student who was isekai''d to Geron Yor!" Aqua said cheerfully. Alicia could do nothing but sigh. But Rin seems confused. "Isekai''d?" she inquired, "what''s that?" "I thought you knew this kind of scenario," James, the former vampire hunter, commented. "It was you Japanese that gave the term ''isekai''d.''" True, it was the modern Japanese Court Wizards that mainstreamed the term ''isekai''d'' into the Otherworldly Court. Also, their light novels'' depiction of fantasy worlds (and also non-Japanese fantasy novels in ''Earths'') eerily resembles fantasy worlds the Otherworldly Court watches over. This must be the explanation for all of those fantasy novels that clogged the Bell manor''s bookshelves - they were relevant to the job. "James," Rose said, "Rin is from Rakarok-Earth World Merge, that world had merged its fantasy and ''Earth'' world together. Because the world is already ''another world'', the concept of it does not exist within Japanese literature." In other words, because Rin''s world is already isekai, nobody was writing it. "Anyway," Alicia said. "There is already a champion to fight the Green Deity, what is our role then?" "Our role is to make his job easier," Aqua answered. "We will come in and secretly weaken the Green Deity''s forces and sabotage any trick up his sleeves. We are doing this as this could be the decisive battle to end the Green Deity. Whilst upholding our rule, we will make sure that Rei Furuta strikes the nail on the Green Deity''s coffin." "Yes," Rose added. "This conflict has been dragged for too long. I have seen champion after champion being summoned or simply chosen among the natives and only go so much to conquer a few Beacons only to be lost again. Now that the war is about to be over, I would like to make sure it ends." "I see," Alicia muttered. She then realized something. "Rose, you said that you have seen several champions, how do know?" "Alicia," Owen said. "Rose is a 4th generation Court Wizard that started one hundred and seventy-five years ago." "Then that means...!?" "Yes," Rose mused. "Specifically, I was recruited one hundred and sixty years ago. So I have been serving for more than a century and a half, far longer than all the current Court Wizards here. I am a vampire after all." "Wow..." Rin gasped in awe. "I know right?" James added. "I was surprised too when she told me that." "Wow! You''re really old and you still look beautiful!" "Why thank you, Voice." The oldest serving Court Wizard thanked the pixie, it seemed Alicia''s representative of her Maneg Soul did not extend her incessant teasing to her master''s first friend after Owen. "Anyway," Aqua interrupted. "This presentation is over, we will now proceed to the planning on assisting the champion in defeating the Green Deity once and for all. William, please assist me." "Right." Alicia Chapter 17.2: Fighting the Demon Lord in the Shadows – Phase 1 Geron Yor Year 1334 First phase of the major operation against the Green Deity of Geron Yor. Day one. Deep inside the Green Line where it surrounds the Green Deity''s last territory with the sole Beacon keeping the place together, seven figures clad in brown roamed between the dry trees. Alicia, Aqua, James, Owen, Rin, Rose, and Will are now on the outskirts of the fortress of the Green Deity where a sickly green pillar of light shone through it.
"According to the Bell branch, the champion and the army will strike the fortress two weeks from now on. During the time, we will subtlely weaken the fortress'' defense in which we will break it into multiple phases," Aqua explained. "Phase one will be reducing the number of enemies for the champion''s party to fight against charging into the fortress." "And to make sure the Green Deity doesn''t notice," Will added, "we can only eliminate those close to the Green Line. That way, the central command wouldn''t notice and if they do, it will be assumed to be a skirmish with the Yellow Deity''s scouts and will be simply replaced. This is also a good way to reduce their numbers."
Rustling through the foliage, they reached their target. Just outside the Green Line, the Green Deity''s minions can be seen. They did not notice the Court Wizards'' presence. They were about the size of a fully grown man. They had basic armor for a foot soldier in this world - thin metal armor covering the torso and helmet - and each wields a spear while some use bows. What makes them apart from the humans of Geron Yor are their ghastly dark green skin and completely black cornea as if they had stones for eyes. Green tar-like liquid oozes out of their pores.
"Eew! That''s a really disgusting guy!" The pixie belched at the sight of the picture of the dark green figure. "These guys are the army of the Green Deity," Aqua explained. "They are spawned directly from him. As such, the people of Geron Yor simply call them ''Spawns.'' Our technical name for them is ''Acidic Green-Skinned Human'' as the green tar they constantly secrete are corrosive, so be careful. While they are a part of the Green Deity, they are fully autonomous and only the ''commander'' Spawns are telepathically linked to their deity. They are also ''programmed'' to be fully loyal to him, so persuasion would not work as the Green Deity himself is no longer opened to negotiations. Also, Spawns are considered to be monsters as only the commanders have a shred of intelligence for leading lesser Spawns, but even then it is only very simple orders. So treat them as other beasts we regularly clean up in other worlds." "A commander Spawn typically leads twenty-five to thirty spawns," Will added. "Under circumstances, we have to kill the commander first or the Green Deity will notice us." He swiped the remote control from his Guardian colleague and pressed it to show a picture of a different Spawn. He continued, "The commander Spawns are bigger and better equipped. It''s to add more survivability since if they''re gone, the rest are screwed. But that also makes them a huge target, so it''s pretty easy for us to find and kill them."
They quickly identified the commanding Spawn among the thirty or so crowd. It was taller than the rest, wearing a full set of steel armor and wields a halberd. I counted twenty-nine Spawns including the commander. There are five hundred and eighty-two Spawns equally spread out inner Green Wall outskirts. There are twenty Spawn commanders including the one in front of us, so that is twenty squads in total. (James) Woah, how did you know? (Rin) It is my only skill as a vampire hunter of the Crosdar family, my old clan. It was so weak back then and so I was deemed useless, - I am the weakest member of the family -but now I can accurately sense the numbers of every entity miles away and measure each of their threat levels which was how I deduce the number of commander Spawns. (James) Wow! (Rin) So you can smell girls kilometers away!? Voice, that is inappropriate! Forgive her, James. Though I imagine such ability is invaluable for Court Wizards. True. Similarly, the only extent of my skill as a vampire was only transforming my nails into sharp claws which I infrequently use and recently I was able to morph into a small bat but I could not maintain it for more than five seconds before leaving me in complete exhaustion. (Rose) Enough mind talk, I''ll kill the commander and you guys kill the others like what we discussed. Don''t crash your Orders with each other. (Will) Right. (Everybody else) With their emotion suppression kicking in, the Air Guardian stood there for a moment, gazing at the commanding Spawn under his brown hood. And then... SLASH This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. THUD He formed his air maneg into an extremely pressurized air in front of the green monstrosity that flew towards its neck, decapitating it. Then, its corpse suddenly and is gradually liquified, even its equipment melted into a green liquid. 28 Spawns left. BANG At once, James and Rose ejected a large amount of maneg (which is still less than a fraction of a single percent of their Maneg Souls - it''s used frequently so the Order has been adapted over centuries to use as little maneg as possible) launching themselves forward while materializing their Cherished Armaments. Where Rose has her red parasol; James'' Cherished Armament looks like a sickle with a crooked blade like a hook, the blade silver in color with a deep blue accent, and the handle has the same shade and was longer than your usual farming tool. As the less intelligent minions of the Green Deity started to notice their commander''s demise, the vampire and its hunter rushed in the diverging direction each towards a group of Spawns. James lifted his weapon to behind his back and yanked it forward causing the blade to separate from the handle. A blue glowing string appeared between the grip and the blade as the latter goes further from the former. Manipulating the trajectory of the crooked metal, James swung his Cherished Armament flying towards a group of five Spawns. SLASH SLASH SLASH STAB YANK SWING STAB In an unrealistic arc of travel, the blade sliced three Spawns into two uneven parts and stuck deeply into the head of the fourth Spawn. James pulled it out to spin it in a circular manner and landed into the fifth in the neck. Giving off a deafening scream, the Spawns melted into a green puddle signalling its demise. 24 Spawns left. There was a Spawn to his left who could skewer him if left alone. However, his Cherished Armament is still stuck in the neck of the fifth Spawn that was still clinging onto its life. So, James struck out his left arm towards it and water maneg sprayed out of his left hand. SPLASH "Greoaioaioa...!" The Spawn shrieked as mist emanated from its skin where the water maneg hit. No, that is not mist, it''s vapor that comes out when boiling water. That water maneg was near the boiling point and sprayed onto the poor monster. If you don''t know what boiling hot water does to your skin if it''s spilled on you, then here''s the simplest version: it is painful and could burn your skin like fire - of you don''t treat it, it could be life-threatening. Well, Spawns were discovered to not receive heat very well and could easily melt like ice cream if you set it on fire - the Geron Yor army and champion made sure to bring all the fire-related weaponry available. As for this Spawn, it screamed painfully as its body breaks down from the scalding it received. Eventually, it was reduced to nothing but green paste on the dry ground. The other Spawn finally melted and James'' weapon became unstuck. 22 Spawns left. At the same time on the other side, Rose launched herself high in the air overlooking a mass of ten Spawns, still dazed at the sudden death of their leader. She formed ten [Javelins] as she vaults over the green monsters and sent it flying towards them. STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB Perhaps it was her 150+ years of experience showing that she was able to aim each and every javelin of fire maneg straight into between the Spawns eyes where their helmet did not cover. Even with her crippled leg being supported by her own loyal maneg, she has not lost her touch. 12 Spawns left. About three archer Spawns got a hold of themselves and saw the brown-hooded figure that just sent long thin stakes of red straight into ten of their kin''s head, instantly killing them without so much a scream. As they disintegrate into liquid mana to be absorbed and recycled by their master, the archer Spawns pulled their bowstrings and aimed it at their kin''s slayer. Seeing this, the parasol wielding Court Wizard simply opened her Cherished Armament. The parasol revealed its beautiful and intricate canopy of a red pattern of fire and flowers that resemble roses wide into the assailant''s view, though everybody would doubt these creatures would even know how to appreciate it as they still let go of their bowstrings to send their putrid green arrows flying. DING DING DING The canopy of the parasol blocked two arrows as if they were paper planes and one simply missed and landed into the hard ground and broke. Not letting up the chance while the archer Spawns have no arrows in their bows, Rose closed her parasol and held it like a sword. Just mere inches before she steps the ground surrounded by the Spawns, the vampire spun her body along with her Cherished Armament in a three hundred sixty degrees angle and the long sharp ferrule slashed the abdomens of the three archer Spawns. SLASH SLASH SLASH They were cut in half and fell to the ground with their bowels spilling out, and Rose backed away to prevent their acidic blood from touching her before they eventually melted in agony. 9 Spawns left. DRIZZLE As the leader of the water spirits in Spiri Raia, most of her powerful Spirit Arts comes from the help of her subordinates, lesser water spirits who don''t exist in Geron Yor rendering the ''greater'' water spirit the same as a lone water spirit. To make up for it, Aqua as the Fire Guardian had developed a Half-Order from Amelia Rickens'' suggestion. Catching up the two partners who launched into the battle first, she paused and struck both of her arms forward where circles of red appeared before her semi-transparent yet delicate hands. A high-pressure spray of water came out of her hands and passed through the fiery circles. Hot steam came out of it for this Half-Order is the result of the contradicting Element of her Maneg Soul with her species. The circle fire maneg formation acts as a boiler superheating the water that came out of her Spirit Art into a high concentration of steam of high-temperature. While hot steam can be good for therapy, it can also cause first degree burns if it''s like boiling water to your face. And that''s exactly what happened to the last nine Spawns that looked over the ground where their dead commander''s watery corpse laid. The scalding mist penetrated deep into their skin as they shrieked in pain and suffering. For their flesh is so weak that the scalding even caused their bones and inner organs to be seen, quite grotesque. It wasn''t long that they too shared the same fate as their comrades. 0 Spawns left. First Spawn squad defeated, 19 more to go. Suppressions off, for now. That... is very gory... Alicia expressed in the global [Telepathy]. She looks to Rin, concerned with a child seeing the carnage caused by the senior Court Wizards and Guardians. Seeing these high levels of gore in real life was something else than what was shown in death montages - part of the training for Court Wizards was watching violent videos in order to be desensitized by it. But the perceptive little girl had caught on to what she was thinking and answered with her [Telepathy]. Uhn, I''m okay. I guess you can say... I am already used to it since I''m little. (Rin) Ah... That''s right, according to her adopted grandfather (father technically), Daisuke Fujiwara, his adopted granddaughter had witnessed her parents'' death and possibly more during the terrorist attack in the hospital she was in. And Rakarok, the fantasy world before it got merged with its ''Earth'' had many horrible ways to die. Darcassan Erith, the Dark Guardian, and Ilezenya Erith, the Nature Guardian, can attest to that being natives there long before the merging. Come on, we''re going. (Will)
"Then, we will eliminate the enemies on the outskirts of the inner part of the Green Wall, we will split up and work our way towards the sides." Alicia Chapter 17.3: Fighting the Demon Lord in the Shadows - Phase 1 After, a Barbecue PIING Manegia Year 1421 It had taken hours upon hours and they had skip lunch but they have finally routed all of the Green Deity''s Spawns that was guarding the Green Line. It wasn''t so bad for the two junior Court Wizards after the team split up to quickly dispatch the sentries. Well, their seniors did most of the work which the manner they did leave Rin in awe, squealing "That was so cool!" in Japanese after the emotion suppression was off when they meet up at the other side of the Green Line from where they started - the overview shot on Geron Yor did not show this. Voice: hah-hah! That was just a poor excuse! You messed up with describing the Green Line being a half-circle now! an: remind me why I make this ''mistake'' mocking me now? Or rather, starting this 4th wall break skit in the first place!? Voice: hmm!? What ''mistake!?'' an: you don''t need to know Alicia went with Owen and William while Rin was with the rest. The black-haired girl had rambled on how James was flawless with his ''hook and chain thingy'' and also Rose''s skill with her parasol. Again, she was not disturbed with the sight of Spawns getting their skin melted by the Fire Guardian''s [Steam] Order even after the suppression was deactivated, or the whole brutality in general - a result of the need for speed and efficiency. Alicia herself was and hence, chose to not go with Aqua. As for injuries, all had gotten out relatively unscathed. Once you know your enemy, it will be easier to avoid getting hurt by it. For the weakest of Spawns that roamed the outskirts, it''s best to kill them from range to avoid getting hit by their acidic blood. Actually, Rin almost got drenched in acidic Spawn blood when she tried to strike one with her brother''s katana - she was trying to emulate Rose who had clearly been fighting Spawns for more than a century now - but James managed to pull her to safety with his hook - it can be made dull to safely yank people or things. She was promptly scolded by Rose for her reckless behavior after the battle, Alicia saw her vampire friend giving Rin a good scolding. Other than that are a few robes that were damaged and that''s about it. "Good work everyone," Aqua said. "It is already past lunchtime so Some Food Court should be closed for the time being-" "Eh! How can Some Food Court close between lunch and dinner!? People still want to have late lunches like us! I''m starving!" After Voice''s interruption, the greater water spirit continued, "they needed rest too. So I will be cooking our late lunch, does anyone would like to help me?" "I shall," Rose complied. "I will join you as well." Alicia looked at Owen and said, "can you help us too, Owen?" Owen paused for a moment and answered, "Sure, why not?" "Be sure not to make it cold!" "Shut up, Voice." Voice: now that Some Food Court closed so you can make an excuse for a cooking scene, huh!? an: yeah, so what? Voice: it sounds so stupid! an: STFU Voice: *gasps* an: well, I''m genuinely having fun making these skits. Now let me figure out what they will cook.
And they ended up holding a barbecue. Why? an: because I got no other idea. I''m not writing Voice bashing me for the third time in the same freaking chapter. Anyway, all the other Court Wizards and staff currently in the Otherworldly Court have already eaten and thus refused the invitation given, so it was just the Court Wizards that gotten back from Geron Yor. Amelia Rickens had built a grill that worked with fire maneg, hence a Catalyst. Rose remembered the scientist making it out of sheer curiosity on whether it would work or not. She has always been making Catalysts once she made the most important discovery of the eleven Elements of Maneg. Frankly, for as... unique as she was, Amelia had done what no other Court Wizards had done. Though it was due to various factors that lead to no one properly studying the Elements for more than one thousand and four hundred years. Mostly due to the time before the Otherworldly Court was formed, where the Elements were not united but that was a story for another time. But even then, the Wizards of the Otherworldly Court were also uninterested in maneg research and had their duty. In conclusion, until Amelia Rickens came, most Orders created were too simple (but deadly) like [Elemental Ball] or [Javelin] due to the lack of understanding and most was made through trial and error. Some Elements like light were not recorded to carry out Orders for a long time as light maneg users tried to use healing Orders with light maneg. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. By the way, she also discovered that understanding the concept of the Order can help the Maneg Soul to understand and carry it out. Mind the word ''can'' as some Maneg Souls simply cannot fathom some of the more complicated Orders that pushes the boundaries of ''Earth'' science, much to Amelia''s frustration. Usually, they are the pre-modern Court Wizards that make up most of the forces. Some were able to after extensive grilling by the blonde-haired researcher. Now back to the barbecue, Amelia didn''t mind the grill Catalysts, there were four made (convenient), being taken by Rin, though she did ask her to give her some barbecue to the upper light chamber as she was tinkering with another Catalyst. "Here''s the grill," Rin said as she put down a small grill Catalyst on the balcony of the fire chamber. The boys helped carry the other three bigger ones. The Catalysts were red in color and had runes carved over the sides, a line connects the runes to a circle on top of the grill. Except for the smaller one as the design was not... consumer-friendly, must be the prototype. "Thank you, Rin." The Fire Guardian said, "now we will need to get some ingredients, I have the spices stored over the cabinet but I have not visited the grocery store yet so the refrigerator is empty." "Shall we go buy them then?" Alicia asked. "Oh, no need," Aqua said, "I will order them online." And she pulled out a blue smartphone from the desk''s drawer and fiddled with it. "Online?" "Uhn?" "We have internet," Rose explained. "Your father managed to set it up and it covers our territory right now. The four nations also have access but only for the governors for ease of communication." "Wow!" Rin gasped. "My father really did that?" Alicia mumbled. "Well, it was somebody that had the idea," Rose continued, "he was from an ''Earth'' few decades ahead of yours, but your father had the finance to do it." "I see..." Alicia cringed. What else did her father do, built an online transportation and delivery service that can be operated on a smartphone app? KNOCK KNOCK "Oh!" Aqua exclaimed. "That must be the delivery, I will open it." CREEK "Good afternoon, Lady Fire Guardian." A man in a grey uniform greeted her. He had an emblem of a rusty bell stitched to his left breast pocket and was holding a cardboard box. "Here is your delivery, and it has been paid online." Father did introduce BellDe a couple of years ago. Did father set one up here, Owen? Yeah, he did. (Owen) Alicia sighed mentally. BellDe (Bell Delivery) was a courier service that helped many people receiving work. Alicia now found out that her father got the idea from two similar rivalling services created from two different countries in Southeast Asia in another ''Earth'' during the time Ronald was still doing Court Wizard work. Geez, did dad make Eb*y to? The Fire Guardian took the package from the BellDe employee. "Thank you very much," he said and promptly left.
SIZZLE SIZZLE "And we are done!" Aqua said happily. Plates full of the aroma of a grilled meat of many kinds filled the long wooden table that was brought into the balcony - it was lifted, with ''magic,'' from outside the castle by the way. The girls (and boy) who cooked the meat really outdid themselves, there was too much barbecue that the table could barely hold them all. There were also grilled vegetables cooked by Rin in the prototype grill Catalyst because Will, the Air Guardian, was vegetarian because he didn''t like meat, not because he''s an animal lover - he chopped countless of animals - but because meat tastes crap to him. And of course, they didn''t forget to bring some to Amelia, she was cooped up with her research that she didn''t eat. Granted, there was too much food so they gave some of them to whoever''s in the Otherworldly Court. "Thank you for the meal!" Rin gave a prayer. And the very-late lunch started. While the Court Wizards are enjoying their food. "Miss Bloodlight?" Rin called for the vampire. "Yes, Rin?" Rose replied. "Also, you may call me Rose." "Okay, Rose. You''ve been a Court Wizard for a long time. How was it?" Before the longest-serving Court Wizard answers, she peeled a grilled chicken off the stick with a fork, and then stabbing it with a fork and putting it in her mouth. Voice: that''s a really graceful way of eating barbecue! Hey, why is this bold!? an: cause you already said that offscreen. Voice: but this is a written story, not a film! an: great, I just made her bully me for the third time. Rose answered, "If I must say... It is bittersweet." "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head. She was still green after all. But for everybody else, Alicia somewhat includes, that answer perfectly describes it. "I have seen three generations passed with both good and bad memories. I was still going back and forth from Arknoir and here. "Starting from the aftermath of the ''incident'' a century and three quarters ago, there were still visible scars in this castle even a decade and a half later when I came here for the first time. It was quite amusing when Master Kenzie and the other Guardians called the wasteland formed after the ''incident'' Training Grounds on a whim and became stuck. They were so old and their wounds from the ''incident'' meant that one by one, they passed on. Eventually, the fourth generation of Guardians make way. "It was painful to see them pass away, but when others who lived long like me retire, I still remain." "Do you regret it?" Rin asked softly. "No, not one bit." Rose shook her head with a smile. Sipping her tea, she continued, "for one thing, I have met your brother when he was still a child nine years ago, he was really cute. Of course, that goes for you three." James, Owen, and Will almost choked their grilled fish, grilled beef, and grilled baby corn respectively. James was particularly flustered. "I have seen young Richard and Jill brandished their weapons against each other first thing they met," Rose continued. "Master Zekie broke them up before they got into a fight." In Irongrad, two particular knights hailing from two different kingdoms shivered while minding their own business. One was sparring with her fellow knight while the other was doing nature''s call. "I have also seen your father when he was recruited, Alicia." Rose''s next remark got Alicia''s attention. "He was mentored by Joshua, Owen''s father along with..." "Hm?" "Never mind," she shrugged. "Your father had a chubby face, you know. I have a picture." Rose opened her smartphone that shows Alicia''s father in his younger days, he had a very round face and is slightly overweight. "Eh!? This is my father?" Alicia said surprisingly. In Kaomagi Earth, Ronald suddenly sneezed during a business meeting. "Here is your father, Owen." Rose showed a picture of a tall young man with white hair. He was peacefully sleeping on a couch. Owen looked at the picture silently. "Wow! Your dad''s pretty tall, Short Cream!" Everybody else just looked at the pixie, with a mouth full of sauce. It took her a moment to realize what she did. "I-I''m sorry...!" "Eh, sure." Alicia Chapter 17.4: Fighting the Demon Lord in the Shadows - Phase 2, Sabotage Did Aqua mention that this mission was very big? Phase 1 was thinning the Spawns by the outskirts of the inner side of the Green Wall. While the attack on Saturday had certainly wiped them out, they were quickly replaced. And so, the Otherworldly Court had to do this. Throughout the whole week, a different group of Court Wizards consists of whoever reported for duty on that particular day of the week. Then, they will transfer to Geron Yor and eliminate the Spawns throughout the outskirts of the inner side of the Green Wall. When the next batch of Spawns comes in, the whole process was repeated. This tedious and repetitive task will weaken the Green Deity as he will have to either to use his power to constantly replace the Spawns or abandon the first line of defense against the oncoming army. Either choice will serve the Yellow Deity''s army. If you''re wondering about the whole being secretive about the whole operation, that only applies to the native Geron Yor residents. It doesn''t matter if the Green Deity knows about it - he''s going to die after all. Heck, he might already have an idea about a third party interfering with the war for centuries. And there was a rumor that according to the lost records, the Green Deity knew about the Court Wizards. But it will be inconvenient if the Green Deity saw the Court Wizards and analyze their capabilities through the eyes of the commander Spawns, hence they were prioritized for elimination. Besides, that was the secondary objective, the primary objective was this.
PIING Geron Yor Year 1334 Four Court Wizards in matching brown robes traversed the rocky hills in the vast territory of the Green Deity. Avoiding patrol Spawns as they went.
"Phase one is doing great," Aqua said. "After excessive genocide against the Spawns, the Green Deity had given up on bolstering the front line altogether, for now. And all the while he might think some elite unit of the Yellow Deity''s army did it." "Yeah, MIGHT!" "Anyway," Aqua continued, "we can now begin phase two. Now, normally the two of you should not be doing this, but you and Rin should at least observe how this particular mission is done so both of you will come along. You will be accompanied by Darc."
Because carrying three more humans within Shadow Teleportation in this situation was simply a waste of magic and exhausting, Darcassan Erith opted to lead Alicia, Rin, and Owen on foot. Stay behind these rocks and observe. (Darc) Okay, mister Darc. (Rin) Darc sunk into the shadow he created with his Progressive Half-Order and it moved to a clearing where there are Spawns. However, these Spawns are more scrawny and did not have any combative equipment. They instead wore rags dirtied by the rocky ground they were prodding with a stick. The ground they were tinkering with has a green circle filled with symbols and such. There were multiple runes embedded to the ground around the outer lining of the circle which Alicia could read thanks to her Maneg Soul and it read: Manual Activation, Weakness, Amplification, Amplification, Amplification, Link, Retain. As they are not in combat, the emotion suppression was deactivated. This causes Alicia to wince the sight of these creatures. She looked to her side to see Rin completely unfazed by the sight, and so was Owen. Though Alicia suspects the latter was used to see this kind of thing.
"Eew! They''re skinny!" "These Spawns are the magic engineer type," Aqua explained. "These guys do not fight the enemy but instead, they create traps and other defenses in every territory they captured. They are not fighters so they are easy picking and the fact they work deep inside their own territory means they are guarded, though they still have their own commander Spawn."
The engineer Spawns were too busy with the work that they did not notice the patch of moving shadow without the object that should have cast it. Though it could also be their design to not get distracted by anything and anything that they failed to recognize such things as Darc moved his ''shadow'' formation right in front of one of them. Well, even more so because right in the middle of the circle, Darc emerged halfway with a parchment and the Spawns still did not register their presence.
"While they are more lacking in the awareness department," she continued, "the commander Spawn of these groups are connected to the Green Deity, so if it spotted you, the Green Deity will send a squad to hunt you guys down. So do not get caught by them."
The commander Spawn was not looking at Darc''s position when he emerged, though Darc did have to wait for a few moments for the commander Spawn to turn its back. The dark elf then placed the parchment onto the circle and it quietly sinks to the ground. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Afterwards, Darc sunk back into his shadow and went back to Alicia''s group. What was that paper? It''s a scroll from this world that will cause the magic circle to blow up if it activates. (Darc) Do we leave them alone? (Rin) Yes, if they are dead the Green Deity will get suspicious. (Owen) We move to the next one. (Darc)
"So the Green Deity plans to activate four magic circles which will cast a spell onto the Yellow Deity''s army when they enter his territory which will cause the army to be put under the disadvantage. This phase ensures that it will never happen. In other words, we are sabotaging him."
There were a total of four circles prepared to entrap the Yellow Deity''s army, based on the information gathered from observation a few weeks prior to this mission. Each circle was placed evenly distanced each other so that when all of the circle activates at the same time, the circles link with each other to cover almost the whole territory. The circle ''Weakness'' was doomed to fail from the start now, three more to go. Quietly traversing the rocky plains, Darc suddenly lifted his arm up to signal a stop. Behind those rocks. Now. (Darc) Instinctively, the Court Wizards hopped into the shadow of a particularly huge rock on the side of the crossroad. CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP The sound of horses entered their sense of hearing. Moments later, the ones responsible for the sound was seen. It was another Spawn, it''s the only beings here anyway aside from the Court Wizards. But this particular Spawn rode on horseback, which was similarly green in color too and the horse had armor too. The Spawn itself wore the most cool-looking (according to Rin''s remark with [Telepathy]) set of armor which was black in color and it carried a great sword which is definitely not a mass-production type. Also, the Spawn had a black eye patch covering its left ugly eye. The horseback Spawn and its entourage of Spawns that have equipment on par with commander Spawns brushed pass the huge rock where the Court Wizards are hiding behind. The Spawn looked at the rock, giving the recruited Court Wizards a jump in their hearts, but Darc quietly muttered something and the Spawn simply turned away and ordered its men to carry on. But before that, the Court Wizards were able to hear its grumble. "Damn whoever killed the lookouts," the horseback Spawn said. "Great Deity had activated the magic circle too many times every time they were killed. Their position could be compromised."
"Excuse me, miss Aqua," Rin interrupted. "How do you know there are four magic circles?" "Very perceptive," Aqua praised. "I forgot to mention this but every time we kill the Spawns in phase one, the Green Deity would panic and activate the magic circles, which does not cover the outskirts. We used a magic detecting tool to pinpoint the locations of the magic circles every time they are activated. With the fifth time the circles are activated, we were able to determine the number and the position of each magic circle." In other words, phase 1 was actually baiting the Green Deity to turn on the magic circles enough time to know where they are. Those few Spawns in the outskirts are simply there to alert the Green Deity when the invaders came and activate the magic circles in time. Most Spawns are concentrated in the middle that could reach tens of thousands - Spawns rely on strength in numbers. Voice: and that''s a perfect excuse for the first phase which doesn''t make sense in terms of us at all! an: *sigh*
What was that Spawn? Yes, he looks pretty cool! (Rin) That''s a general Spawn, it''s the strongest Spawn the Green Deity could create. They also have names and their own personalities and are not stupid like the rest of their kind. That general Spawn is called Gra. Also, I simply cast an area spell so they wouldn''t think of looking here. (Darc) I see... Our mission is to sabotage the magic circles, not assassinating the generals. That phase will be done the day before the invasion by the Yellow Deity''s army. (Darc) Why? (Rin) The Green Deity can regenerate the general Spawns too. I heard Gra had been killed multiple times already by the champion. (Darc) The coast is clear, let''s go. (Owen) Right. an: since they are going to do the same thing three times, we will fast forward to the aftermath part. Voice: oh my, the author is being lazy! an: STFU! Voice: *gasps* :o
Manegia Year 1421 They were able to ''tinker'' with the other three magic circles without much issue. Although there were numerous times the Court Wizards could have been caught, Darc made sure to not let it happen. The closest scenario where they get spotted was when they ran into Gra''s group, one of the general Spawns. Gra seems to like wandering around the territory in his spare time - general Spawns normally sit back in the fortress and not doing patrols. This meant he had no clear pattern of travel and lady luck was not smiling at the Court Wizards that there were no hiding spots so Darc had to bring the other three Court Wizards into his artificial shadow. In the Dark Guardian''s chamber. (Alicia and Owen are back at the fire chamber.) "Mister Darc, mister Darc!" Rin jumped up and down whilst holding the armrest of the chair Darc was sitting while drinking tea. "Can you tell me about the general Spawns?" "Rin, settle down. Let big brother finish his tea." Came from a voice of a young woman. She was a few dozens taller than Rin. Golden blonde hair that reached her waist and bright green eyes. She wore a lime-green dress and a white apron over her petite frame. What sets her apart from a human is her pointy ears that are half the length of Darc''s ears, and her porcelain skin, unlike his brown skin. "Okay, Zenya..." Rin pouted. She was Ilezenya Erith, Darcassan Erith''s younger sister and the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Nature. Like ''Darc'', everybody calls her ''Zenya'' as ''Ilezenya'' was a mouthful. "I baked some cake if you would like." Zenya put down a tray of chocolate cake on the table. "Yay! Thank you!" Rin beamed. It just so happened that Darc gulped the last bit of his drink and puts down his teacup on the saucer. "Alright, I''ll tell you about Gra," he said. "Uhn!" Even though the two elves only get to know Rin for six years (six years isn''t long for elves), she was like a little sister to them. Her cheery attitude and optimism that held on in spite of everything (i.e. Haruto missing) meant that they couldn''t resist her demands. Alicia Chapter 17 Extra 1: Phase ???, Assassination Geron Yor Year 1334 Sixteen hours. Sixteen hours before the Yellow Deity''s army lay their final battle against the Green Deity''s army. Hanz Huber and his partner, Crea Snows, saw the encampment a few miles from the Green Wall through their own binoculars. They''re in high morale as the Fire Court Wizard assumed with their constant partying and drunken brawls even before sunset. These guys are attacking the last territory after the sun goes up and are way too relaxed. Heck, even the champion, Rei Furuta, was having a pissing contest with one of his companions. "Crea, let''s go." "I haven''t seen where the champion is." "...We don''t have time for that." "Is there something wrong with the champion?" "N-Nothing wrong. Let''s just get over our mission and leave." The night-sky haired maiden''s innocence must not be tainted by the sight of some isekai''d Asian kid making a game out of nature''s call with some topless tanned giant. To Hanz, Rei Furuta was just another kid who got way ahead of himself after being summoned and pronounced a hero in the other world, and he was dense as f*ck. Just like that Wanderer. Thinking about that whiny brat pissed him off even further. Well, it didn''t matter. As long as the isekai''d champion does his job then that will be another job finally off the checklist. According to Rose, some of the previous champions are worse: the last guy kicked the bucket literally a month after he got named champion when he spared a female-looking Spawn general and tried to get her on his side only for the Spawn to slit his throat. When the Green Deity saw the first summoned champion to die by something similar to the previous sentence, he started to create more attractive female general Spawns and champions were felled by those Spawns unless the champion was female. And so the Otherworldly Court had to make the decision to kill every female general Spawns on every opportunity - how very, and utterly embarrassing. By the way, this was mostly what Hanz and Crea do in Geron Yor even before the current champion, killing a bunch of green-skinned whores. Well, there was one female general Spawn that was missed and reached the champion. Fortunately, Rei Furuta had the sense to kill her, so at least he knew what Spawns are at their core. So that''s one relief. Now back to the story. Hanz and Crea, in their brown robes, foraged through the Green Wall. There weren''t any monsters lurking inside the trees - at one point in time, a more competent champion at that time managed to make it so that the Green Wall was completely harmless but the shifting in position and corrupting living plants. This served Hanz and Crea well as they don''t need to worry about potential ambushes from the branches. They only need to be vigilant of scout Spawns, but there shouldn''t be any inside the Green Wall right now. Hanz, I spotted the Spawns. (Crea) They saw another batch of sentry Spawns just outside the forestry their master set up. Another fresh sentry after the fifth time they were wiped out. Right, circle around them. They quietly rustled their way to the left of the Green Wall, away from the squad of Spawns. Once they got far away from them, but not too close to the next sentry, the two simply marched forward into the Green Deity''s territory.
15.5 hours left. Half an hour has passed painfully traversing the uneven terrain. CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP It was Gra and his squad patrolling through the rocky hills. Well, he was probably just out for a walk because he likes it. Hanz heard the sound of the horses and pulled Crea behind the rocks far from the road.
"Gra is a very old general Spawn created. At least five hundred years old," Darc explained "Older than you, Darc, Zenya?" Rin asked. "Yes."
This general Spawn had been one of the earlier creation of the Green Deity and has been seen in most battles, at least according to the records held by the kingdoms of Geron Yor. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"So he fought a lot of champions." The black-haired girl commented. "Yes," Zenya said, " and he is a problem for us as champions couldn''t beat him. But he had made a name for himself, so we couldn''t prohibit him from facing the champion or it would be too suspicious."
Many fell before the Spawn''s greatsword. And when Gra had finally been defeated, he will only rise again, stronger than before. His infamy for killing many champions had earned him the moniker, ''The Champions'' Rival.''
"Can you beat him?" Rin asked. "...Yes, but it will be hard directly fighting him alone." Giving a pause, Darc gave an answer. "And a lot of maneg will be wasted."
Gra was not one to be trifled with, even for Court Wizards. Hanz remembered the time he got caught by the general Spawn, Crea wasn''t recruited back then. Back then, Hanz underestimated the power gap between the common Spawn and the general, also he didn''t know any powerful Orders. He opted to give him a full clip from his machine gun to Gra only for the Spawn to send shockwaves through the earth with his swings, and he can do that repeatedly!
"And his skin is tougher than average and has minor regeneration. Also, he has advanced acid-based magic."
His brown robe got hit by acid and started to dissolve. Fortunately, Rose designed it to be very tough, yet very light. Hanz managed to escape him and then threw his acidified robe before it reached his uniform.
"I believe Hanz almost got killed by him," Zenya noted. "Fortunately, he is not."
Although his death would make the Otherworldly Court become more proactive in Geron Yor, specifically Gra. Ironic since the Otherworldly Court would cherish their Court Wizards so much that they will avenge each of their demise''s, specifically the problems they had to deal with that caused their deaths. According to Rose, that gave one Court Wizard the bright idea to get herself killed to get the other Court Wizards, Rose included, to become more proactive with a specific problem festering in her world - and it worked. And unfortunately, the feeling of staying alive so others wouldn''t drive was the only thing keeping this incident from happening again. Alright, it''s clear. move out. Roger. (Crea) Once the clip-clop sounds of the horses faded away, the two emerged from their cover and moved on.
14 hours left. One and a half-hour was wasted on avoiding patrols. "I found the target, two o''clock two windows up." Crea had her binoculars gazing all over the fortress of very dark green that it could be mistaken for black. She stopped at a particular angle. "Target sighted." Aiming the scope of his sniper rifle, an anti-material similar to the American Barrett M90, Hanz then grunted. "Blast, she left the window," he growled. He did not want to damage the building, even though his Cherished Armament of choice says otherwise. Their mission was to assassinate a few general Spawns that the Green Deity recently created to combat the incoming army. Hanz and Crea had memorized the general Spawns that had clashed the Yellow Deity''s army before. So all they had to do is find a decent-looking Spawn that they don''t recognize and snipe them. "I spotted another one, on top of the west tower in front." "Roger. I''ll shoot that one first." Slightly lifting his rifle, the scope shows a Spawn with armor that looked Mongolian with a long now strapped to his back. He was actually taking a nap. This Cherished Armament - out of who knows how many, for Hanz was the Court Wizard with the most Cherished Armaments period - has a suppressor attached through maneg. The first shot wouldn''t alert the Green Deity by sound nor the target''s death as he himself was focusing his link with the commander Spawns outside - there are also too many commanders Spawns for the Green Deity to monitor alongside the generals, so Hanz could take out more of them in the meantime. The headhunt will be over when the Green Deity finally noticed, and he should simply send a bunch of Spawns after them and not attempt to activate the rigged magic circles. Hanz held his breath and pulled the trigger.
13.75 hours left. "After them!" Gra shouted while he ran, his horse had been killed. Hanz managed to shoot seventeen general Spawns before Gra decided to wander right at the very edge of the cliff where the Court Wizards are! Gra shot out two sickly green balls of liquid to disintegrate the two intruders. PHSA PHSA But a blue dome that cackled lightning from the clouds suddenly appeared, surrounding the brown-cloaked figures. The acid spell was instead the ones that disintegrated upon contact with the dome. Keep running! We gotta find a spot to throw my flashbang without getting us spotted again! Using [Eject] will just announce us to the entire army! Due to PTSD, Hanz''s emotion suppression broke. He can''t help it when there''s a green-skinned muscle man sending shockwaves to the ground and shooting acid balls. And he can''t kill Gra nor his entourage either because of reasons - he only shot the horse to slow the Spawn down. Hanz, calm down. Archer Spawns to our front. (Crea) A squad consisting of purely archer Spawns converged in front of them. With the commander, they numbered twenty... RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA Five. And now it''s zero archer Spawns left as Hanz materialized an SMG similar to an FN P90 and demolished the archers before they could fire of their second volley. Though the first volley simply bounced off from Crea''s [Shield] while Hanz''s bullets simply passed through it no problem. There, we can escape safely there. (Crea) The still level-headed Crea pointed a crossroad with many hiding spots. "You have nowhere to run- Gah!" PINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG As the Court Wizards stopped at the middle of the crossroad, with more Spawns coming out from all sides, Gra''s speech was interrupted by a flash of light, blinding everyone. "Where are they!?" Gra howled when the light faded. The intruders we''re nowhere to be seen. "Find them! Find them!" he frustratingly growled.
13.5 hours left. Emotion suppression off. "Phew... They''re gone," Hanz huffed, taking out his canteen of water and drank it. He then gave it to Crea. After the flashbang was set off, Hanz and Crea jumped into a nearby trench hidden among the environment and hoped the Spawns wouldn''t find them. "Thanks." Crea took the canteen took a sip. "Were you that afraid of him?" she asked. "What do you think? He''s the first thing that almost killed me!" Hanz stood up and took Crea''s hand to lift her up. "Let''s get out of here." "Yes." Alicia Chapter 18.1: The Wanderer - Encounter Geron Yor Year 1334 Half a day after the Yellow Deity''s army begins their final battle against the Green Deity. "They lost." Rose deadpanned. "Even though everything we have prepared had gone all accordingly." The Court Wizards had transferred to Geron Yor to see the results. There, they saw absolute carnage as mangled acidified bodies of the natives of this world littered all around the rocky territory, painting it red on top of the green the Spawn left behind. Around the front gate of the fortress, there was one dark-skinned tall man who was without upper armor nor clothing so his muscles could be seen, but it still wasn''t seen as it was dissolved completely that his half-melted organs was exposed. Right arm disconnected with the rest of the body holding a great sword broken in half. Arrows and spears stuck all over his body that it made him a porcupine. His face was skull white, literally - the acid left behind by the Spawn had melted it until the skull was dissolved too. Alicia had to look away, almost puking. She has seen brutalities on the screen (especially since she got trained for it), but this, and also seeing it in real life, is perhaps the most violent of them all. And they are not in danger of being found out so their emotions are not suppressed. Even the others aren''t resisted to watch such atrocities. Owen had looked away, and Rin looks really disturbed. Only Rose was facing in front of the carnage, though her crimson pupils are pointing elsewhere. "My creations." PIING An echo reverberated throughout the stained rocky hills. It came from the fortress. It was so loud that Alicia and Rin had to cover their ears - it could... can definitely mask any other sound. There was an imposing figure standing on the wall of the fortress where the gate is below. Thrice the size of a human, and two branches stuck out of his head. Its skin color could not be known as its body instead radiated a sickly dark green light so dark that one could mistake it to be black if such person was not looking properly. By its right hand, a huge greatsword emanating a devilish aura of the same color as forestry. By its left hand, the head of a boy with black hair and a horrified expression on his face, lifted high for all to see - though the Court Wizards could not see it. By the way, it was facing in the direction towards the fortress, where an army of Spawns along their generals are below, in a formation, cheering - a part of the wall was destroyed, so they could be seen, along with more dead bodies. Its bare buttocks were all to be seen by the intruders, though the Court Wizards were more distracted by the aftermath it was witnessing if it had a pair of eyes for each cheek. "Ever since they brought forth to me here, the feeble Yellow Deity has once again sent his puny army and his so-called champion to defeat me." PIING "They may have pushed us until this last beacon, but that is because I allowed it!" This guy is definitely trying to make himself look cool! "And now! They have marched into my domain thinking they could slay me only to despair as they meet their end! "They may have resorted to petty tactics, but they could never hope to stand a chance against me, the Green Deity!" Yes, the green figure who was giving a speech to the Spawns is their master, the Green Deity. "And this puny boy who calls himself a champion!" Shaking the head of one Rei Furuta, the champion. "Was no match for me! Felled by a single stroke of my blade, here in my yard!" "That guy''s right," Hanz said, looking down on the scope of his rifle. "Found the rest of his body, a single slash on his neck, the rest of his body''s just roughed up from earlier fighting. His ''holy sword'' couldn''t stand up to the Green Deity''s blade." Sighing, loading his rifle. "It''s another bust despite all of our preparations the champion still couldn''t beat him," he continued with an annoyed tone. "True," Rose interjected. "We will have to hope for the next champion to finish it." "Eeh!?" A scream came from Rin, the emotion suppression is still not activated meaning the Spawns did not hear her scream. "What do you mean by that? Are we just leaving!?" She then turned to Hanz and Crea. "And also, when did you get here?" she continued. That is true, when did they transfer? And they are not wearing the robe. "We transferred a minute ago," the soldier explained, "in the middle of that deity''s speech. His loud voice probably masked the sound." "Then why are you here?" "Because that brat is here." "Who?" "Oh my, the Wanderer, not this again..." Rose sighed. "And you both are not wearing it again..." She''s upset about that!? Well Voice, you would be disappointed if the uniform you carefully designed was never worn in the end. "The robe''s too baggy." Hanz marched to the cliff, shrugging the other Court Wizards aside. "Excuse us," Crea stated and followed suit and then... ECHO TZANG TZANG ECHO Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ...They launched themselves to the air. Crea ordered [Shield] around them mid-air. The echoes of the Green Deity''s nonstop speech had rendered the sound of it (and any other sound of combat that will come later) almost unhearable, so the Green Deity and the Spawns wouldn''t hear it. "Rose, who is this Wanderer that Hanz was agitated?" Alicia asked. Rin also wonders with a "yeah." "You will see very soon..." The vampire said grimly. "Alicia, Rin," Owen called. "Stay back, it''ll be dangerous." Despite being close to proximity to the fortress and wherever the other two Court Wizards are [Eject]ing to, they are relatively fine as evidenced by their not lacking expression.
"The Wanderer is over there." Rose pointed as she looked into her binoculars. Crea had left behind four of them for use. Alicia moved the gaze of her binoculars to that general direction and seen it. The Wanderer was a lone figure clad in a white cape with splotches of dark red and covering top to bottom, it looked like it was not cleaned for years (or never to begin with). By his hands, a small crescent, with pure light in the middle, and two long elongated blades attached to each end of the crescent, making a beautiful shining white bow. From the way Alicia sees it, this Wanderer suddenly shimmered itself, appearing out of thin air a mere moments ago at a nearby opening. Then, the Wanderer assessed its situation and started to pull its strings to release a long-white arrow, that manifested the moment the bow was pulled, aiming straight for the Green Deity. But he was interrupted by Hanz''s shout. ECHO TZANG ECHO "Wanderer!" Hanz howled (though it was barely heard as it pales in comparison to the Green Deity''s large voice) as he fired his rifle which missed. Then, he switched his sniper rifle in favor of an SMG similar to a P90, which was glowing with all sorts of colors. It was familiar to when Voice went berserk after the emotion suppression failed to press down her master''s fear. This Wanderer must have ground his gears far too much. Floating beside his left and right, two more similar sub-machine guns materialized in a red halo moving seemingly autonomously, following Hanz. And Hanz opened fire, while still flying (falling in style) in midair. The floating machine guns did the same. ECHO RATATA RATATA RATATA TWANG ECHO However, the gunfire did not stop the Wanderer from letting loose of the arrow, which split into five shorter arrows when it passed the light on the crescent and each shorter arrow split into even shorter arrows as it flew with a trajectory of its own - as if it could turn to an unrealistic direction to reach its target. Besides, Hanz was aiming for the arrows. ECHO TINGTINGTINGRINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTING ECHO Even though there were too many arrows to shoot down, Hanz''s SMG had gained a higher fire rate and firepower due to no suppression of his emotions, not to mention that there were three of them. Soon, Hanz managed to shoot down every last arrow and redirected his fire to the Wanderer. ECHO RATATA RATATA RATATA ECHO The Wanderer sidestepped avoiding the colorful bullets of fire maneg coming at it. The Wanderer then quickly pulled his bow and released the arrows to Hanz. ECHO TWANG ECHO But Hanz was unperturbed as Crea''s [Shield] around him was impenetrable to such divine looking arrows. ECHO PHSA PHSA PHSA ECHO The arrows simply disintegrated into white motes of light and faded. ECHO THUD THUD ECHO As soon as he touched the ground, Hanz switched his SMG into an assault rifle with a bayonet, the rifle was an AK47. Similarly, two more assault rifles appeared by his sides, hovering midair. He also said something the Crea. As Crea landed too, she nodded to Hanz and began to do something. Soon, the [Shield] around Hanz was removed, but a bigger done of loyal lightning maneg was formed to entrap both Hanz and the Wanderer - Hanz intended to duel the Wanderer. The [Shield] was transparent enough for Alicia to see inside. Fixing the bayonet, Hanz charged while firing his rifle. The Wanderer puts his bow inside of his cape and pulled out a sword with a beautiful golden hilt. The Wanderer charged straight into Hanz''s hailstorm of bullets and actually deflected every last one of them! "Whoa... So cool!" Rin squealed, forgetting the situation there. "Did you see that? That sword looks cool too! It''s like a holy sword!" Yeah! Very awesome! Then they clashed. It was very brief as it was merely the Wanderer swinging his ''holy sword,'' as Rin called it, upward and broke Hanz''s bayonet. However, the two autonomous assault rifles moved to aim at the Wanderer''s left flank and front, forcing the Wanderer to backstep by shooting. Not wasting any time, the soldier switched his broken rifle for a handgun similar to a Glock 19. Then he materialized a combat knife. Switching the hands of his gun and knife, he charged forward. His adversary followed. Next is the most intense fighting Alicia has ever seen. Each combatant skillfully handled their weapons, clashing and parrying strikes whilst moving around the whole arena like flies - Hanz with [Eject] and the Wanderer with something similar. The former shoots his gun at every given chance and the latter deflecting it. The Wanderer had more leg work as the still two floating sub-machine guns flown around the arena shooting his blind spots at every given moment, causing him to either dodge or deflect the bullets while Hanz kept the pressure on him. Throughout the fight, Hanz was shouting something to the Wanderer. It looked like it could drag on forever until... "...!" Alicia gasped. For Hanz was stabbed in the gut by the ''holy sword'' and the Wanderer was met with a bullet to its head in retaliation. But then, the extraordinary happened. Think the whole fight was a recording and that recording it played backward, that is what describes the phenomenon. To be more specific, the air shimmers around not just Hanz and the Wanderer but extending to the [Shield] and Crea as well, and time was reversed in that area. Every swing, clashes, and shots were undone. The opening duel of sword deflecting charging bullets no longer happened. And finally, the formation of the [Shield] around them. Hanz clicked his tongue as he and Crea made a soft landing to the ground, the reversal of time stopped around when both were about to land. "Alright, round two!" he exclaimed, pumping a shotgun - the Cherished Armament he used this time was the first practical pump-action shotgun made in ''Earth,'' the Spencer Model 1882. "WHO GOES THERE!?" However, the Green Deity had just finished his speech and turned around to spot the little intruders outside the fortress. "AH... SOUL WEAVERS, SO IT WAS YOUR LOT WHO-" BOOM "Don''t. Call us that!" Hanz growled, his shoulder resting a fired Bazooka which blew off the Green Deity''s face. Crea also looked pissed. Well, every Court Wizards in Geron Yor are, except Rin who is slightly annoyed. ''Soul Weaver'' was the old name of those who use maneg, long before the formation of the Otherworldly Court. There were many other names but around seven hundred years ago, the term was used and became popular, so it became stuck. That name has been sullied so great that the first Guardians renounce the name completely in favor of the name today. Furthermore, it became a taboo name and Court Wizards are told to blast anyone uttering that name with whatever, hence the soldier blasting the Green Deity with a rocket launcher - the Maneg Soul also helped giving its vessel the mood to do so. The Green Deity quickly regenerated his blown look and shouted, "INSOLENT SWINE! MY CREATION, KILL THEM!" "Everybody," Rose announced. "We are leaving this place. We do not need to fight the Green Deity." "DO NOT THINK I DID NOT SEE YOU!" "Run." Alicia Chapter 18.2: The Wanderer - Heartfelt Cry Manegia Year 1421 "Rose, how did the Green Deity know about us?" Alicia asked. "...And even our old name?" "We... do not know," Rose answered. "The Maneg Users may have visited his world before during the Eleven-Century War and made a lasting impression on him. Or it could be on Geron Yor, not even the Yellow Deity''s followers remember when he came." "I see..." PIING "Ah, they are returning," Rose said to the other Court Wizards who transferred out of Geron Yor first. In the end, Hanz and Crea had volunteered to hold off the Green Deity and his Spawns while the others escape. Rin objected but was convinced to go soon after, a Court Wizard who could set off explosions like it''s nothing and another who could project a near-impenetrable barrier can certainly handle themselves. There is also that Wanderer who seemed to want a piece of the green giant. PIING "Damn brat..." Hanz cursed. Hanz and Crea transferred to Manegia about an hour and ten minutes after the first transfer request. Experience meant that they were relatively unscathed, they had few scratches on their clothing and a small scar on Hanz''s cheek which had already clotted. "Ah, welcome back you two," Rose said, sitting back in her wheelchair. "After a quick trip to the infirmary, we will hear the report in the fire chamber."
"I see the both of you have returned after your ''Wanderer Sense'' tickled," Aqua mused. "How did it fare?" "That brat kept firing at the Green Deity and Spawns and I kept firing at him until he left after the sixth time." Hanz deadpanned. "A proper report please." "Ugh..." the soldier groaned. "Uhn..." Rin mumbled. Alicia too had a confused expression. The Fire Guardian looked towards Alicia and Rin. "I believe we need to explain what a Wanderer we have been talking about is, correct?" They both nodded. "Alright," Aqua began. "A Wanderer is a title given to entities with the ability to freely move between worlds with little to no restriction, even between Circles of Worlds." "So there are other people who can travel between worlds like us?" Alicia asked. "Correct, we are not alone in this Sea of Worlds," Aqua nodded. "Also, like us, they are able to insert their Fantasy Law into the visiting world, or at the very least ''carry it'' with them like myself, keeping their abilities at maximum strength." "So they''re super strong?" Rin asked. "Of course," Aqua answered. "In order to survive the environment of any world, Wanderers must be at least that powerful. That is why you should proceed with extreme caution when you run into one, unlike a certain gun-maniac." "Ceh." Hanz simply snorted. "Are there any cases that a Wanderer does not have their Fantasy Law with them?" Alicia asked. Then she remembered something, "is my mother one? And everyone else from Spiri Raia? Spiri Raia is a world with a different Fantasy Law than Kaomagi Earth." "Well, as for your first question, if the Wanderer does not have their own Fantasy Law, baring what pertains to their ability to travel outside of their Circle, and instead integrate themselves with the visiting World''s Law, then they are called ''Outworlders.''" Aqua answered. "But that is not your mother''s title. But first, I should tell you our title." "So we are different than a Wanderer?" Alicia inquired. "We have two criteria to define a Wanderer. First, a Wanderer must be able to travel to every world, even between different Circle of Worlds, without restriction. Second, they must use their own Fantasy Law onto worlds, whether they carry it or impose it unto worlds. "As such, Wanderers are a rarity, their numbers that we know of can be counted by finger." Aqua stuck out a few of her fingers, it seemed that records of them were still intact. "I see..." Alicia muttered. "Now, during the Eleven-Century War, Mother Souls can freely wander into different worlds and its Maneg Users will follow. Now, if the Mother Soul of Element and its Maneg Users are considered as a single superorganism with the Mother Soul as the head, then that makes us Wanderers. "But, after the Eleven-Century War, we have lost that ability and we can only travel between worlds through the Transporter Room meaning we are restricted to use that. Thus, that makes us ''Travelers;'' however, Traveler is a title to those who have traveled to their sister world inside their Circle." "And we can travel outside of that," Alicia said. "Yes," Aqua nodded. "And so, the First Guardians decided to create a new title to call ourselves. And after much debate, they settled for ''Voyager,'' as we venture new worlds and familiarize ourselves there. It is between Wanderer and Traveler in the hierarchy and in the same rank as Outworlder. This title applies if only the second requirement for a Wanderer is fulfilled, Outworlder if it is the first. But that is still not your mother''s title." "Because my mother fulfilled neither of those." "Yes. Now, the next title on the list is ''Outsiders.'' They are those who are forcefully summoned from their original worlds to their sister worlds. When a person travels between sister worlds willingly is a Traveler, an Outsider is a person who did not. "And if you remember what I briefed you about the mission, the Green Deity might also be an Outsider, going by his speeches. The fact that his fantasy abilities are not impeded so he must be from the same Circle and thus a problem that Geron Yor is supposed to resolve themselves." Alicia and Rin shuddered at his name, he did make a lasting impression. And for Alicia, the fact that his arrival was ''natural'' that the Otherworldly Court had no right to intervene directly. "Of course," Aqua continued. "Cases of people who were forcefully transferred to a world outside of their Circle, usually by rare summoning magic capable of pulling those from outside of their Circle or... a Dimensional Rupture, they are called a ''Stranded''." Like Joshua and Haruto... "Is Rei Furuta an Outsider then?" Alicia deduced. "I assume he was summoned forcefully from his world." "Correct," Aqua nodded. "Now you see why even that title is not appropriate for your mother." "Yes, because mother went to my world by her own volition." "And with that situation, we created another title to classify people like your mother. And the name we decided is called ''Visitor,'' those who willingly travel to worlds where their abilities could be weakened or disabled due to different world''s Fantasy Law. That is your mother''s title." "So my mother is a Visitor. And also everybody else who came with her..." Alicia muttered. "Moving on," Aqua continued "For the final two, ''Incarnates'' are people who died and reincarnated to the other world with their precious lives'' memories intact. This time, it does not matter if it is between sister worlds or not." "Agreed," Alicia nodded. "It is getting convoluted too." "Indeed. In addition, ''Transmigrators'' are people who had their soul transferred to the sister world and taking over another recently deceased person''s body, like in those modern Asian fantasy novels. And that is about it." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. "Uhn...?" Rin, however, seemed to be confused, particularly at the last statement. Actually, it appeared that she was completely clueless about the entire thing. In fact, her eyes were spinning throughout the whole conversation. "Just take it slowly, Rin," Crea advised her. "It''s also confusing for me too." "Really?" Hanz perked. "It''s pretty straightforward," he said, Owen nodded in agreement. "No, it''s not." Crea deadpanned. "So~ many titles to memorize...!" Regardless, Aqua continued. "In regards to the Wanderer you saw, he seems to have the ability to teleport himself into different worlds at will, with a few seconds of delay - so that was check number one. However, he does not seem to be able to teleport in the same world. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Also, he is most likely carried his Fantasy Law as he was able to use his signature abilities without fail which is what we are going to talk about. By the way, we give codenames to Wanderers based on their abilities and behavior. "The Wanderer you saw, who was the latest one we encountered, was dubbed the ''Timeless Hero''." "Timeless Hero..." Alicia muttered the Wanderer''s name bestowed by the Court Wizards. "Hero!" Rin sparked, taking an interest in the latter part of the Wanderer''s title. "I believe you saw what Timeless Hero has displayed," Aqua said. During the fight between Hanz and Timeless Hero, they both took each other out. However, at that moment, the whole battle just reversed back to the beginning, undoing everything thus far. "Timeless Hero has the ability to reverse time," Aqua explained. "Which we do not know the limit to how long he can do so. We believe that he can control how much time will be reversed as well as the area affected. And anything that happened in that area will be undone. There was one time where he rewinds the time of an entire world, it also reversed a transfer which evicted the Court Wizard back to Manegia, it also caused a mild disturbance here." "That is a frightening power..." Alicia grimaced. "Really?" Rin tilted her head. "It sounds really cool!" "However," Aqua continued. "He does seem to only be able to activate it upon receiving a fatal blow." "Oh, I see." So there was a restriction, except Alicia still shuddered that required the Wanderer to die in order to activate it. But still, that meant he wasn''t that much of a threat, going by Aqua''s warning about them. "But that means his body is in stasis, he cannot age and his time-reversal will restore his body from any fatal wound, effectively making him immortal," Aqua continued in a grave tone. "Furthermore, he jumps between worlds in different points of time than ours. And that causes the timelines of the worlds we observe to suddenly change as of the result of the butterfly effect Timeless Hero caused in the past. It is really frustrating when that happens." And by the tone the Fire Guardian was giving, Alicia suspected it must have been really problematic. "Also," Aqua continued, calming down a but. "This created an implication that Timeless Hero might have been operating far longer than we first encounter him, which was when he became a Wanderer, five years ago. A certain magician even made a poem about him: "How long has the Timeless Hero Wanderer wandered? "A week? A month? A year? Ten years? A hundred? A thousand? "Not even he knows it, nor does he care for it was irrelevant to his goal. "And that is about it." It was as Aqua said before, the Wanderer was indeed dangerous. "What''s the Hero part?" Regardless, Rin beamed with interest. "Well..." Aqua leered her gaze on Hanz, who was frowning. "It is a touchy subject." "...Why?" Rin asked, confused with the response. "According to Hanz, he..." Aqua cleared her throat, "is extreme." And that answer only gave confusion to both listeners. But Hanz gave them the answer, "Timeless Hero," he scorned upon mentioning it, "is just some whiny Outsider we met five years ago who messed up his job saving the world from some demon lord and made a pact with the Wanderer-Maker to be a Wanderer to ''save'' worlds as a part of his ''redemption''." "Then he is a good guy," Rin hoped, "right?" "The problem is the way he does it," Aqua answered. "He is willing to do anything to make sure any threat to a world he goes into is eliminated, and I mean anything." "I saw him destroyed a village," Hanz commented. "He did so because one villager caught a deadly plague and apparently that''s gonna spread outside if he only disposes of that one guy, so committed genocide on the entire population and blew the village up for good measure." "That''s way too far!" Rin exclaimed. While Alicia was also shocked by the Wanderer''s action, she could see his logic but it''s still unacceptable nonetheless. "Yes, and that is why we have to stop him whenever he appears," Rose stated. "And do we do that?" Alicia asked. "Just keep killing him until he chickens out." Hanz deadpanned, earning a reaction from the girls. "Works all the time." "I-I see..." Alicia grimaced. "Eeh~!" Rin yelped. Then Rose interjected, "Hanz here was very proficient in fighting Timeless Hero that he developed a ''sixth sense'' for where Timeless Hero would appear, at least in worlds with the Maneg System. Though, he is fighting Timeless Hero over a petty grudge." The last sentence was unheard. "Yeah, so the ''Hero'' part is because of his past," Hanz continued. "But, he didn''t exactly like being called a hero nor do I, but you guys insisted putting it in his codename." Voice snickered. "Alright, any questions?" Both girls shook their head, Aqua then turned to Hanz. "Your proper report." Hanz gave another groan. "Alright. Basically, it ended up in a three-way battle with Wanderer and the Green Deity alongside his Spawns. Each of us attacked the other two; me with my rifle inside Crea''s [Shield], Wanderer with his bow, and the Green Deity with his Spawns and acid. "Surprisingly, the Green Deity didn''t get into a big head after offing the champion and acted cautiously, not that he needed to, Wanderer''s bow barely penetrated his skin. "Then, after Wanderer died six times, he transferred out, I wager around eighty percent of the Spawns are dead by then. I threw a [Missle] to escape. At the very least, the Green Deity ain''t gonna start a massive counter-invasion, taking over three-quarters of Beacons before the next champion arrives. "And considering a amount of troops the Yellow Deity''s followers threw in, ther ain''t gonna try attacking without a champion. So there should be a brief moment of peace with both sides weakened, long enough for the next hapless Outsider to get summoned," he concluded. "See, that was easy, right?" Aqua teased as she finished up the report, earning a frown of annoyance from the soldier. "I believe this is all settled, now we shall-" "Wait!" That voice came from none other than Rin. And everyone looked at her, wondering what made her to do as such. "You can, can you?" Rin said. "You can defeat the Green Deity back there, right?" Ah, she did not forget what she demanded to know back in Geron Yor before she was interrupted, unlike a certain someone. "And even if what Timeless Hero does is unforgivable, what he is doing back there is to defeat the Green Deity that tried to destroy Geron Yor. So why stop him and let the Green Deity alive? Shouldn''t we even work together to beat the Green Deity? Isn''t it against what we do?" While Rin was a cheerful and supportive girl who brings a smile to everyone, she was also the naive heroine type like her brother who wouldn''t let go of something like this easily - she''s still eleven after all. Again, Maneg Souls'' influence on the Court Wizards'' mind is the suppression of emotion in a situation where it is deemed dangerous and the minor influence of easily get along with other Court Wizards, which is why relatively like-minded individuals are picked as Court Wizards. So Rin is showing her pure, unadulterated heart. There was a moment of silence. Then Hanz gave this: "I stopped the Wanderer because he doesn''t deserve to, nor do we. Remember rule number eight. Master- no, Rose, you explain it to her." Hanz turned his back to leave the chamber, Crea followed. But before he went through the door, he looked back and said, "also, that world where Timeless Hero was born, it was already dead when we got there. Also, I hate his guts. Goodbye." With that, Hanz slammed the door out of the chamber and Crea gave a nod of apology and promptly left. "..." Rin was left in an unstable emotional state. Fearing a breakdown, the more mature and open-minded Alicia looked to Rose. Without [Telepathy], the vampire knew what she was going to say. But the black-haired girl had beaten them to the punch. "Sorry, everyone," she said. "For bursting out like that. I''ll listen after I calm myself..."
Although the atmosphere was supposed to be the solemn kind, Aqua took the opportunity to brew some tea and Alicia took out a cake stashed in the refrigerator. Rose got off her wheelchair and sat with Rin, embracing the little girl with her voluptuous body. And Voice was cracking jokes to make Rin laugh, but it was terrible. Owen left the chamber so that the impending conversation will be between girls, even though the topic''s not appropriate. Moments later, they all seated with Rose changing couch facing Rin. The eleven-year-old ready to listen. "As Aqua has said, we should not directly interfere with others'' affairs that they can do on their own." "But can we not help?" "Hmm... To answer your question, "1. Let no one witness you should you not belong there. "2. Never use more than you need. "3. Choose for the betterment of the world. "4. Never reveal higher-level technology of another world to a lower one, unless necessary. "5. Maintain the flow of the natural order. "6. To die or forsake a world you do not belong to, forsake the world. "7. Cherish your partner, comrades, friends and those whom you care. "8. Let actions be done by those who deserve it. "9. Preserve your duties, loyalties, and wishes. "And finally, "10. Stay true to yourself. "Did you notice what I said?" It only took a split second for Rin to know. "...Ah!" Alicia too, realized this when the full list of the Rules of Engagement was given to her. The first five rules coincide with the Otherworldly Court''s purpose to protect the balance of worlds, and then the sixth rule said to abandon a stranger world to preserve your own life. And she was explained and understood its reason. "Yes," Rose continued. "These sets of rules, or more accurately... guidelines, could contradict each other. Rules one to five relates to the cause of this organization, but the last five is... more for ourselves." She tilted her head. "Uhn? What do you mean ''more for ourselves''?" "Because too many have died needlessly in the Eleven-Century War and many friends would have died, so we made these guidelines to protect ourselves. "An example would be the tenth guideline. Hanz stayed true with his bitter rivalry with Timeless Hero, he fought him no matter what the occasion, though I admit it was purely because he personally hated the Wanderer that he would interfere Timeless Hero from defeating the Green Deity." "Then... How does the eighth rule, I mean guideline entail?" "Let actions be done by those who deserve it. It could be interpreted in some ways, but the important meaning of it for us is that you should not meddle with dangerous affairs that you don''t have to." She paused. "Rin, I suppose you were not informed of this, but as you know, Green Deity was an Outsider. A feud with the Yellow Deity had caused him to only be able to transfer out of Geron Yor if the world is destroyed and the Yellow Deity killed - we still kept his file. "You have seen Hanz''s report, even Timeless Hero, who is stronger than the average Court Wizard sans Hanz, has trouble fighting the Green Deity. What I am telling you is that even if we worked with the Wanderer, who should not have even interfere, we would not have gone unscathed. This is not about the Wanderer nor even the Green Deity, youu could be killed, Rin, and your brother will grieve for that." "...But I just want to help..." Sipping tea to clear her throat. "...Tell me, what was the promise you made for your brother, Haruto?" "...''I promise to save people so that their loved ones would not grieve for their loss.''" "And because of it, your brother never followed the eighth guideline." Pouring another cup of tea. Rose continued, "he had stuck his neck into every trouble and almost got himself killed most of the time. Like you have wanted, he went and fought a demon lord and he narrowly died after barely defeating said demon lord. I am sure you remembered your brother not coming home once, right?" "...Onii-chan..." Rin muttered, reverting to her mother tongue. Contemplating the fact she got her beloved older sibling to risk his life for a promise, culminating to go missing to save her senior by two months. "Rin," Rose said to get her attention. "This is not your fight, it is your brother''s who you are supposed to search instead of emulating him. So please, do not follow what your brother did. Even he would not want you to do it." "..." But the justice-loving girl hesitates for her answer. "Alright," Aqua spoke up. "You should take a few weeks rest to sort out your feelings. I will inform Pierre about it, you should go home." "H-Hai..." Rin replied in Japanese, her head downcast. The Fire Guardian turned to Alicia. "You should get some rest, it has been a long day." ""Right/Okay."" "Oh, and please remember this." Rose declared, "Stay true to yourselves. No matter what." Stories of the Otherworldly Court: Rosalie the Seamstress Manegia Year 1262 CREEK A little girl, six years old, who was an albino noticed the familiar signature of the Maneg Soul when entering the fire chamber. "Master Kenzie, greetings," she greeted, giving a ladylike salute as she entered the chamber. Kenzie, the third Fire Guardian, the elderly man in his sixties was relaxing in his chamber, reading a book. But he had trouble turning the pages ever since the 1246 Incident, he had to put the book down on the low table to turn the page and pick it up again. A wooden cane rests on the what remained of his right limb with the head of the cane overlapping the spot where his right ear would have been. "Hello, Rose." He replied softly, turning to see the young girl (who is almost as old as him) with a smile. "Hmm... I believe it has been a year... since you are recruited. How are things going for you?" "I am doing great, master. This place is better than in my home. There are many people looking out for me." She paused for a breath. "Elder sister would love this place. I wish I could tell her..." she mumbled the last sentence so the Fire Guardian wouldn''t hear. Aah yes, Rose''s older sister, he thought. Being the last child born to the Bloodlights as the matriarch died conceiving her, Rose was considered to be a failure of a vampire. It is due to her inability to ''awaken'' her vampiric power even until now when her older siblings had done so when they are two decades younger than her. Another factor was her inability to drink blood, what vampires are known for in any world, without violently belching it out. As a result, the rest of the Bloodlights neglected her and some even bullied her for being a runt or out of hatred for killing their mother. But there was one member of the family that loved her, she was Marie Bloodlight. She was the eldest sister of the clan and the only family member that cared for Rose. Rose shared stories of how her elder sister occasionally brought her to human towns with a parasol for a stroll, her elder sister''s hobby. By the way, the name ''Rose'' was a short for ''Rosalie'' given by Marie. It was a bad idea however as other members of the family started calling her that for being a thorn on their side. Rosalie still loved the nickname regardless. It was unfortunate that Rose had to keep her secret of being a Court Wizard to Marie. This is because of her family, Marie might make the slip and this could cause problems for operations in Arknoir if the Bloodlights starts interfering as they seemed to be the... uncooperative sort; make no mistake, after the 1246 Incident, you can tell your family about the Otherworldly Court, but only if it''s ''safe'' to do so. Snapping back to reality, Kenzie made his reply, "Hmm, I''m glad you liked it. So, what brings you here? You are not called for a mission... and this place still requires more... restoration." True, this chamber was facing the wasteland where the battle of ''that incident'' occurred so it was not spared, including the computer systems storing most of the database located in the room directly underneath the chamber. But in truth, the wasteland was already there after the final battle of the Eleven-Century War that he remembered was the pre-first Guardians trying to bring the Mother Souls into Manegia for peace talks, but other So- Maneg Users jumped in and turned it into a bloody free for all. Anyway, the entire balcony was still non-existent, a parachute was used to cover up the huge hole. There were still craters on the floor near the destroyed balcony. And the couch he was sitting on has rips and tears. Apparently, logistics were so bad that the western chambers were still not fully repaired even after over two decades, the more important facilities were prioritized to get the Otherworldly Court back up and running. Afterwards, the less important ones were neglected. Funnily enough, when the newly recruited Rose asked what to do with the wastelands, he just blurted out making it a ''Training Grounds'' on a whim and it stuck. "Well..." Rose sat on the couch opposite to Kenzie. "I have observed many Court Wizards during missions and not. I can not help but notice the clothing they wore." She also glanced at the Fire Guardian''s apparel. "Do you not have a matching uniform of some kind? Also, the banners in the Courtroom needed to be replaced, they are worn out." Kenzie closed the book he was reading and stroke his small beard. "We are... shorthanded. And we don''t have anyone who could... make one let alone have the time... to do so." After all, any problem confirmed in some world that required Court Wizards are given to the Court Wizards that coincidentally showed up at that moment. "I see, then can you let me do it?" she asked, leaning forward to the old man. "Hmm, I see you are quite a seamstress, aren''t you?" Kenzie studied the little vampire''s dress. When they''re not making her life miserable, the Bloodlights couldn''t care less where Rose ran off to. Marie would be the only one that does - hence the reason why Rose still comes back to Arknoir - but she couldn''t spend time with her recently (according to a vampire). This meant Rose had almost nothing to do, so picked up sewing. And she got really good at it. As Rose is a vampire of Arknoir that live very long (not immortal since Maneg Souls couldn''t merge with one), she had decades to hone her skills. Her older sister noticed this and brought her to a hidden room in the ancient Bloodlight mansion so she could sew in peace. Now, she had produced many articles of clothing in which she wears a different one each time she''s here. Right now, she was wearing a red dress with intricate white outlines and a flowery red headpiece tying her short bushy white hair. Azhure: Even today, she still wears something different every day. But I''m not wasting words by telling what she was wearing every time she appears. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Then I will leave it to you... for our proper clothing," Kenzie continued. "Thank you, master." Rose bowed. "I will start right away!" "Hmm, I will look forward to-" COUGH COUGH Suddenly, Kenzie coughed violently and pressed his chest. His cane fell from his torso and hit the wooden table with a THUD. "Oh my!" Rose exclaimed. "Are you alright?" "Yes, yes, I''m fine," Kenzie reassured. "I''m just getting old, and the wounds I kept aren''t helping me either." "Geez, I do not understand keeping injuries for recollections." Rose pouted. "It is bad for your health." "It''s fine," Kenzie insisted. "Now off you go."
Arknoir Year 1701 "Hmm..." Rose muttered to herself. "Let us see here." Azhure: You can think the monologue spoke in the mind and not out loud if it suits you. She tapped her pencil against the artboard with a large piece of paper strapped to it; there were scraps of paper around the artboard, they were never thrown away. She was in her secret sewing room that was discovered by elder sister. The pathway to get there was not maintained enough that others wouldn''t wander into. She started the design for the uniform for missions. Azhure: So I wouldn''t waste words, we''ll go straight to the design she concluded. "I will start with this." She started to drag the pencil across the paper, leaving trails of graphite over it. "Since it will be used for missions and it is usually secretive, it will be better if it covers the body so people will not see underneath. A hood is obvious. It will get damaged, a brown colour cloth should be inexpensive to procure, even though it might not blend with the environment. That cloth in Manegia should do, and is also resistant to attacks." The illustration so far is the torso of a faceless man in a T-pose. She drew a hood over the man''s head. She added a note on the top right of the paper, ''brown colour''. "Might as well put a mask. Hmm... I know, those masks at those human parties will do. Just need to extend it to the mouth." And a mask was drawn. "The sleeves have to be tight so it would not get caught by twigs and not too tight that you can not bend your limbs." Rose then drew the sleeves. Slim and compact, comfortable to move around with. "The robe should go all the way down to the knees and a bit more. It will be a problem if we trip." She traced two lines all the way down to halfway between the kneecap and feet. "The robe should be open in the middle so we can take items under the robe." She added a straight line from neck to bottom, breaking the pencil along the way. She grunted as she pulled out a carving knife and sharpen the pencil, almost cutting her finger. Azhure: Pencil sharpeners are invented in 1828 and technology of Arknoir relatively follows ''Earth'' tech. "It will be held together by a button, a tired string could get loose or a hard to untie. An embedded strap will hold the middle part, zippers might violate the fourth rule." Finally, she sketched a button on the neck and a belt-like strap that would be sewn to the robe around the part where a man would wear his belt. "And it is done!" she exclaimed, picking up the drawing. But she pondered for a bit. "...There are not any Court Wizards with animal ears and tail nor that walk on four. This should suffice." Voice: What!? No half-animal Court Wizards!? Discrimination! Azhure: I did not come up with one, and I not hastily making one for the sake of having one. Voice: Pfft! Satisfied with her work, she put the illustration away and set a new drawing paper onto the board. "Now for a ceremonial sort." This time, she did not draw a humanoid figure as a base, but rather the back of a hooded cloak. "A cloak will do, it should reach just above the feet. Master Kenzie said we might start doing talks with natives of other worlds. A separate mask should go with it." She drew the same mask that covers the upper facial feature. "The colours should coincide with the Elements on the banners as well with the symbols." She added the word ''symbol'' in the middle of the cloak. And then she sketched the crest of the Otherworldly Court, the scale over the spear and shield. "Master Kenzie told me about the fourth rank, Duke and Duchess..." From there, a thick line was traced along the edges of the cloak and the end of the sleeves. "Guardians are gold, Duke and Duchesses are silver, and Grand Wizards are bronze. The rest are white or black, depending on the colour. The symbols should be so as well." Tagging each part with notes and... "It is finished!" she exclaimed. "And now to craft it."
PIING Manegia Year 1262 It was three months later that one Rosalie ''Rose'' Bloodlight showed up to the Otherworldly Court. She had a bundle of clothing neatly folded in a small cart. It was due to minor setbacks such as obtaining materials and other factors that caused it to take so long. "Miss Rose, what are those?" an operator asked. "Our official uniform!" Rose said cheerfully. With a glee, Rose pulled the cart and then realized that she will have to carry it up the spiralling staircase. Fortunately, she doesn''t need to.
Infirmary. "M-Master?" Rose muttered. "Ah, hello, Rose," Kenzie replied. She sees an elderly man with one arm and ear, sitting upright on a hospital bed, his cane set aside besides the bed. There were red nodes rising up from his body which then disappear; and for each node that appear from one body part, that body part gradually fades away. There were other Court Wizards and Guardians present in the small space with a solemn face. "I-I..." "Is that your design?" he interrupted. "I would like to see it." Silently, she pulled out the brown robe and presented it to Kenzie. He received the robe and inspected it. "Hmm, very good. Not too tight and not too baggy. The material is durable and the opening... means we can take tools on our... person. The mask should help conceal our face. Though I don''t know about the button." He looked at the cart. "I would like to see the red one, all four of them," he said as he returned the robe. He received four sets of red cloaks, he carefully inspected each and every one of them. "Hmm, a simple design yet effective in showing... our hierarchy. I believe the kids would love the... masks." He looked to Rose. "You have done a good work," he praised. "B-But you have not tried it yet." Tears formed in Rose''s eyes. Other Court Wizards came to her side to console the little girl. "Now don''t cry, Rose," Kenzie said." At the very least, the man known as Kenzie McQuire that... once existed has seen your work." For which the event called 1246 Incident - for the Court Wizards could never sink their hearts to call it ''that'' - had cost the third Earth, Ice, and Lightning Guardians, while severely wounded the rest. And now, the third Fire Guardian is the fourth to go. For the next two years, little Rose witnessed the rest of them end with a shimmer.
Geron Yor Year 1334 "The robe''s too baggy," Hanz complained as he tossed the brown robe aside and launched himself off the cliff. Crea made a quick nod of apology and followed suit. But I have always made sure it is not, Rose thought in her frown. Owen also preferred the ceremonial cloak to missions. I should tell Alicia and Rin about my story lest they follow their example. She gazed downward to see her broken legs reinforced by the real essence of her soul, her loyal maneg, covered by her brown robe for she had a blue miniskirt underneath it. I am such a hypocrite am I not, master Kenzie? she mused. Though you will not answer. Without others looking, she silently materialized a cane with fiery details, Kenzie''s cane, her mentor''s cane which she named: My Grandfather Kenzie. Alicia Chapter 19.1: A Ritual to be Grounded - Briefings of Discussion Manegia Year 1421 "How is Rin faring?" Rose asked, sitting in her wheelchair while sipping her tea. Alicia gently put her teacup on the saucer and answered, "Well, Rin still needs time to sort out her feelings, but she is doing fine. I heard she is going to a karaoke with her friends in her world." "I see, that is a relief," Rose sighed. While not as perceptive as the Light Court Wizard, Alicia could notice by the vampire''s words that she was having grim thoughts about how it would end. Well, based on her experience, she has the right to be cautious, Alicia figured to herself. "Well, she still needs to find her older brother," Jill huffed, eating a teaspoonful of chocolate cake. "She will never abandon her idiot brother, that much is certain." "Yes, you are correct," Rose agreed as she poured another cup of tea. Because what matters is what Rin will become after she comes back, Alicia thought with melancholy. Giving up her brother''s ideals she gave to him or continuing them on. "Anyways," Jill continued, clinking her cup to the saucer. "When will the discussion be finished? We have no time to be twiddling fingers." Rose pulled out a golden pocket watch buried between her cleavage - her red summer dress with puffs on the shoulder did not have pockets, and her handbag which contained her smartphone was inside the chamber. The other girls hid their frowns at the sight of it. She opened the pocket watch and said, "In about fifteen minutes." Alicia happened to show up at the Otherworldly Court earlier than usual. After what transpired last week, she woke up from bed at five o''clock in the morning; treated herself to breakfast as she did not want to bother the chef; dragged the half-awake Owen with her, and; transferred to Manegia and then to Rakarok-Earth World Merge to see Rin. After checking up on her in the Fujiwara household, Alicia along with Owen transferred back to Manegia satisfied - she had her parents'' permission to do this. It was seven hours and thirty minutes in Alicia''s world when she met up with Rose and Jill while the Guardians were having a meeting in the courtroom. "Really?" Jill complained. "They are definitely going about an hour already." "True," Alicia cupped her cheek. "What is happening in the courtroom anyway?" "Well, because we are called the Otherworldly Court," Rose explained. "The Guardians would naturally have discussions on how missions or operations should proceed." "Do they do that all the time?" "Goodness, no! That would make their tasks extremely cumbersome if they did that," Rose chuckled. "Potential missions and operations are handled differently depending on the severity of the situation and the highest of them would have the Guardians sit down and talk." "So it is like a case climbing up to the supreme court?" Alicia guessed after sipping her tea. "Naturally," Jill quipped lazily, resting her head on her fist. "The last thing we want to happen is for every mission to be bogged down by needless bureaucracy." "Yes, to oversimplify it, it starts when a Court Wizard, an operator, or maybe a Bell Branch discovers a problem that requires our attention. We would send Court Wizards to investigate the matter and judge how it should be handled," Rose explained. "The ''lowest'' tier of events can be handled on the spot. It usually comes up on the more ''routine'' missions, or your operation in Qantasia last time after your Bell Branch called." Now that she mentioned it, the initial mission was only hearing the manager''s concern, Alicia pondered. Other than calling Master Darc, we did everything on our own. Yeah! We rule! "Conversely, should it prove to be more complicated, then the Court Wizards should return and report to the Guardian in charge," Rose continued. "The Guardian would then be the judge of the situation. If it turns out there was a similar mission in the past, the Guardian will simply use that mission''s resolution and brief it to more Court Wizards. If not, the new mission will still be drawn if it is manageable." "So business as usual!?" "Yes, business as usual," Rose chuckled at Voice munching on cookies on the table. "But once the problem proves to be much more than simply sending anyone showing up in the Court, then the Guardian gets the other Guardians for a discussion." "So that is when all of them come together?" "Not really," Rose quipped, giving the red-haired girl, not the knight one, a double take. "It is only the Guardians present here." "Sometimes we are pressed for time. Waiting to get all eleven Guardians together would sooner fail the mission than resolving it," Jill added, still looking amused at Alicia''s expression. "Besides, it is still hard to get all of them together when their schedules do not align. It would take an incident that could very well end a world to force them to drop everything and talk." "Precisely. That said, even though not all Guardians may attend, the discussion still functions the same way," Rose continued, pouring herself another cup. "So, the Guardians gather in the courtroom to discuss the problem at hand. First, the main Guardian relays the report to the others and together they weigh their options. Many solutions can be proposed, but they are usually reduced to two distinct resolutions. Once a single solution is picked, the mission is formulated and assigned to the appropriate Court Wizards as usual." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Again, time may be a luxury, so it is a tradition to find a conclusion they all accept within an hour," Jill interjected, her teacup being over her mouth as she said so. "That includes the preparatory stages, so this current discussion should have been over by now." "What happens when that time runs out before deciding?" Alicia then asked. "Do they hold a vote?" "Quite, each Guardian casts their vote on their preferred solution. Depending on the case, it could be decided by a simple majority, two-thirds, or even unanimously," Rose said, cutting up a slice of cake. "Oh, I should mention we could also attend the discussion. That is what the gallery above the courtroom is for." "Oh? Can we also participate in the discussion?" "We can. We are allowed to give our input and propose solutions among other things," Rose nodded, putting a bite of cake into her mouth. After swallowing it, she continued, "when voting, everyone in the gallery collectively has one vote." "What!? That''s unfair!" "It is split by percentage," Rose pointed out. "If exactly half of the gallery voted for one solution and the other half the other, point five votes will be added to both solutions." "That does not make it any better!" Alicia exasperated just like her pixie. Alicia, Jill, Owen, and Richard, we have finished our discussion. Please come to the fire chamber as soon as possible. (Aqua) "Well, that took long enough," Jill sighed, stretching her arms for a bit. "It appears I am not invited, but I will listen regardless," Rose commented, rolling the wheels of her wheelchair backward. "Come on everyone, we should prepare the room."
"Everyone is accounted for alongside an extra guest," Aqua stated. Everyone she called was present, plus Rose who was already in the chamber, to begin with, alongside Darc and Jonathan being in the discussion. "Then, let us begin." BEEP Pushing the button with her glowing red finger, the machine conceptualized in the 17th century of ''Earth'' blared up to illustrate the portable curtain of cotton and polyester by bathing it with a kaleidoscope of chromatic electromagnetic waves within the visible spectrum. It showed a dingy tomb-like room lit up with torches with an altar in the middle. Surrounding it were people in black robes discussing something. "Well then," Aqua looked at Alicia and Owen. "Do you recognize these mages in black robes during your operation in Qantasia, Alicia, Owen?" "...Yes, we do," Alicia confirmed after taking a good look. Quite a coincidence that she had talked about that world and operation earlier with the girls. Owen also nodded in affirmation. "Good. If you do not know, Jonathan has been investigating these mages ever since you first encountered them," Aqua began, putting her hands on her waists. "On the latest breakthrough, two weeks ago, a Bell Branch in the capital of the kingdom called GrassPlains had given a call to one of our operators about suspicious activity involving men in black robes. We will call these guys ''cultists.''" Then, the Fire Guardian turned to Jonathan. "Jonathan, can you explain what you found out?" Jonathan nodded and carried out his explanation. "I spotted some of the cultists in the capital and followed them into that tomb," he said, pointing at the picture and focusing on the altar. "They were planning to resurrect Abyss to give them ''release'' of some kind." "Abyss?" Alicia wondered. "I think I have heard of that before." "It''s the equivalent of hell in our world, but there''s also a dark deity of the same name," Jonathan explained before the confusion settled in. "He''s your ancient demon lord defeated by heroes in the past, and the cultists are looking for their descendants." "Their... descendants''?" Alicia pondered at those words. "Is it possible to know who they are?" She couldn''t imagine medieval worlds keeping track of people''s lineages unless they were nobility which might be how they claimed their legitimacy. "The heroes had brown or black hair. Everyone else has brighter hair," Jonathan explained. "Not every noble is a hero''s descendant." "So you''re great-great-great-great grandparents''re heroes too!?" "...Yes," Jonathan admitted. "Ooh!" Smiling at Voice''s antics, Alicia continued, "Anyway, what do they want with them?" "They plan to sacrifice them," Jonathan bluntly said. "They also need to be children because of ''purity''." "Oh dear..." "What!?" "How barbaric!" "Here we go again..." "Not the first time hearing it." "The lead cultist rehashed they would do this in the capital of every kingdom and it would summon Abyss'' army to invade before he himself comes." The Nature Court Wizard continued, ignoring the murmurs. "Apparently, the ritual can only be done once before having to wait a long time to do it again." "I presume it may be because Abyss'' army is not infinite," Richard commented. "Realm of the demons or not, no ritual bringing an army from somewhere can be done consecutively without exhausting them." "Yes," Jonathan nodded. "And they''re starting on CoastLine." Now it really seemed more than a coincidence. Alicia and company were sent there for a mission-turned-operation around two months ago and now they''re going to go back there. "How shall we stop this then?" Jill huffed, crossing her arms in determination. "I assume direct attempts for further information would do more harm than good, have you overheard anything else useful?" "I do," Jonathan nodded. "The other limitation is that the sacrifice had to be ''fresh'' as in they have to kidnap the kid and then perform the ritual immediately. That narrows it down to just the capital." "So we are to allow a child to be abducted to expose their location," Jill frowned. "Do you even know which child would be taken?" "His majesty had conducted a census recently. There is exactly one kid who is a hero''s descendant," Jonathan stated as a matter of fact. "He has black hair." "I''ve scoured the capital and found the boy myself," Darc added. "We won''t be troubled trying to locate him first." "And that is the plan," Aqua concluded, looking at the others. "We will follow the cultists into their own lair, stop their ritual, and rescue the child in one fell swoop. Not even a hair will be missing from the boy." "Well, I do hope you have a good plan for that," Jill sighed in resignation. Voice, what do you think? Alicia asked the pixie from her mind. Relax, Alicia! We''re doing this with a bunch of professionals here! Absolutely nothing could go wrong! While the assurance was reaffirming, that wasn''t all Alicia mulled over. It was probably Rin''s situation rubbing off of her, but it made her think about the two Guardians hundreds of years older than her. Alicia knew Aqua was a spirit worshipped as a deity in her world. No matter how similar she acted, she was fundamentally different than humans or other races. After interacting with her enough, Alicia knew Aqua, in her experience, would lean to the many over one despite being the most progressive among greater spirits. She would let a child suffer being abducted and almost being sacrificed if it meant uprooting the cultists with the confidence the latter would be just that, almost which was only a consolation. Darc, meanwhile, was definitely the pragmatic type and would agree to this plan despite what he seemingly did back in Qantasia two months ago. If Alicia were to guess his mind, the child would be traumatized for a while but would recover soon after. If she had heard of it before, she should have participated in that discussion. Hopefully, part of her worry was unfounded and it would work out as they intended. Alright then, if you say so. Yeah! Let''s go! Alicia Chapter 19.2: A Ritual to be Grounded – Contact "I''m going now, mom!" Richter exclaimed, waving his right hand as he hemmed his leather satchel containing his lunch safely on his shoulders with his left. "Be safe on the road, dear!" his mother said back at the front of their house, also waving with her left hand as she was holding a basket of cloth on her right. Today was just like any other day for the boy; waking up from his bed by the sound of the bell tower to signal daytime and eating breakfast served by her mother. Then, he would help with chores as his mother worked as a seamstress, making clothes from things all around the world and then selling them as his mother said - that''s also why his shirt looked good. Only once the bell tower rang its bells again to signal one hour before school did he go out. "Mornin'', Richter!" A gruff but cheerful voice came from one of the stalls. It was the father of a girl he liked selling fish. "A fine day today is, eh?" "Morning, mister!" Richter waved at him as he skipped along the way, letting the sea breeze ruffle his black hair. His mother told him his black hair was a rarity in the kingdom of Coastline. Most people have caramel hair like this mother; most of the nobility and royalty had blonde hair or pale cream matching the sand or so the saying went. His mother said it was the color of the ancient heroes of Qantasia with brown in second place and was something to be proud of as something he inherited from his father. Thinking about his father, he didn''t remember much about him. He was only a baby when he died six years ago, his mother told him he died in a war when many princes were fighting each other to see who got to be king which ended with the neighboring kingdom invading. While his mother grieved, she was worried about their future as his father had been the backbone of the family of three, and his income barely supported the family. With him gone, It could only get worse from there. But it didn''t. "Here''s your shipment, sir!" a wolf beastfolk practically sang as he lugged a crate to a plump man before a tavern. As Richter looked, there were at least three more crates still on the wagon. "Finally!" the tavern owner huffed, heaving the load on his hands. "After his majesty lifted all the stupid restrictions, you''d figure getting hops from the other side of the ocean wouldn''t take this long." "Yeah, I wonder," the beastfolk chuckled, his ears twitching as he scratched the back of his head. The war ended when the invasion was repelled and the one who led the kingdom to victory was Albert von Coastline. His win was everything everyone hoped for as he then went on to become the new king. Richter''s mother told him he was the only one who cared about the common people like him and his mother and so was supported by the people. Because of that, it was in his camp that heroes like Jonathan, a hero descendant like him, rose among the people and delivered victory. As the new king, he showed his wisdom as Richter grew up. Unlike the new king, the other princes and nobility were bad to the people and put big tariffs on everything - Richter only understood that it made everything expensive -, but king Albert got rid of them and punished the bad people who made them, making everything better. Before, his mother could only make clothes from poor materials, but now she can make them from all the best around the world and sell them better, making her not worried anymore. "Wait, was that building always there?" wondered a fox beastfolk, his orange tail swinging left and right staring at a shiny new building on the side of the road. "I don''t know, but I think Bell Conglomerate built it," another fox-eared man rubbed his chin before pointing his finger. "Look," he said. Dodging a passing carriage, Richter could see the familiar rusty bell wrapped in a light-blue cloth above the entrance. "Another one? They''re really ramping up. At least they''re not putting us out of the job, then I''d riot." "You got that right." Although the king made everything better, it didn''t happen immediately. His mother was still concerned about how to get food to the table in the meantime. Then a few months later, a merchant company came and changed everything. It was called Bell Conglomerate and Richter''s mother told him it had been there even before the new king was king. Like other companies, it had struggled to be rich because the bad people wanted to be the only ones who were. But as if it only needed the new king on the throne, there were suddenly a lot of buildings with the Bell Conglomerate symbol on them including that bell tower. But the most important thing was that the conglomerate liked his mother''s sewing and even let her work from home after hiring her. Thanks to them, they can eat delicious food every day. They even let him go to a school they opened for free. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Hehehe, my friends are gonna like what I brought!" Richter grinned as he skipped across the road, he can''t wait to show his friends at school the toy that his mother got as a bonus.
Qantasia Year 456 That is the boy? Son of a Bell Branch employee? Yes. (Darc) Unbeknownst to the little boy, he was being watched by no less than four Court Wizards. Darcassan and Jonathan, in robes, were hopping across the rooftops where no one would normally look that high up and the general noisiness of the city would mask the sound. Richard and Jill, also in robes, were at parallel roads to the boy, keeping an eye on any cultists coming in or out - Alicia noted Jill looked reluctant to separate from Richard but then turned away in a rush once he turned his face to her. Finally, again in robes, Alicia and Owen were tailing the child on foot. Why did you not tell us that before? It wasn''t important. (Darc) Really now!? You meanie! The dark elf didn''t retort to the pixie''s snark. Bitter Chocolate! That was the nickname Voice made up for Darcassan Erith being a dark elf. Ilezenya Erith, the Nature Guardian as well as Darc''s little sister, did say that her brother really likes his black coffee, and Rin told her that even his tea was very bitter. So Alicia assumed that to be the basis for Voice''s epithet for Darc for having chocolate-colored skin and being bitter sometimes. I see two cultists. In the alleyway between the blacksmith and clothing shop. (Jonathan) Alicia looked into the area Jonathan mentioned. It took a moment, but she saw a pair of figures in black robes eyeing the black-haired boy. The color of their garb blended them so well in the shadows that she had to squint to spot them. There are two more on the other side. (Owen) Looking at an approximately ninety-degree angle away from the two cultists between the blacksmith and clothing shop, there was a gap between two unnamed buildings that had another pair of black-clad cultists. However, those cultists retreated into the dark corridor as their target had gone far away from them. Wait till they make their move. Continue to watch the child. (Darc) Right. (Everybody else)
In the busy streets of the capital, Richter passed by a group of younger children playing marbles. "And... Go!" one kid, a fox beastfolk, shouted cheerfully as he flicked his yellow marble. "Yay! I got twelve!" he cheered as the yellow marble knocked ten other marbles out of the circle drawn on the dirt. "Aw, man!" a human boy cried. "I like those marbles..." "My turn!" a fish beastfolk boy exclaimed as he readied his blue marble. Richter was always fascinated by fish beastfolks. On land, they appeared to be like any other beastfolk with fin-like ears and gills on their neck. Once they''re in the water, however, their legs transform into fish tail and their hands grow fins between their fingers to swim underwater. At the back of his mind, Richter remembered her mother saying something about how kids of different races wouldn''t be playing together before but after the new king arrived they did. While he didn''t understand what the new king did, he knew it had something to do with the fox beastfolk appointed as the head knight of the new king''s sister''s knights, Alyssa von Coastline the princess of Coastline. Richter didn''t really get why it was such a big deal. He has always lived surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes and he didn''t see any problem with it. Many of his friends were from different races and they got along well. In fact, the girl he liked, Anna, was a cute wolf beastfolk girl and she liked him too. "I brought it, right?" Thinking of Anna, he paused for a moment and checked his bag. Today was her birthday and he planned to give her a ribbon he bought with the allowance he saved up for months. BOOM "What was that!?" "There was an explosion! It''s coming from the bakery!" CRACKLE CRACKLE Just a couple of steps away, Richter could see the bakery he always passed by in flames while a growing mob kept a safe distance from the building. He and his mother rarely buy any of the bread there - they liked the bakery from the next street -, but Richter still felt concerned. THUD Then out of nowhere, a brown hooded figure appeared as if he fell from the sky and then rushed to the bakery. CRASH "Someone went in!" a man exclaimed as the brown figure jumped into the broken display, busting through the debris. "What the?" another onlooker was pushed to the side and fell to the ground with a THUD. The culprit was another brown hooded figure who was just a head taller than Richter himself. "Hey, don''t go in there, kid! It''s too dangerous!" the onlooker screamed as the smaller brown figure entered the blown bakery too. Just as the smaller brown figure was in the bakery, the taller brown figure jumped out of there carrying two people on their shoulders. "That''s my wife and daughter!" a man exclaimed. The taller brown figure said nothing and shoved the two women to their family patriarch and ran back into the bakery. The crowd was getting thicker with more townsfolk gathering around the site. Richter wanted to get a closer look and so he did. He walked past the alleyway and then... "A-Ack!" Richter grunted as he felt his left arm being grabbed. He was pulled into the dark corridor. "Oh Dark. Entrap thee with your dreams. Sleep." There was not much struggle when Richter heard a whisper and felt sleepy afterwards. The poor boy has no understanding of what is going on as his vision blackened with his consciousness leaving him.
The cultists on the left got the kid. (Darc) Damned cravens! Burning a shop just to abduct a child! I can see them exiting the other side. I am chasing them now! (Jill) Do it. Richard, watch the other cultists. Make sure they actually regroup with their colleagues. (Darc) Right away, master! (Richard) Alicia, we''re going with Jill. Owen and Jonathan can take care of the fire. (Darc) Okay. Alicia just hoped the people trapped in the bakery could make it out alive as the Dark Guardian sunk into his artificial shadow which then slithered to her while everybody else was distracted. As the shadow reached her, Darc emerged from his shadow, wordlessly grabbed the Fire Court Wizard by her robe, and proceeded to submerge back into the shadow with her in tow. Alicia Chapter 19.3: A Ritual to be Grounded - Chasing Richard, what''s the status of the cultists on your end? (Darc) They are going straight to the other cultists... Oh, they caught up to them. Also, I spotted Jillianis. (Richard) Do you even need to state that, Lazulian? (Jill) I am just giving a report... (Richard) Shut up, idiot! (Jill) Continue following them. (Darc) Alicia chuckled over their exchange as Darc cut them off, moving the artificial shadow he was in, with Alicia in tow. Speaking of which, being inside the shadow, officially named [Carpet], of the Dark Guardian was an odd experience for her. When Alicia sank into the shadow with Darc, it was like going down on an elevator while being able to see what was outside or standing on an unsafe platform lowering down, into the ground. There wasn''t much resistance either, like standing on a giant jelly and gradually drowning in it as the soft confection couldn''t take the pressure concentrating on her two feet. Then traveling inside the shadow was another thing entirely. For one thing, Alicia couldn''t even move a muscle. While she was submerged in darkness, she could still see clearly the outside world. And she wasn''t constantly looking up either, her vision was as if she was still on the ground while feeling her immobile body underground. In fact, she could see in 360 degrees and even see Darc''s [Carpet] moving and herself being held by the robe by Darc, who could stretch his muscles unlike her, but not his hold of her. How unfair! Ignoring Voice''s remark, Alicia focuses on the task at hand, even though she couldn''t even break a leg to do so, literally. As the four cultists silently trotted into the dark alleyway, the Court Wizards followed, or in Alicia and Darc''s case, just directly moved right at the end of the corridor - now Alicia knew Darc''s Personal Skill was technically teleportation magic which sounded even more powerful at night as he could essentially appear anywhere at will. Can he even go through the thin silhouette of a string? Alicia wondered. Anyway, the cultists were now stuck in a problem: they were at the end of the alleyway and had to cross the next street. They had crossed the previous one that Jill staked out just fine as it was quieter, but this street was much, much busier. With an unconscious child, their black robe would make them deer stuck in headlights. We''re done. (Jonathan) Woah! That was quick! ...Eh, we''re just getting everyone out of there. The firefighters will put out the fire. (Owen) The guards came. I had revealed myself, we''re fine now. (Jonathan) Did you give them the message? (Darc) Yes, I did. (Jonathan)
"Jonathan had already told the king about this," Aqua explained. "After this briefing, he will inform him of our plan to deal with this so he can get the knights ready. We will still need to tell the knights again once we begin the mission."
Focusing back on the cultists, they stood still for a moment, but Alicia was sure they were chanting something. Sure enough, the cultists slowly disappeared from the bottom up and turned invisible. However, as she looked closely, she could tell the shimmers in the air indicating their presence though once in a thick crowd, they''d go unnoticeable unless one already trained their eyes on them. As the vibration in the air began to move, Darc''s shadow followed. Being on a busy street, a shadow without anyone casting would similarly go unnoticed. NEIGH "Out of the way!" CRACK THROTTLE THROTTLE Whip cracks were made as a carriage rushed through the street. Everyone has themselves out of the road to avoid getting run over. The cultists hiding behind their spell recognized the oncoming vehicle going straight for them and made a run for it. However, the cultists being packed like sardines to maintain their spell while also carrying a child were moving too slowly to get out of the way. They are not going to make it! CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK But then, in the shadows under the wooden beams attaching the carriage to the galloping horses, four thin black stakes lunged out and snapped them. Without the main part that allowed horses to pull carriages, the two horses would soon separate from the carriage as the carriage driver could only hold on to the ropes for so long. BASH NEIGH NEIGH Then, a more blunter stake emerged and bashed one of the horse''s sides. It pushed the horse to bump into the other horse and the math resulted in both of them veering away from each other and barely brushing past the invisible cultist. The cultists weren''t in the clear though, the carriage was still crashing into them. BASH "Agh!" Then, the carriage driver, already in a state of shock as the reins slipped from his hands, was struck in the shoulder by another blunt stake emerging from the shadow he casted with a force large enough to launch him out of his seat. SPLAT "My softmelons!" And as if fate smiled upon the poor carriage handler, he happened to land on a wheelbarrow of watermelon-like fruits that gave in to the weight of the crashing man, cushioning his fall. While the driver was out, there was still the carriage that still carried enough momentum to reach the invisible kidnappers. Although Darc''s stake and the one earlier also altered the carriage''s trajectory, it wouldn''t be enough to dodge the cultists. THUD "Mother Earth! Watch out!" The pedestrians fell into a state of panic, scurrying themselves out of harm''s way as the carriage suddenly tilted more than forty-five degrees, lifting two of its wheels. The floating wheels had barely nicked the hood of the cultists as they shaved right above them. CRASH SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~ In an ear-shattering noise, the carriage tumbled to its side and ground its side on the road, screeching, until it stopped. After witnessing such a bizarre event happening all too fast, it took a moment for Alicia to recognize what it was: Darc''s Shadow Stake magic. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"It is Master Darc''s original magic?" Alicia muttered, sipping her tea. "That''s right," Ilezenya Erith, Darc''s little sister, smiled, coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of cookies. "He may not carry his magic''s ''origin'' like Aqua, but as long as the world has a magic system, he can use its full power!" "Yay! Cookies!" "That does sound impressive," Alicia remarked, remembering the few times she saw the dark elf''s magic in action. "Of course it is," the half-elf said smugly as she sat on the other sofa, having dusted off the crumbs on her apron to the nearby trash can. "No one can beat my brother''s Shadow Stakes!" Alicia can only smile as the Nature Guardian wasn''t on the same page. "I have seen them before. How do they work, Zenya?" "Oh! That''s simple! It''s just like his Shadow Sink spell," Zenya, what everyone calls her, explained. "Anywhere there is a shadow, he can shoot them from its surface! Of course, they wouldn''t be as great if the shadow is less shadowy, but that''s what [Carpet] is for!" "...That makes it sound a lot scarier," Alicia couldn''t help but remark, the tea in her hand going cold. Even before Darc became a Guardian and had access to [Carpet], his magic already sounded deadly as it wouldn''t be useless in the daytime when everything cast a shadow. "My brother''s magic isn''t all about stabbing people if that''s what you think," Zenya said, breaking Alicia''s chain of thought. "He can make them blunt and use them for all sorts of things. I remembered him making a swing out of them when I was little, he''s such a genius!" Alicia could only chuckle at the Nature Guardian''s enthusiastic praise for her big brother while remembering not to sell her short. After hearing about both siblings'' educational backgrounds, she saw having long lives in a whole new light. "I see..." "Right? Unless someone can shine light in all directions, nothing can stop my brother!"
I-Is that not excessive!? The passengers could get hurt! I''ve done this plenty of times before. The passengers would get bruised, but nothing serious will happen. (Darc) When the red-haired girl thought about it for a second, the dark elf was right. The horse was directed not to trample over any passerby; the driver was bumped off his seat at the moment where he would land safely, and; the carriage was toppled over did seem to not suffer extensive damage. Everything was calculated precisely on the fly, it would not be a stretch Darc had taken measures to ensure the passengers would survive. Alicia would have asked more questions, but the Fire Court Wizard couldn''t do that any further as she was shocked at what happened next. Wait a second? Is he not? He is! An elderly man in merchant wear climbed himself up from the tumbled carriage while being pulled out by the driver, sweating bullets over the harrowing experience. True to the Dark Guardian''s word, he was relatively unharmed but that was a minor concern as Alicia recognized him having met the man two months ago. Looking at the flipped carriage, it was even more apparent as Alicia would never fail to recognize the rust-covered bell wrapped in a light-blue cloth and the name, ''The Bell Conglomerate'' on its side. What could make mister Davis in a hurry like that? Who knows, but we better catch up to the cultists. He''ll survive. (Darc)
Without any further incident, the cultists entered a secluded slum after squeezing through a narrow path in the city where its dwellers seemed to have already left the place. In the middle of the dank clearing, there was a wooden hatch on the ground which the cultists opened. Subsequently, they entered the hatch with the child in tow. RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE "Stop pushing, Lazulian!" "I am not pushing you, Jillianis." "Whatever!" It was an equally surreal experience rising back up from the shadow, but Alicia didn''t have time to let it sink in as she looked at the noise coming from the narrow entrance to this area. The cultists had to slip into this place one by one, especially when one of them was carrying a child in tow. The knights, while doing the same thing, had the extra baggage of their full armor under their robes leading to their situation now. Don''t they get hot wearing all of that? Alicia wondered. "We''re coming down." THUD THUD Just as Jill and Richard popped into the other side, Jonathan and Owen came in jumping off the roof and squatting for a safe landing. The redhead knight seeing this had a look that she wished she had done that instead. "So this is the place, huh?" Jill huffed in annoyance. "Just about what I expected of such scum." JAB Ignoring the red knight''s remark, Jonathan went to a corner of the slum and stabbed a pole into the ground. It was metallic and from the distance, Alicia saw runes etched throughout its surface.
"Jonathan will place a Catalyst at the base that will act as a beacon so the knights will know where we are," Aqua continued. "The other Catalyst to track the beacon will be given to them by him as well."
"Alright," Darc said. "Is there anything else you have to report before we go?" As Alicia looked around, none of the other Court Wizards seemed to have anything to say. Then she turned to Owen and just barely spotted the tell-tale signs he had something that needed to be free from his chest even under the robe and mask hiding everything. There was no way she couldn''t have known having known him since childhood. "No? Then let''s-" "...I think I saw one guy dead at the bakery," Owen spoke up after a moment''s hesitation. "Pretty sure he''s near the explosion, I definitely saw a dead body under the debris." "...Yes, I saw it as well," Jonathan nodded in confirmation. "Oh no..." Alicia gasped. So that is why... "Considering the explosion, I am afraid all of the victims surviving would be too much to ask," Richard remarked sadly. "Damn it! That is already one killed in this mission!" Jill cursed. "We should have gone to the discussion." "We all knew the risks of agreeing to this mission, and you all know even if we tried our hardest, not everyone can be saved," Darc said. "The best thing we can do is to keep pushing through." """Right."""
A large, murky black shadow crawled into the tomb-like structure of the cultists'' base. Though it was a dark corridor, the torches littering the walls provided sufficient lighting to make an instant relocation inconvenient. They seemed to be magical in nature too as there was no smoke coming from them which made sense in this poorly ventilated place.
"From Jonathan''s observation, there were around thirty mages in the GrassPlains base so we can expect the one in CoastLine to be similar," Aqua stated. "Considering their operations, assume they are all capable."
The six Court Wizards infiltrated the base inside Darc''s [Carpet] which was quite the trip as the dimly lit corridor seemed unusually endless. Eventually, they got to the end of the corridor where the light shined the brightest in the dark main tomb-like chamber could be seen. Already they could make out the cultists and at first glance, they didn''t seem to discriminate who could be their members as they could make out several beastfolk ears sticking out in their black garb.
"We can safely say all of the cultists will be at their base for the ritual. They will probably take shelter there as well after unleashing what they sacrificed for."
Eew! It appeared the Court Wizards came just in time as the cultists were about to begin. They surrounded the abducted boy who was placed unconscious on top of an altar. What had Voice blanche in disgust was that the boy was stripped naked for some reason. Probably the ''purity'' thing Jonathan heard. No time to waste, get ready to strike. (Darc) SHIING "Huh?" "What the-!" "This is!" Just as the Court Wizards were about to enter the chamber, an almost blinding light emanated from the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling throughout the corridor. With the brightness erasing all traces of darkness, it rendered even [Carpet] useless no longer able to maintain Darc''s spell. As a result, the Court Wizards were unceremoniously kicked out of the disappearing shadow and into the material world. BANG Before they could get their bearings, a black-tinted glass wall shut the five Court Wizards inside the corridor. While masked by the front glass, they could hear the same sound coming from this tomb''s entrance. Only Jonathan wasn''t trapped as he was in front of Darc when he pulled them in. However, that meant the Nature Court Wizard was right in front of the cultists who were gazing at the Court Wizards under their black robes.
"They may rig some traps in their base, so be careful. Alicia, do not forget to bring your Catalyst."
Alicia instinctively held onto the necklace Catalyst around her neck. This will not end like the last time she was in this world. As she got herself up, so did the others reeling in the backlash of the violent expulsion. "Ugh! So bright!" "What happened?" "A trap, obviously. But how did it kick us out?" "Ahahahaha! I didn''t expect it to work!" Breaking the Court Wizards out of confusion was a laugh of lunacy coming from the cultists. Immediately, they turned towards the chamber and saw one of the cultists who looked to be the leader stepping forward. Although Jonathan at the other side of the glass wall materialized his sword at the ready, he, nor the others, was ready for what the lead cultist said with a mocking bow. "Welcome! It is a pleasure to see each other again... Court Wizards!" Alicia Chapter 19.4: A Ritual to be Grounded - Trapped "Welcome! It is a pleasure to see each other again... Court Wizards!" It was like the Green Deity... was all Alicia could think of when she heard the familiar title. Just like in Geron Yor, it was supposed to be a simple task of rooting out a secret order of evil mages seeking to complete an eldritch ritual. But, not only they except Jonathan were trapped, but the cultists also knew about them. As far as Alicia was aware, only the Coastline royal family along with their closest retainers, and the Bell Branch manager plus his most trusted employees would know and none of them had any reason to be in cahoots with the cultists. "That voice," Jonathan muttered over on the other side, breaking Alicia''s chain of thoughts. "Missed me, Jonathan?" the lead cultist then taunted. He, knows him? What is going on? Alicia widened her eyes as she watched the lead cultist lift his hood with his left hand covered in grey feathers and his right hand holding an iron dagger. Aside from his face looking to be in his late thirties, Alicia could also see a set of grey seagull wings sprouting out of the back of his black robe with a grey accent. While Alicia was surprised by the lead cultist''s statement, Jonathan seemed to understand what was going on as he spoke out one name, "Gray." CLANG Then, in one swift motion, Jonathan pulled his hood and took off his metallic mask, dropping it to the floor much to Alicia''s shock. She was told the first rule was applied even more so in your own world which included hiding your face and here Jonathan just broke it. "Ah, such a familiar face," Gray said with a sinister smile. "I was right to approach you all those years ago, hero descendant." "You were dead," Jonathan stated sternly, uncaring of the seagull beastfolk''s last remark. "My death was greatly exaggerated," Gray chuckled. "And it appears you think so as well." "Master, what is going on?" Jill was the first to ask. "Who is that man? How did he know us?" "You never met him," Darc explained. "He was someone in Jonathan''s group in the civil war. He''s supposed to have died back then, looks like we''re wrong." "Is that how he knows us?" Alicia then asked. "Yes, and now some things make sense," Darc then looked down at the shining runes that were now not as bright as before but would still impede his magic. "I recall one mission with Zenya where she spilled my magic when prompted... by him." "...She just told him?" "Huh, I have always thought it would bring trouble later." "You faked your death," Jonathan concluded. "I appreciate your compliment," the lead cultist cooed, clearly proud of his handiwork. "Oh?" he then looked towards the Court Wizards behind the glass wall and noticed something. "Is the Court Wizard who beheaded poor Dubarim not with you? What a shame," he shrugged. "I have a few words to say to him. He did massacre a couple of our brothers and sisters too, after all." Before anyone could even ask, Gray continued, "Oh yes! I was the one who aided Doug von SaltWaters in his little coup. He''s so full of himself! I was afraid my poor wings would break folding inside my robe every time I dealt with that manchild!" "Then why help him?" "Oh, nothing really, I thought I could stir up some trouble to aid our quest," Gray shrugged lazily. "But then I thought I could catch an even bigger fish and lead that noble to your not-so-humble Bell Branch!" "That confirms the noble''s harassment of the Bell Branch was premeditated," Darc stated. "If it was not obvious already," Jill said sarcastically. "Yes, I scarcely believed he would divert his attention away from his rebellion," Richard remarked. "He may not be as competent as his father, but I doubt he would be so incapable either." "Hey, that means he''s the one who told him to assassinate Alicia!" Owen growled with narrowed eyes, his face frowning in discontent. "Ah," Alicia gasped. "That is right..."
"Was there not an assassin who tried to kill me?" Alicia asked. "What happened to him?" "We''ve thrown him back to his world with his memories wiped," Darc shrugged. "He doesn''t know anything other than Doug hiring him for the job and then telling him to assassinate instead of abducting after he couldn''t find you for the first few days."
"And that led us here," Jonathan concluded. After all, it was the request from the Bell Branch that led them to stop Doug''s coup and find out about the cultists which resulted in the investigation that got them here. "Right into our trap, that is!" Gray practically sang, taking every bit of enjoyment out of this. "First, it was your being a hero descendant piquing my interest. Then, it was your unique ''magic'' that got me joining your merry band. Imagine my surprise finding out you lot calling yourselves ''Court Wizards'' exist and are watching us in the skies. But honestly, you''re all idiots." Here comes the cringe monologue, was more or less every Court Wizard''s thought. "You have great power," Gray continued, "and for what? Babysitting us? Don''t joke with me! You can put this sh*tty world under your thumbs, for Abyss'' sake!" "We don''t do that," Jonathan retorted unamusingly. "And that''s why I trapped you here!" Gray snapped back. Lifting both of his hands up like a megalomaniac, he continued, "soon, you shall be enlightened once our lord Abyss comes and gives us the release to this world!" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "What is this ''release'' you''re even talking about?" Jonathan demanded. "The release of this world''s suffering!" Gray exclaimed, then pointed his finger accusingly at the war hero. "You say you''re going to help us and yet we are still here in the same craphole as before? Clearly, only our lord Abyss can show us the path out of this hellhole. We just need to follow it!" "And that entails sacrificing a child?" Jonathan insinuated. "Of course! This child shall call our lord''s agents to prepare for this world''s release! One kingdom at a time!" Gray swung his free hand towards the boy, then swung it back to point at the other hero''s descendant''s hair. "Just like you, this child bears the cursed color of our lord''s enemy, and he wants his soul!" "His and my colors are the colors of the Ancient Heroes," the brown-haired hero corrected. "And your Abyss is the Great Destroyer. You''re mad for bringing him back." "We are not mad, hero!" Gray squawked at Jonathan both as the hero of Coastline and the descendants of the Ancient Heroes. "Our lord Abyss'' is not here to destroy us, but to release us to a better place! Those foolish heroes are too short-sighted to see it!"
"...He, makes a point there," Alicia muttered after hearing the lead cultist''s frustration about how his life still seemed to be bad despite Court Wizards being in this world. "Yes, and the answer is still the same: we keep moving forward," Darc simply stated. "We''re breaking the glass." "I will try, excuse me," Jill declared as she shuffled through the other Court Wizards and into the front of the glass wall. Summoning her Cherished Armament, [Speris Heirloom], she held the spear over her head and thrust it with all her might. PANG "It is like hitting a boulder!" the red knight exclaimed as staggered from her spear recoiling, the narrow hall giving her less space to make her stance properly. "Allow me to attempt this." Then Richard, the white knight and Light Court Wizard, gestured the others to make way and as he did so, he unleashed his Cherished Armament. His was a bastard sword with runes engraved in the blade, giving off a soft glow. As Jill stepped back, Richard pulled back his sword with his two hands and swung. CLANK Only to stumble back like the other knight as the tight corridor meant that he could not set himself a proper footing. "Hah!" The lead cultist laughed, noticing the knights'' futile attempt to break the glass. "The glass is magically enhanced by our best mages! Your sticks and poles won''t even come close to shattering it!" he mocked. "And no need to try your ''magic,'' it''s infused with Magic-Dampener Stones. I''m sure it will still work on your ''foreign magic''!" "Hmm..." WHIIR To test that theory, Darc put his hand in front of the glass wall and ordered a [Darkball] set to stay on the spot. Sure enough, it dissipated much faster than normal. Much like how Darc''s magic can work in another Fantasy Law if it''s similar enough to his world''s, so too can things like anti-magic work vice-versa. Not even Manegia''s Fantasy Law can escape this, Alicia knew that much from Aqua''s lecture. "As expected!" the lead cultist boasted. Unperturbed, the dark elf stepped forward and pointed his right arm towards the glass wall. He crooked his hand to a hand gesture of a sock puppet, only with a biker glove, and created a shadow within his hand. "Ah," the winged cultist let out a gasp, his eyes widening a bit. "I did not think of that!" Hearing the explanation from a rather enthusiastic little sister was one thing, but understanding every aspect of it was another. SHIMMER CRACK Partially true to the lead cultist''s word, the stake burst from Darc''s hand and met the glass wall, but it only made a small dent which can only be seen from that side. Being constrained to a relatively small hand, the stake wasn''t as thick as what the dark elf usually produced. "Hah!" Gray smirked, relieved to see that the glass wall held up. "I knew-" SHIMMERRR~ And then, blackness covered the visible corridor as Darc covered his surroundings with [Carpet], countering the light from all directions with shadows cast from all directions. Although that will cost a lot of maneg, a Guardian like him can take the strain. SHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMER~ CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK~ An absurd number of Shadow Stakes, in their full power, manifested from all surfaces to pierce the glass. When the magical constructs dispersed from the glass wall''s anti-magic, Darc simply unleashed another volley. SHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMER~ CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK~ By this point, it was clear to anyone what he was trying to do. Although each stake only made a few millimeters of progress on the thick glass wall, it was all on the same point so it was only a matter of time before this brute force method paid off. The leader of the cultists, however, has something to say otherwise. "A futile effort!" he cried before turning to his cultists. "Unleash the Iron Knights!" "By lord Abyss'' will!" One of the cultists began to chant. "Oh, steel. Thou art the holy crusaders. Unsheathe thy sword. Slay our adversaries before us. Awaken, oh Iron Knights!" Nothing seemed to happen at the moment as if the cultist''s spell was a dud. But then... CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK "Behind us." As Alicia felt her maneg soul suppressing her emotions, looking behind her, she saw Richard moving to the front while pulling out a shield under his robe while Jill stood behind him with her flaming spear prepared. Alicia herself was behind her childhood friend''s small stature and prepared her offensive wand Catalyst Amelia Rickens made. CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK SHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMER~ CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK~ "I''ll focus on breaking the glass," Darc stated as the sounds of marching steel were masked by his Shadow Stakes cast at the same time. "You guys defend." """Got it.""" CLANK SHIING They came. Looking at one of them, it was a suit of armor two meters tall that almost reached the ceiling. The armor itself had a devilish black design with two horns attached to the helmet. Alicia could already tell the suit of armor was hollow inside as malovent magic pulsated from it. Already she could see at least a dozen more behind it wielding greatswords that were frankly unwieldy in the tight corridor in her opinion. "Automatons," Jill stated, readying her spear to strike. "Better not hold back then," Richard added, lifting his shield up. "Hahahaha!" Gray laughed maniacally. "Lord Abyss'' rise to this wretched world is inevitable! Just give up and die!" he boasted, confident with the cards in his hands that he went on belittling the Court Wizards and not hurrying up bringing about his lord Abyss'' rise. "You sound so sure," the Mature Court Wizard narrowed his eyes. "Of course!" the cultist quipped. "I know everything about your little group. You stand no chance against us!" "Do you really think you can take us on?" Jonathan demanded as a matter of fact "Sure I do!" Gray boasted. In his most devious smile, he then said, "after all, I..." SHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMER~ CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK~ Alicia nor the Court Wizards trapped could not hear what parted from Gray''s lips, much less see them moving. ZIP~ YANK THUD "What the?" But what happened next was clear. While Alicia couldn''t witness it, it was clear by the sound that the child on the altar was displaced right under Gray''s nose. I got the kid. (Jonathan) Especially when Jonathan said it himself. The next thing was known was that Jonathan''s suppression broke. "What did you-" ZIP~ "Guagh!" CLA-CL-CLAN-NG-ANG-G "Leader!" "A-Aaah!" "Lord Abyss! What is this!?" "You have not learned enough. " Jonathan growled, an expression of anger must''ve been written over his face. "We hold back, far too much. And, you will never get away from your crimes against us." Alicia Chapter 19 Extra 1: Ending a Different Story? "Sure I do!" Gray boasted. "After all, I..." SHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMERSHIMMER~ CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK~ It was the last time Jonathan heard the cracking of glass by Master Darc''s Shadow Stakes as they were pushed into the back of his mind. His pupils dilated hearing every word the seagull beastfolk he once knew uttered. "...I didn''t expect your arm to get cut off, but lord Abyss must be smiling for my deeds!" It all makes sense, what happened six years ago, he thought. Grey... This bastard! He...! Jonathan, the Hero of Coastline, the Nature Court Wizard of the Otherworldly Court, knew what to do. As the cultists began to chant their spells, he unrolled the right sleeve of his robe to reveal the stump of his severed arm. He never tried to hide it, but he never openly showed it to others either: his past, his loss, his failure. A reminder of when he had failed to save his friend in the war, costing his arm, and because of it, he lost his other friend, a fellow Court Wizard, his partner. He had believed it happened as unfortunate as that, but he knew he was behind it all. Jonathan concentrated his inner soul, tapping into the power of his loyal maneg, his true soul. His lost arm, his weakness, shall be replaced with his will so that this time, he will save those around him. SLITHERSLITHERSLITHER~ Much like how Rose used her loyal maneg to support her legs, Jonathan developed his loyal maneg to replace his entire arm. Christened [Plant Arm], the glowing green loyal maneg grew out his missing arm like vines, forming and twisting at the end to form five fingers, becoming his most powerful Vague Order. RIP Despite having rolled it up, the sleeve of his brown robe was still ripped apart having little space for the manifestation of the [Plant Arm]. It was no big deal, Jonathan could just wear the next set.
In Manegia, Rose had a feeling that her hard work was desecrated, again, and simply sighed in melancholy.
Extend. With the base form of [Plant Arm] given, Jonathan followed it up with the Vague-Extension Order [Stretch & Grapple]. It was one of the first things he could do with his Vague Order and there were a lot more to come. ZIP~ The loyal maneg made its Order to its master''s disloyal maneg and rapidly grew the [Plant Arm] in length. It stretched out in a banana shot, scraping by the cultists and breaking them out of their chants. Before that bastard could even begin plunging his dagger into the kid, he got to him first. YANK "What the?" Gray exclaimed. Clearly, he did not expect this given that Jonathan used his Vague Order sparingly as it was still his loyal maneg. The [Plant Arm] morphed its head around the upper torso of the boy in lightning-fast speed that the winged cultist tumbled backward. ZIP~ THUD The [Plant Arm] retracted rapidly, bringing the child to him and stopping abruptly when it reached him. While Jonathan took care of the velocity when he pulled the boy, it may have still been too rough. Gently laying the sleeping kid on the cold hard floor beside him, Jonathan lashed out his [Plant Arm] again straight for that bastard. ZIP~ "What did you-" And the Vague Order made the touchdown. "Guagh!" screamed the beastman cultist, the large imitation of plant life coiling his neck. CLA-CL-CLAN-NG-ANG-G As the ensnarement progressed, Gray, in the shock of the giant green grabbing him, eventually dropped his dagger to the hard floor, bouncing for a bit. He, of course, didn''t, or rather, couldn''t say anything as the maneg creation gagged his foul mouth, preventing him from chanting. "Leader!" "A-Aaah!" "Lord Abyss! What is this!?" SLITHER~ SLITHER~ Amidst the panic of his subordinates, the bastard was lifted up, his wings flapping furiously to the point of tiredness as Jonathan commanded his [Plant Arm] to have him dangle off his feet. He didn''t forget the rest of the cultists though seeing one of them chanting a spell to save the bastard. [Thorn], from [Plant Arm] to the chanting cultist. BURST Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. CRACK The sharp tip of maneg formation branched out of the part of the [Plant Arm] where Gray was held. It made a whipcrack in the air as it lashed out towards the brave cultist. Having used the same Order for years, his Maneg Soul has long since been able to remember the strict incantation of [Thorn] to know what he meant when giving the Memorized version with the parameters all over the place, especially when [Plant Arm] also handled a huge chunk of the process. STAB "Gurgle...!" A raspy light voice echoed throughout the tomb as the thorn punctured her neck and spurted out lots of blood. Retract... I end my Order. SCHLACK Even more blood sprayed out as the [Thorn] was pulled from the woman before being dismissed. The cultist''s bloodstained hood came off as she fell forward, revealing a blonde woman, a CoastLine noblewoman. King Albert will need to conduct more investigations after this. BURST STAB "Gurk!" Scanning the shocked cultists, he had identified the one still constantly chanting what must be the summoning of the Iron Knights. He had quickly ordered another [Thorn] at his direction to alleviate his fellow Court Wizards. With the immediate threat removed, Jonathan moved his [Plant Arm] to bring Gray eye-to-eye. "You have not learned enough. You should have known this," he growled, with a face of rage, giving a pause to bore his gaze on Gray''s dilated eyes. "We hold back, far too much. And, you will never get away from your crimes against us." Although it would have been better to keep him alive for information, the other code of Court Wizards said otherwise; Gray must pay with his life manifold. Besides, the lead cultist in GrassPlains had already spouted enough information that was needed. The [Plant Arm] lowered Gray to the ground and forced him to look up to Jonathan. The Hero of Coastline raised his left hand and in it, a Cherished Armament formed. It was a sword, shorter than what he normally used, with a green handle and intricate markings on the blade. "This is Melaine''s sword, the Court Wizard you killed." STAB "Hngh~!" Jonathan thrust the sword into the right side of Gray''s neck. Then it was pulled out and the wound was covered with additional flora to keep him from dying. Dismissing Melanie''s sword, he summoned another sword that was longer than his main one, also with a similar design. Though its original owner was not a Court Wizard, he was like a sworn brother to him. "This is Reg''s longsword." SLICE "Grgh~!" Jonathan shifted Gray more to his right and swung his blade, chopping the right arm of the cultist which fell to the ground. Jonathan willed the [Plant Arm] to cover the stump so the bastard wouldn''t bleed out on him. "And that is for my arm." STAB STAB STAB STAB Then, Jonathan ordered his loyal maneg creation to puncture the winged cultist with an array of [Thorn]s, all in non-vital locations. Rotating him one-eighty degrees, he swung... SLASH ...and cut off his wings in one clean swipe. "This is for attacking us, the Wizards of the Otherworldly Court." STAB STAB There were two more cultists foolishly attempting to save their leader. They had met the same fate. Looking at the bastard, Jonathan could tell he was tired of grunting in pain and was close to death''s door. Actually, he could feel it from his [Plant Arm] that his pulse was gone. In a few moments, Gray will die. "..." It was at that moment Jonathan calmed himself down. He probably could have gone on for much longer or perhaps started demanding questions. Then again, he''d already know the answers to his questions which was why he covered the bastard''s mouth. Perhaps that was why, as Gray''s life was about to expire, Jonathan said the last thing he needed to say. "For what it''s worth, you have still helped king Albert''s rise. Farewell, old comrade." For that respect, Jonathan released and laid the deceased seagull beastman down. Then, he gazed at the rest of the cultists. WHIP PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE Jonathan swung the [Plant Arm] to the side, releasing a barrage of flying thorns across the tomb. In an instant, all the cultists were simultaneously punctured by these thorns in the neck. The [Plant Arm] made sure it was deadly accurate. 0 cultists left. Jonathan took a deep breath and exhaled. It had taken a significant portion of his maneg. Well, it had only barely reached double digits, but Jonathan was told never to reach that amount. Owen, who was at the other side of the glass with his girlfriend fighting the Iron Knights, had once used up more than thirty percent of his maneg at once and almost ended up half-paralyzed afterwards. SHATTER Just in time or a bit too late, the magical glass wall had finally been broken. As pieces of glass fell, Jonathan saw Darc slightly out of breath under his robe and mask by his moving body frame. Behind the Dark Guardian, he could see the other Court Wizards still fighting the Iron Knights. Even though he had killed the cultist summoning them, the existing ones did not go away. Being magical constructs, the Iron Knights disappeared when broken allowing the rest to keep pushing. SHATTER They''re here. Another sound of glass breaking was heard on the other side of the now-dark corridor. The knights Jonathan directed to come with the Catalyst had finally arrived. They were probably occupied with the glass wall on their side. Then, Jonathan heard a familiar voice, "Men! Destroy the Iron Knights! Aid sir Jonathan and his allies!" "Yes, sir!" Jonathan knew princess Alyssa''s knights would come. King Albert would not settle for anything less. Furthermore, with the royal knights here, that meant he was there as well and Jonathan knew what to do. "Jonathan?" Picking up the naked boy, Jonathan went to Darc and plopped the boy in his hands. Brushing past the other Court Wizard, Jonathan materialized his main Cherished Armament, the sword with the perfect length for his size. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH In a quick dash, Jonathan hacked through each of the Iron Knights. Each strike struck true to the glowing cores inside them, breaking them and cutting them off their power source. Like the others, they fell to the ground and dissipated into pure mana. 0 Iron Knights left. Jonathan, disheveled, walked past the stunned knights and met his friend and comrade in the war that ended all those years ago, the War of the Princes and Nobles, that has now ended... for them. "Alfred," he called. For the first time in six years, the Hero of Coastline smiled, whether it was happy or sad... or perhaps, just empty. "He''s dead, the bastard who killed Melaine, your sister, and got away is finally dead." Alicia Chapter 19.5: A Ritual to be Grounded - True End of the War PUNCTURE The red knight thrust her flaming spear into the opening of the moving suit of armor, breaking its core. CLANG Richard raised his shield as another Iron Knight swung down its greatsword, blocking it. BOOM Aiming true, Alicia found an opening to unleash a small [Explosion] on the mob while keeping it safe. STAB STAB STAB And it was followed by spears of ice. ¡Þ Iron Knights left. ??? + 10 destroyed. The onslaught of the Iron Knights was seemingly endless. While each of them wasn''t much of a hassle, all of them together in this tight space was less than ideal. As they disappeared when destroyed, the Court Wizards couldn''t rely on a wall of iron junk giving them breathing room. Alicia could see the others were getting tired. They must have started to go past the ten percent margin where a Court Wizard started to get exhausted using too much maneg all at once. Alicia was fine since she used loyal maneg, but the problem was that she was using loyal maneg. Even Voice refused to let her toss pieces of her soul in and out, so she also had to alternate with her Catalyst which needed time to gather enough fire maneg converted from what little heat the magic torches gave along the glowing wall. Jonathan got the cultist that summons the Iron Knights. Hold out. (Darc) The Dark Guardian reported so as he was constantly barraging the magically enforced glass barrier that was also anti-magic with Shadow Stakes, meaning he was facing the direction of where Jonathan did his part. This was much-needed news, the Iron Knights should stop spawning infinitely now. But there were still a lot of them. No matter, they just need to hold out a bit longer. Founding another crack within the tight formation, Alicia pointed another [Explosion] within the Iron Knight ranks. BOOM ??? Iron Knights left. ??? + 5 destroyed. SHATTER As the battle of attrition continued, Darc finally destroyed the glass wall just as Jonathan finished his battle. However, the problem with the Iron Knights remained. Despite the summoner being dead, there were still too many Iron Knights. Owen, Jill, and Richard were out of shape and so must be Darc and Jonathan, Alicia could only do so much with her Catalyst and loyal maneg. SHATTER Then, another shattering echoed from the other side, vibrating deep into the base. "Men!" a commandeering voice was heard. "Destroy the Iron Knights and aid sir Jonathan and his allies!" "Yes, sir!" Alicia had almost forgotten that Jonathan had informed the king about this place as well as tagged it with the Catalyst. Their help was much welcomed, no one expected the trap set up by Gray that specifically targeted Darc''s personal magic. It was so convenient that it felt like it came out of a bad novel. Emotion suppression is disabled. "Huh?" There were still at least half a dozen Iron Knights left. Even though Alyssa''s knights were here to help, why did her Maneg Soul think she was out of the woods? Voice? Well, Alicia, it''s pretty much over already! Huh? While being confused by what the pixie meant, suddenly, Jonathan squeezed past Alicia and the others as he approached the Iron Knights. Then, with his Cherished Armament at hand... SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH In an instant, he tore through the remaining Iron Knights. Alicia gasped in awe over his blade work. So that''s what Voice meant. 0 Iron Knights left. As the final walking metal suit of armor faded into silverish-black nodes, Alicia could finally see the reinforcements that came. Are they not Alyssa''s knights? They are! What came to view were not some city guards, but knights in silver armor, princess Alyssa von Coastline''s personal knights. One of them carried some kind of magic pickaxe that explained how they were able to shatter the very hard-to-break magical glass wall, albeit too late with the endeavor. They looked surprised but seemed relieved seeing their kingdom''s hero effortlessly defeat the Iron Knights. Shuffling through them, Jonathan went straight for the head knight of the princess of Coastline''s personal guards, Alfred. "Alfred," Jonathan called the head knight. "He''s dead, the bastard who killed Melaine, your sister, and got away is finally dead." Pausing for a moment to breathe, Jonathan continued, "and Reg too." "...Truly?" Alfred said, his fox ears twitching as he took off his helmet. "Who was it? Who murdered them?" "Gray," he answered. "What!?" Alfred widened his eyes, his fangs betraying a hint of confusion and rage. "Bastard was a traitor from the start," Jonathan shook his head. "He only joined to spy on us." The fox beastman closed his eyes solemnly. "Then good riddance to him," he replied. "Now Mel-" Jonathan clicked his tongue, stuttering Alfred. "Ahem," the fox-eared knight coughed. "Reg''s soul can rest easy now that his killer is dead." "Yes, it''s finally done..." From the distance, Alicia could see the fox beastfolk smiling in closure, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from him, allowing him to move on. And although she could only see his back, Alicia had a feeling Jonathan was feeling the same. The knights around them, for one, were taken back seeing Alfred and Jonathan in their own world, ignoring everyone else listening to their conversation. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Glancing at Owen raising his eyebrow, Jill hiding her intrigue, and Richard muttering, "So it was over..." convinced Alicia so. Even with all the noise, Alicia still heard what Jonathan said to Gray, the deceased lead cultist, and the interpretation was pretty obvious. Hence, Alicia was afraid to turn her back on whatever the carnage Jonathan had brought. However, there were one or two things she must inquire about. "Master Darc..." but Alicia hesitated. To speak about a perished Court Wizard to a Court Wizard was like treading on a minefield. Maneg Souls forge a strong kinship between Court Wizards, so talking about a Court Wizard who passed away wrongly would mean a sudden violent retaliation. And by proxy, the most painful death to those who hurt or even killed a fellow Court Wizard. When Alicia heard how Melaine was killed by Gray, she felt a pang of anger and sadness in her heart despite never meeting her because she was a fellow Court Wizard who had died. The same sort of melancholy also surfaced before when Jake Rhaims told about Edward Rhaims, his father, the Water Court Wizard who died from a plague. Darc must have sensed her inner turmoil and decided to give her some answers. "From my time as Guardian," he said. "Other than dying old, we rarely die in battle. Usually, it was getting caught off guard." Like what happened just now, she thought. "Otherwise, we get backstabbed," the dark elf continued. "We didn''t even know who killed Melaine, we all thought she got careless. People like Gray are dangerous in that they''re confident they can get us." "Or..." he paused, closing his eyes before continuing. "Like the 1246 Incident, we''d die killing each other." "I see..." It was disheartening, to say the least. The recurring tragedy of how Court Wizards finish their stories. A series of events could happen, concluding with Court Wizards killing each other - the 1246 Incident and the Eleven-Century War attested to that. People like Gray would appear and take advantage of the Court Wizard''s trust, backstabbing them when it benefited them the most. And Alicia''s mind went downhill, wondering if such a thing could happen to her. What if... "Don''t worry, Alicia." Owen, being Alicia''s first and only friend for sixteen years, would have long known his childhood friend''s train of thought and proceeded to act accordingly. "Your dad''s pretty good at picking the right people. I haven''t seen any managers backstabbing us." "And it had been ages ago since we fell into the unfortunate event where we were forced to kill each other, and it will not happen anytime soon," Jill added with a huff, though she seemed like she was uncomfortable with something. "So do not fret, Alicia. It is unbecoming of you!" Richard simply nodded in agreement, having nothing to say. "Yeah! Don''t worry about it! It''ll be fine, Alicia!" "...Thank you, everyone." With all of that said and done, Darc turned to Jill who was fidgeting uncomfortably all this time. "Is there something wrong, Jill?" he asked. "...Master Darc, could you please cover the child''s modesty?" Jill demanded, averting her sight with red cheeks. Incidentally, Darc has been carrying the rescued child the entire time in his arms after Jonathan unceremoniously offloaded the boy onto him. So the Dark Guardian had been talking while holding a kid in his birthday suit for all to see. "Is there a problem with it?" Alicia inquired innocently, tilting her head. "What!?" The female knight exclaimed, knowing what her friend had implied. "Are you not ashamed of seeing a child''s-s-s... rear!?" "Well, I and Owen frequently changed diapers for babies at the orphanage and helped younger kids bathe. So... I guess we do not mind seeing naked children, regardless of gender," Alicia replied. "Right Owen?" She looked at Owen and he nodded. "I see," Richard interjected, rubbing his chin. "That is... quite the activity both of you have." "No one asked for your opinion!" Jill snarked. She turned to the "Earthian" Court Wizards and pointed her finger at them, "you two should learn to care about breaching people''s privacy, even if they were much younger than you!" No one knew what the future would hold. Though the battle against the cultists doesn''t end in Coastline, there was no reason for the knights to cheer for victory, even though they had no part in it.
"Here''s the report, your majesty," Alfred reported, laying the bundle of parchment on the desk. "Thank you, Alfred," Albert said, leaning his body forward and picking up the report on his desk. "You may leave." "I will excuse myself, your majesty." The head guard of king Albert''s sister''s knights gave a salute, fox ears twitching a bit, and promptly left for the door. CREEK "You need not be so formal to be so formal to me!" Albert shouted as the fox beastman left his office. SHUT Once alone, he made a long sigh in the palace of his kingdom. It has been five years after the succession war ended, the conflict people started calling the ''War of the Princes and Nobles''. Please, it should have just been called ''War of the Nobles,'' he mused to himself. When the war started, many nobles flocked into every faction of the warring princes. In truth, only a few of his brothers, including himself, truly vied for the throne. Most of his brothers were simply dragged into the war by the leading nobles they were connected to. They were ambitious ones truly leading the factions so that their puppet princes become king and their daughters become queen. Speaking of which, I need to find some woman to marry just to make those ministers shut up, Albert frowned internally. All of the nobility joined up the factions either out of obligation being vassals of the leading nobles or not wanting to be left stranded in the war. And yet, the one camp they didn''t join was his; the youngest brother with no connections whatsoever who wanted nothing more than the well-being of every citizen, humans and beastfolk alike, a concept that''s so foreign to them. And they say I am the fool for wanting the people to prosper, Albert mused, sifting through the documents. Meanwhile, they put unfair tariffs on the common merchant thinking they would undermine the kingdom even though that was how CoastLine even came to being! As the corrupt nobles weren''t an option, Albert admittedly had little idea how he was going to go about achieving his dreams, and being a young boy back then, it wasn''t a good prospect especially factoring in his sister and mother potentially being targeted if he even managed to pull through. That was when Jonathan came, a hero''s descendant coming to him on behalf of the organization he was a part of, the Otherworldly Court. Albert reminisced that day when he learned Qantasia wasn''t alone. That was also when he met his most loyal subordinates who helped him through the war and eventually where he was today. That said, although he was thankful for the Otherworldly Court''s help, he has some misgivings about them. For one, they held extreme prejudice against nobles that even he was appalled by it. They see nobles as a bunch of arrogant scum who had strayed from what their title means, exploiting the very citizens they were supposed to protect and even leaving them to fate as they ran to save their hide when trouble came. In other words, they were useless parasites of society. Albert suspected the only reason the Court Wizards even helped him in the first place was that he was not associated with any nobility at all. Never mind that, he thought as he read the report. The ''Black Mages,'' as the report dubbed them, were a group of mages in black clothing like their namesake. They seem to accept any member so long as they have something to bring to the table making them formidable adversaries. It was fortunate that Jonathan found out about this conspiracy brewing in his kingdom, it would have spelled trouble if they were allowed to do what they were doing. What is this? Carol von Sands!? He met her at a party once, she was a nice lady once he got to know her. His father was a decent man, but he was interested in keeping his household alive and decided the then-prince Albert''s faction to be a losing one, a decision that didn''t end well for him. The war must have dragged her into deep depression as Albert recalled that her father and fiancee were assassinated and she failed to protect them despite being an excellent mage. The Black Mages must have manipulated her emotions and had her join them. Considering the report of how scheming these Black Mages are, the assassination may as well be their craft, all to recruit a valuable pawn. Wonderful, now he''s forced to conduct raids on every remnant of the noble families. There was also the fact that Gray was the leader of the Black Mages in Coastline, that eccentric seagull beastfolk who showed up and joined him in the war. To think he helped his cause just to sever Jonathan''s arm and murder Melaine and Reg. Albert made another sigh and proceeded to devise a countermeasure to these Black Mages. Jonathan may say the Otherworldly Court would deal with them, but Albert would rather not rely on them forever. Perhaps he should try reaching out to other kingdoms to decide what to do with these Black Mages. It may be difficult given the tensions caused by the nobility''s tomfoolery culminating in the civil war. But the Black Mages were trying to resurrect the Great Evil with child sacrifices, no sane ruler would ignore that threat. It was just a matter of convincing them and as Jonathan and his companions grounded the ritual, the Black Mages hiding in other kingdoms would be too spooked to try anything hastily like restarting the ritual unprepared, so Albert had time to gather the evidence. For the people, all of them, Albert said his creed to himself and got to work. Alicia Chapter 20.1: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Prelude Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 Bell Manor Owen strode through the relatively unkempt corridor of the small mansion. The Bells never aesthetically furnished their abode, just the bare essentials. It was something that the new Bell matriarch from Spiri Raia, Irene, berated on. So Ronald brought out the cracked vases, torn paintings, and the like that were there when the mansion was first bought, stored inside the attic, and used that. The old Kirash household caretakers made it their pet project to try restore all of them damaged decoration - their numbers were way more than enough to maintain the mansion, even when some of them were sent to the mountain villa, so most of them didn''t have anything to do and felt useless. Oddly, it fit the Bell Conglomerate''s theme, looking worthless, but not in terms of products and services, despite being the richest company. What a contradiction. It was late in the night, Alicia was already soundly asleep, with her mother, for some reason, and much earlier than usual. It was a pretty hectic day, for her anyway. A quarter of a day before, Alicia had been thrown in the situation where the enemy got the upper hand. There, she definitely pieced together Jonathan''s story through the confrontation. Furthermore, the mission itself entailed using a child as bait. Even though Alicia was open-minded and could somewhat accept the idea as necessary, a quality Maneg Souls seek, it''s not as if she could bear with it. The work of a Court Wizard is bound to slowly break the pure and innocent, the kind of person Maneg Souls liked to merge with and the kind of person Alicia is. Sure, the missions she went through weren''t that bad, but they were getting more depraved and ended on a bad note. It was only a matter of time. Owen knew this firsthand, and he just wanted to find dad, damn it. Frankly, Owen had subconsciously forgotten to inform Ronald that his daughter had a Maneg Soul trying to merge with her soul. The reason was, like Ronald, Owen hoped that Alicia did not become a Court Wizard. But she did anyway and in the most dramatic way possible. Heck, Owen didn''t use Orders on those kidnappers from the beginning since the Maneg Soul may not successfully merge with Alicia and he does not want to show Orders in front of her. Though seeing your only friend getting stabbed thirteen times on the back definitely worked against it. Alicia said that she heard a voice in her head, telling her to ''take its flame'' and go rescue him like in some Japanese Shounen scene. Damn that obnoxious pixie. Voice: Hey! I heard that, Short Cream! But, like the story that inspired the Otherworldly Court''s crest, a part of him was glad that Alicia did and so does her dad. While Owen was simply there to find his dad, he had also found irreplaceable memories there and admittedly, friends. The Otherworldly Court has a very... sociable workplace. Hence Ronald and Irene were delighted to hear his daughter told about Rose and Jill, who became her friends. Owen too since that meant Alicia won''t have to be stuck with a kid with a cold exterior like him all the time (Voice: Hah! He admitted it!), a high school girl like her, if he dares say, needed more friends of her age and gender. Speaking of Ronald, while passing through a Spiri Raian servants, maintaining a shattered urn glued together that was dripped in rainwater leaking from the ceiling, who bowed at him, Owen stood at the front door of Ronald Bell''s office room. CREEK "Yo, old man," Owen called as he entered the room. SHUT "Ah, you''re here, Owen," Ronald said while sitting behind his desk with a cheap laptop on. "Sit there." He pointed at the old couch. After getting comfortable on the other couch, Ronald cleared his throat with a cup of coffee, it is going to be a long night. "Now then, how was today''s mission? Alicia seemed tired after all of that." And this was what they did on the night after every mission. It started when Alicia was nearly killed during the Maneg Beast mission in Manegia that made Voice go berserk, and also made Alicia start to be afraid of the orphanage''s pet dog. Since then, Ronald had made Owen report what happened on every mission since and giving advice to Owen on how to keep Alicia safe. What a doting father. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. And so, Owen talked about how the Guardians concluded with using a child as bait (he spoke with difficulty on that). How the cultists blew up a shop as a diversion to abduct the kid, and Owen and Jonathan jumping in to save the victims inside while Darc brought Alicia to follow the cultists (Ronald became tensed that the dark elf touched his daughter). And finally, entering the cultists'' base. "Do you remember Gray Seagull?" Half-animals in Qantasia used their race name as surnames. Human commoners from villages like Jonathan don''t even have one save for the chief. "...Ah, that grey seagull half-animal mage in Albert von Coastline''s faction?" "Yeah, he''s a f*cking mole." "What?" "It is what I said. That bird was a part of the cultist from the beginning. Six years ago, he saw Jonathan in battle and joined Albert''s army to get close to him. That''s how he knew about us and set a trap for us betting that we''re gonna raid them. And also... he killed Melaine." "What!?" "And Gray also admitted being responsible for the other things that happened to Jonathan." Owen didn''t need to explain what Gray did. After all, Ronald was Albert von Coastline''s secret supporter of Albert von Coastline with Jonathan as the messenger in the war, so the Bell patriarch knew exactly what happened to Jonathan. "I see, what happened to that wretched bird?" "He''s dead, Jonathan snapped and brutally killed him." Then Owen described the entire process of how it happened. From getting trapped in a magical glass cage filled with anti-magic stones, the Iron Knights, Jonathan massacring the cultists, and finally the late reinforcements from Alfred Fox, head knight of Alyssa von Coastline''s personal knight guards. "I see." Ronald rolled his eyes. "Then good riddance to him. Well then, was Alicia uninjured?" "Yeah, Alicia''s okay. Heck, now that she got a Catalyst, that damn pixie thought it would be a good idea to not allowing her from giving Vague Orders and just use to stick." "I see." Ronald chuckled. "But, Alicia wasn''t completely fine." Owen told Ronald that Alicia learned how Court Wizards either die by getting backstabbed by a native through a surprise attack or get killed by another Court Wizard in a tragic play. Another ugly truth of the work of Court Wizards. "And she got that look, I hastily said how I never saw a Bell Branch manager backstabbing us," Owen admitted. It was the truth, what Owen said was a spur at the moment. Even so, it was genuine, the motivation and that fact. Alicia had learned how Court Wizards either die by getting backstabbed by a native through a surprise attack or get killed by another Court Wizard in a tragic play. Another ugly truth of the work of Court Wizards. So when Alicia got that contemplating look, Owen knew he had to say something before her mind comes to a dark conclusion. Fortunately, Jillian Speris had also voiced her encouragement regarding the other piece of information, something that was quite rare. "I see, good work," Ronald praised. "However, what you have said to her may not be true..." "Huh?" "Well, about the Bell managers, it''s... related to the mission that could be commenced next week, Master Aqua gave me the plan. It''s on the desk." "Prrretty interesting stuff!" Voice chimed, mouth full of cookies. "What the?" Owen almost choked his coffee. "Hello daddy!" The pixie greeted, facing Ronald looking at her - the pixie is like Alicia herself being composed of her literal soul. "What are you doing here, Voice?" Ronald asked the pixie who suddenly appeared on the low table between the two sofas, munching cookies that weren''t there before. "Shouldn''t you rest with your master?" "We~ll!" Taking another bite, the pixie continued, "Alicia''s sound asleep and I got bored, so I followed Short Cream to here!" Putting the cookie down. "Also, I want to know what will happen next week. I will listen, quietly." Owen was irritated with Voice calling him ''Short Cream,'' but he only said "...I see." After all, Owen definitely noticed her sudden shift in tone. It was the tone when the pixie was being serious, not being her annoying usual self. So Ronald, having realized it a few moments later than Owen, decided to take Voice in the same matter. "Very well," he replied. "Though I must ask why?" "You know what she has been through. I want what''s best for her, I dragged her into this in the first place. I don''t want what could happen to Rin happen to Alicia." True, Rin Fujiwara had to take a break right after her second mission, another subtle blow to Alicia''s mental state. Both missions had directly attacked her ideals, the promise she imposed on her brother, Haruto, and adopted, to save people so that those who cared for them wouldn''t grieve their peril. The first mission didn''t break her immediately since it was saved by the bell by Jake Rhaims pulling the Contract. The second, however, did not enjoy that; the Green Deity was still alive and despite Timeless Hero butting in, Hanz Huber stopped the Wanderer partly out of irritation of the guy. And that was the last straw for Rin, especially Hanz''s parting words. Granted, she''s still eleven. It was fortunate that there were people like Rose to support Rin. She had explained to Rin how half of the rules, or guidelines as the vampire called it, was there primarily to keep Court Wizards alive. That part was true, recklessness will get you killed, but she had omitted the other reason for those five guidelines, or rather all ten of them. Court Wizards simply don''t deserve to protect the ''life'' of worlds. Even if it''s for repentance for the Eleven-Century War. Though regardless of whether Rin was told this or not, Owen was sure that she will no doubt come back because, similar to himself, she still needs to find her brother. "I see, we''ll then." Ronald stood up and took a file on the desk. "Well then, this would be the next mission next week," he said, putting the file on the low table. And thus the long night continued.
"Now then," Ronald said. "It''s getting late. Please stay here for the night, Owen. I insist." Owen was reluctant but relented. "...Fine." "And go back to your master, Voice." "Kay!" Just before Owen opened the door with Voice in tow. "And remember," Ronald reminded. "No matter what, don''t ever leave Alicia''s side and be ready to support her when ''that'' happens." CREEK "Yeah, I know." Owen turned his gaze back. "After all, Alicia has always looked out for me. I''d kill myself if I didn''t do the same." "Of course," Voice chimed. "I love my Alicia, after all!" SHUT Ronald gave a sigh. He stood up, walked to his desk, and opened the drawer to take an item inside. It was a small portrait. A flash photography taken in a night-blue sky, a hill with a tree on top. There were three people inside the photo standing in front of the tree, two males and one female, they looked very young. One of the boys from the photograph had a dark red hair while the slightly older male had white. Between the two teenage boys was a young woman with light blue eyes and hair tied to a braid resting on her shoulders. "Emilia..." Ronald muttered, holding the portrait tightly. He opened the window inside his office and gazed at the night sky tainted black due to light pollution. "Joshua, wherever you are, I just hope that the tragedy that fell to us does not happen to our children." Alicia Chapter 20.2: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart – Arguments? "I don''t like this." Pierre declared, his gloved hands holding the edges of his stand. Today was a bad day. For one thing, he had woken up before dawn when Jonathan showed up and reported a serious issue in his world, and also in serious wounds himself. Apparently, Jonathan, doing patrols (by wandering around) in the kingdom of GrassPlains, happened to come upon a bunch of cultists performing a dubious ritual involving the sacrifice of an innocent child - which in Qantasia, always bring unimaginable catastrophe. Being the Hero of Coastline, he jumped in and slew the evil-doers and rescued the child, while keeping their leader alive for Darcassan Erith, the Dark Guardian, to torture him for information (and Pierre shudders at the thought of it). And what Darc got was that a similar ritual was going to be held in Coastline. And thus came to the predicament that happened half a day ago. An emergency meeting was called to have all Guardians in the Otherworldly Court to enter the Courtroom to come up with a plan to stop whatever the cultist attempted to do with the sacrificial ritual. And the plan was to let the cultists attempt to pull off their ritual. William Trust, the Air Guardian, immediately pitched his plan, based on the report, to purposefully let a black-haired child, the cultists'' target for sacrifice, get abducted by the cultists so that all of them will be in one place for a team of Court Wizards to take then out in one fell swoop. The First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia (what a mouthful), the Fire Guardian of all things, and Darc agreed to this plan. Of course, Pierre and the other more sentimental Guardians objected to this plan. But there wasn''t any time to argue with a nine centuries-old water spirit deity, who wouldn''t understand how humans feel; a dark elf assassin, his title is self-explanatory, and a teenager from a peaceful world who had no qualms of beheading people with air pressure; so the plan came through. The only assurance is that it will be led by a significantly large team, which its formation took up most of the time, to ensure nothing will go wrong. And it went wrong. The team, which even included the Dark Guardian himself, got themselves trapped except Jonathan. And it was all because of one cultist named Gray Seagull. Pierre recalled his name in the report of the succession was in Coastline, later to be called by the masses, the ''War of the Princes and Nobles.'' That seagull half-animal showed up out of the blue and offered to join Albert von Coastline''s faction. Turns out, He was a cursed wolf in sheep''s clothing. From the very beginning, Gray was a member of these cultists and witnessed Jonathan do battle with maneg, for Pierre and the Guardians gave him permission to use openly, and got interested. Then, that curiosity turned to fear as he learned about Court Wizards. That much is obvious, the Court Wizards will destroy the cultists and their operations if they found out. And that fear turned to all the things that went wrong in the War of the Princes and Nobles. He was the one who led the fateful ambush that claimed Jonathan''s arm and blood brother. He was the one who killed Melaine Fox. Miriel, the Water Guardian, did not take it well, Melaine was a Water Court Wizard. And finally, just to add the final touch to break his spirit, Gray destroyed Jonathan''s village, killing his biological brother. It was the most despicable action that would certainly make him in the hitlist and someone to be wary of, but only the former was accounted for. Gray did not plan far ahead when he did those heinous crimes against the Otherworldly Court. He thought that he could weaken Jonathan by taking what he has, but it only made Jonathan become stronger. His second mistake was that he never truly know what maneg can do as Jonathan broke his suppression and revealed his [Plant Arm], the symbol of his strength and weakness and utterly slaughtered the seagull. Good riddance to him and viva the second Rule of Engagement. This news will eventually be relayed to all Court Wizards. While that''s all good and all, the fact that it all happened because Gray was let to eavesdrop was disheartening. Perhaps if we didn''t let Gray watch our back, or maybe never butting into the entire charade, to begin with, Melaine might still be here. That was all the Guardians could think of. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. However, it was not the time to mull over such things. The issue in Qantasia was but another thing to the other matters that the Guardians have on their heads. Because after Darc and the others finished their mission, the Guardians moved on to the next discussion. "We will now start our discussion regarding the peace treaty between the humans and half-animals in Beohar." Aqua declared. As always, not every Guardian showed up, it was due to the vessels the Mother Souls picked. For example, Gabriel, the feminine Life Guardian, who was a pope of a major religion in Kaomagi, couldn''t attend the discussion this dawn due to work. Ilezenya Erith, who did attend the discussion this dawn, had her womanly problem to deal with just now and was cooped up in the infirmary. Problem was, it made most of the sentimental Guardians, like Gabriel and Zenya, or the ''Shield'' Guardians aren''t here, leaving most of the ''Spear'' Guardians to participate. Pierre, who is also a Shield Guardian himself, hopes that this discussion wouldn''t conclude dark term, like the last one. Moving on, the discussion went as usual. Creating two outlines, ''the Spear'' and ''the Shield,'' of how the mission will fold. William proposing a solid, yet cruel plan. Some suggestions from other Court Wizards above who participated. And finally voting the weight of the two outlines. However, it was the deciding of which Court Wizard to send that got Pierre to act up. And that''s where he is now. "Pierre, you know that Alicia has to go through it one day," Aqua sighed. "But to potentially witness a person entrusted with the Conglomerate in their world commit betrayal," Pierre argued. "Especially after Owen granted his assurance that it shall never occur? And have her witness ''that''?" "Don''t be so overly dramatic, Pierre," Darc jabbed. "What we are discussing will alter the course of Beohar." "True," Miriel, the Water Guardian, interjected. "With this treaty, it will be the first step towards peace for my people and theirs." Although what she refers to as her people were the merfolk, fish half animals, for Miriel is their princess, it can still constitute the entire half-animals in Beohar. "We cannot let it fail." "And precisely why rookie Court Wizards like Alicia needs to experience," the greater water spirit added. "You can not keep a bird in its cage." "But still." While Pierre admits that he is an overly dramatic flair, and he really liked his theatrics, he knows when to be serious and drop it, to an extent. And this is a serious subject. "Until now, she has been content to only witness but not partaking it. Never once complaining about whatever our plan is. But all of you are aware that accepting one is lighter than executing it. "Even little Rin could take no more after her second mission." Pierre pointed his arm towards the upper audience, to a certain wheelchaired bound vampire. "If it weren''t for Rose, even if she omitted some truths, she would''ve done something foolish, ignoring the search of her brother for her naive justice." Pierre took a deep breath before closing his long argument. Truthfully, it was because of Rin Fujiwara''s sudden ''leave'' that made him say all of this. It was fortunate that the maidens had calmed Rin down, especially after Hanz''s nasty closing statement. And I was too busy entertaining my audience with parlor tricks. "And don''t forget the tragedy that befell Alicia and Owen''s parents." He finished. As silence washed over the courtroom, Darc spoke up. "What happened to Rin was that she was unprepared to face those situations. But Alicia was fully aware of what she will do." Darc rebutted. "And I believe history doesn''t repeat itself." "...Tch!" Pierre could only click his tongue, only now he realized his oversight to his argument. "If I may?" Everyone turned to the speaker. "Is there anything you would like to say, Miriel?" Aqua inquired. "Well, just to lessen the burden on her psyche," she suggested. "We will have Will to replace Darc." She looked at Will. "He was the one who crafted this plan and he belongs to the same world as Alicia." And he casually chops people''s heads off. "Is that fine with you, Will?" Will simply gave an uninterested look and said, "...Fine." "Darc." Miriel turned to the dark elf. "...Fine," Darc said. "Everyone?" And everyone else seemed to agree with it. "Then Will will replace Darc in killing the target." Aqua declared. Now Pierre doesn''t know whether it would be better or worse with William assigned to ''that'' role. "Any suggestions for the roster from above?" Aqua continued, looking at the Court Wizards watching this unfold from the second floor. "I will participate in this mission." Rose raised her hand. "I would like to be there when Alicia sees ''that''." "I-I will help as well," James, who was behind Rose, added. "All right then." Aqua continued," anyone else?" She saw no one else going upfront. "Good, this roster will be final," she concluded. However, Pierre still grimaced about what will happen. But just as Aqua is about to close this meeting, someone has something to say. "William," Alice called, not using his nickname. "Please, do not ''hurt'' Alicia too much, alright?" And by ''hurting'' Alicia she means damaging her mental health. Will stood there for a moment, registering the request made by the youngest Guardian with an innocent face. "...I''ll tries my best," he replied. Pierre could only sigh. Only little Alice''s words could soften up a stone-hearted boy like Will. And Yielders, who are unaligned, like her always cool down the heat between the Shields and Spears, no pun intended. And her mother too. "I see, thank- Uwah!?" Alice was about to give a small bow when slipped from the stool she stood upon, the stand was too tall for her. WHOOSH WHOOSH Quickly, Will ordered his air maneg to blow under the falling girl before she could hit her head on the edge of the stand. Alice''s white one-piece fluttering upwards. WHOOSH And Alice was gently laid down on the marble flooring. "Ah, thank you, Will," she said, getting up and patting her dress. "For saving me again." Pierre internally sighed. Ice Mother Soul, how long are you going to try killing her and just accept her as your Guardian already? With the usual accident, Pierre hoped that Alicia would not fare worse than Rin, Haruto''s beloved sister whom he always gushed about. Alicia Chapter 20.3: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Entering "Father, why is trust so important?" young Alicia asked. Her father, Ronald, who was sitting on the couch pondered at his daughter''s question before putting his mug and newspaper on the table. "You see, Alicia," he said. "Trust is a very important company. A seller cannot sell anything if people don''t trust his products. Even if our Bell Conglomerate has to start over, the trust we have before will let us grow again. Because people trust us and would gladly help. "And to earn trust, we give our trust to those who work for us. We give them freedom on how they should carry out the job given to them and trust that they will do their job well." "Like father trusting Owen being with me?" "...Yes, just like that and Owen trust us back." "Alicia!" young Alicia''s mother, Irene, called. "Time for your lesson!" "Okay, mother!" she turned to her Ronald. "Excuse me, father." As young Alicia skipped away, Ronald sighed. "I want to be called ''papa'' though... "Still, I hoped that she wouldn''t have to deal with someone who breaks our trust. But that is wishful thinking..."
Beohar Year 483 "Don''t worry, Alicia, your dad''s pretty damn good at picking the right people. I haven''t seen any managers backstabbing us." Was what Owen said during the mission last week. Sure, he probably said it to cheer her up and Alicia appreciated it. But now, those words might be false. "Owen," she asked once no bystander near enough would hear in the bustling streets of the Palras empire''s capital, the others needed to conserve their maneg (i.e. the ten percent limit which included loyal maneg in the percentage) as this will be a long mission. "Will he really betray us? Betray the trust my father gave to him?"
"This is the Bell Branch manager in the Palras empire capital branch, Norman," Aqua pointed out the picture of an early middle-aged man. "We suspected that this man has been working with the noble that sent those bandits on the Vulgis kingdom''s ambassador three months ago." She tapped her glowing red finger on a different photo that contained the face of a woman. "This is because his secretary, Lei, is the one who sent that message of the bandits all those months ago. The investigation we have been conducting all led to this."
"...I don''t know," was the only thing Owen could say. The Bell family of businessmen and women prided in their trust that they put on others, so you can expect how Alicia would feel seeing especially a Bell Branch manager to commit to a betrayal like that. And also potentially did something to the other manager. "But why though...?" "There''s always the probability for everything," Will said, "It has to happen once." "What are you saying?" Alicia asked. "That''s his thing," Owen answered for her, kicking a marble that rolled to his feet in the same direction it came. "His philosophy is that if it rains at least seven times a month, it will rain seven times whether it''s spread throughout the month or compressed into a single week." "It''s inevitable," Will continued. "Even if your dad picked poor people so that they would be indebted to him to not backstab him." "I-I..." She couldn''t refute that. Even Alicia suspected that her father only picked those who had troubles, like Davis, and thus would be loyal. Personally, she has mixed feelings for it. On one hand, it is quite manipulative of her father to do such though it might be necessary considering the true objective for the Bell Branches. On the other hand... "However," Rose interrupted, skipping over a puddle. "You can not deny that they have led better lives because of that." Yes, it was as Rose had said. But the worst part is that when they throw it away. Like the Bell manager, they will be confronting now. "Do not fret now, Alicia," Rose said calmly as if she knew what the Bell heiress was thinking. "There is still a chance that he is not and the secretary simply misunderstood." "And what happened to the secretary?" "Well, she is still alive when we last checked on her, correct?" "...Whatever." Will shrugged as he shoved aside a tall sign in his way and put it back in place after passing it. "Shouldn''t have said that..." he mumbled quietly so that none could hear it.
As the Court Wizards are three streets away from their destination. "Owen," Alicia asked. "Why would he work with the noble...?" "Well... It may have something to do with his hatred towards half-animals here." "Oh..." So it was just plain discrimination? All because of differences? "It is more complicated than that," Rose interjected. "I suppose you have not known the full story of this world yet. I believe this should be a good opportunity to talk about it. After all, there is no one that dares to come near and eavesdrop." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. True, because right now, Owen and Will flanked their group of four. Alicia doesn''t know why but she had to admit that her childhood friend projects an icy aura and Will simply looked like he would straight-up murder you if you come too close. As such, the crowd made way for them as if they were aristocrats (though the girls are technically former noblewomen) escorted by their bodyguards. But it did turn any unscrupulous individuals away as the Court Wizards are not wearing the brown robe now as it would only make them stand out so they were wearing what Rose had made to match the surroundings. But to Alicia''s opinion, the clothing they donned only made them stand out even more. Rose was very into fashion designing. She wouldn''t settle in with the same ''generic'' medieval outfits like what the people in the capital of Palras are wearing right now: white shirts with brown pants and jacket for men, a long dress of similar color scheme for women. Both Alicia and Rose wore matching form-fitting red dresses that covered them top to bottom with strings on the back to tie them fit though exposing their skin. However, Rose''s dress was specifically designed to accentuate her... maturity despite eating a lot. Owen and Will had a simple shirt and leggings with color according to their Element color with hardened leather breastplate and shoulder guards making them looked like the escorts for the two (former) noble ladies. Adding their unique appearances, a lot of people will naturally get attention to such a group, especially with the drop-dead gorgeous vampire whose hair was pure white with porcelain skin and a body that is well developed. So it was somewhat a good thing that Owen and Will acted as a ''repellant''. "Alright." Alicia nodded. And so Rose began her monologue. "In the world of Beohar, vicious beasts called ''Beost'' roamed the land. From giant carnivorous rabbits to vicious dragons-" "Wait, carnivorous rabbits?" The red-haired girl quipped. She turned to Owen, thinking that he might know something relatable to it. "Are they like?" "Yeah," Owen said. "Like in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Except they''re way bigger and have huge claws and teeth. Oh, they also have horns on their head." "I-I see..." Alicia cringed What kind of Fantasy Law this world has? Scary...! As Owen made that remark, Will seemed to fidget his mouth a bit but turned away with a shrug. "Moving on," the vampire continued. "These creatures set themselves as the rulers in the already harsh wilderness, thus sequestering humans of places to refuge even move." "So is that why this capital is very large? I mean, it is larger than any other capital I have seen." "Correct. Because of the Beosts, people had resorted to focusing their population into one or two areas. The empire of Palras had a vast territory but that was a formality as most of it were occupied by Beosts." "I see," Alicia pointed her finger over the walls of the capital. "I have been wondering, but what is that black wall over the horizon." And towards the horizon, it was as if a curtain was covering the blue sky in utter darkness unless you turn your head more than forty-five degrees upward. She didn''t notice this before in her first time in Beohar, the area she was transferred to was of tall and dense forestry that she couldn''t see it. "People here called it the ''Mist of No Return.'' It is a black mist that surrounded the land of Beohar in a perfect circle." "A perfect circle?" "Imagine if you take the map of this world and you draw a circle on it using a compass. It is like that." "I see..." "Incidentally, Palras is in the middle of the map whilst still being able to see the Mist. This indicates that the world of Beohar is flat." Uh-oh! I think something bad''s gonna happen, Alicia! "Well then." Ignoring Voice''s weird remark. "Has anyone tried to going into it?" "Yes, there were people trying to venture into the Mist, but none of them ever returned, hence its name. The moment the person''s body fully entered the Mist, they disappeared despite being a step away out of the Mist. Some had tried tying a rope to the person and enter the Mist." "And the rope was cut off?" "Precisely. And since then, no one has ever tried entering again. However, Beosts also tend to avoid the Mist so people built settlements near the Mist." "That will certainly risk curious children but I suppose it was warranted." "Girls," Owen called for the two female Court Wizards getting absorbed into their conversation. "This way." He pointed at the road to the right from their perspective. There was a signpost that has the arrow pointing to the right labeled ''Bell Conglomerate'' in Palrasian. "Oh," Rose gasped. "Thank you, Owen. The Bell Branch should be that way, correct?" "Yeah." "Very well." Rose turned to Alicia. "Now then, let us talk about the crux of this mission before we commence it." "It is about the half-animals," Alicia guessed. "Correct?" "Yes, as you have seen some of them in our mission here three months ago, humans in this world also coexist with half-animals that called themselves ''Half-Beosts''. "It was said that their birth was the result of the intermingling between humans and Beosts." "Really?" "Well, that is what the humans are saying. "Anyway, it was because of their similarities to Beosts that humans are afraid of them." "So it was because of their appearances then?" "That was only one of the reasons. Contrary to popular belief, it was the Half-Beosts who struck first." "Oh?" "We will not be able to cover the whole story in time, but the point is, throughout history, both races had gone to war, killing, raiding and taking away their loved ones. So you see, Alicia, the Half-Beosts were not innocent either." "So then the reason that Norman would work with the noble to stop the treaty was because of his deep hatred for Half-Beosts for what they did to him?" "Yes, that might be it." Rose nodded solemnly. "Maybe he and the noble had lost their loved one to Half-Beosts in the past, there was a war recently." "Actually," Owen interrupted. "His son, Crom, was killed by Half-Beosts in the recent war, where I ended up freezing the Vulgis mountain. I knew the guy and... he was Lei''s boyfriend." "Ah..." "And maybe because of that," Rose continued. "They were not willing to accept some treaty that swept everything the Half-Beost did to them under the rug, to just forget everything just like that." True, even Alicia knew that it is hard for a person to forgive someone who had done wrong greatly against them. Especially if they killed your child yet not knowing who specifically, so you would naturally pin the blame on their whole race. "But would Lei not also hated the Half-Beosts for killing her lover?" Alicia asked. "No," Owen denied. "Crom''s supportive of peace with Half-Beosts, Lei would''ve still kept Crom''s wishes. Hence what she did three months ago." "I see." So unlike Norman, Lei was still conscious of Crom''s wishes to attain good terms with Half-Beost, even if they killed him, thus, getting pass her hatred, did what she thought was right in accordance to Crom''s strive. "But regardless, that does not change the importance of this mission to ensure that this opportunity to mend the relationship between the two races does not fall," Rose concluded. "Any questions?" "Then what is the relationship between Half-Beosts and Beosts?" Alicia inquired. But instead of answering herself, Rose turned to the Air Guardian. "Care to explain, Will? You looked like you wanted to say something." The black-haired boy walked along the dusty road silently before slightly rotating his head to the girls. "Half-Beost considered their Beost counterpart like a human would to a monkey, except the monkey went out its way to make the life of the human miserable. Beosts are still hostile to Half-Beosts. And the name Half-Beost was supposed to be a derogatory given from the humans. But for whatever reason, they liked the name and took it as a symbol of pride or something." "And there you have it," Rose said. And the Court Wizards continued to their destination.
"We''re here." Owen said as the Court Wizard stood in front of the building with a sign saying ''Bell Conglomerate''. This is it, Alicia thought. She did not felt time passing as she was engrossed in discussing Beohar lore with Rose. Here goes nothing, Alicia! "Well then." Rose patted her dress. "Let us enter." In the midst of the treaty between the Palras empire and the Vulgis kingdom, the first step towards peace between humans and Half-Beosts, the Otherworldly Court will now commence the first mission to ensure that the little spark of harmony will not be extinguished. Alicia Chapter 20.4.1: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Confronting First Half CREEK Alicia recognized the similar interior architecture of the Bell Branch''s lobby. However, it was quite unlike the previous. No groups of merchants in the lounge discussing market prices over tea; no lines of job applicants of all age and gender waiting for their turn; and no mob around the bulletin board looking for the best one-time contract work or be the ones posting it. There was only the female receptionist over the counter who immediately noticed the Court Wizards'' arrival. "Good morning and welcome to Bell Conglomerate," the receptionist greeted. "May I help you?" Here goes. In front of the receptionist, Alicia braced herself to make the request but... Would you like me to take over for you? (Rose) ...No, this is something I should do. And Alicia spoke, "We would like to see the manager." "I''m sorry, but the manager is too busy." The receptionist bowed, "I''m afraid he is unable to meet anyone right now. Would you like to set a future appointment?" "No, we need to see him now." Alicia pulled a white handkerchief out of a hidden pocket within her red dress. It has the symbol of the Otherworldly Court: the scale over the spear and shield. For worlds that the Otherworldly Court introduced themselves to, it was always in a way that it made them an object of fear to its denizens - ironic, considering the Otherworldly Court''s goals. So the handkerchief was better than saying it out loud. "..!" The receptionist blinked upon looking at the cloth and then her face became pale. In a moment of silence, she quietly uttered three words. "Everyone... come out." STOMP STOMP STOMP Out of the back door came a dozen or so rough-looking men and women in light metal armor. They held estoc, spears, axes, crossbows... any weapon that would serve hunting Beosts. STOMP STOMP STOMP While Beost hunters primarily hunt, well, Beosts, they also often become mercenaries. And these mercenaries now surrounded the Court Wizards. Owen instinctively went in front of Alicia. "Stand back," he whispered to her. If these brutes didn''t blatantly show the manager''s treason, then what the receptionist girl said next will. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "F-Forgive me..." she weakly muttered. But, it seemed that she did not want any part of this, but was probably forced to of something. "But the manager ordered us to not let you meet him... and let you go either." It appears that Norman had a feeling that we would come for him. Forgive me, Alicia, but it seems our fears are true. (Rose) Yes, despite all the hopes that Rose proposed during the short walk to this place, and perhaps also what Owen had said last week, for the first time, a Bell Branch manager had betrayed their trust. "There''s always the probability for everything, it has to happen once." And remembering what Will said earlier sickens Alicia further. Ceh! And Celery Stick has Trust in his name! Hypocrite! Even Voice was upset. Though didn''t the pixie mocked his name when meeting for the first time? What... should we do? Nevertheless, something must still be done. We confront the manager and we don''t have time to waste with them. (Will) "Everyone," the receptionist announced. SHIING Upon her signal, the mercenaries brandished their weapons as they approach the Court Wizards. Alicia took a step back and then realized. She had startled. And that meant the suppression was not on and that meant she was not in any present danger. And that was probably because of the sharply concentrated distortions in the air around Will. While Alicia could not sense the air maneg, she can definitely tell that an Order was taking place. Master Will, please do not kill them. They are still Beost hunters, it would not do good to reduce their numbers. And no maiming either. (Rose) Fine. Owen. (Will) Got it. (Owen) Accepting Rose''s logical reasoning, the distortions around Will subsided. WHOOSH "Gah!" "Aah!" "Wha!?" CRASH CRASH CRASH CLA-CL-CLAN-NG-G-ANG Instead, a huge gust of wind expelled out to the encirclement. The mercenaries were violently flung all over the place, crashing into the wall, the lounge, the bulletin board, etc. thrashing the whole place. And by the sound of it, the impact wasn''t so soft either. "W-What... just... happened...?" One of the mercenaries muttered weakly. SLAM Suddenly, Owen knelt down and smacked his bare hand on the wooden floor. Then, twelve trails of light blue seeped out of his hand. In a linear route, each trail seeking out the mercenaries. It was slow, but Alicia suspected Owen purposefully did so, including the floor slamming, so that all could see it. "Wh- What in the Mist is this!?" To the first mercenary the trail touched, who was blown away only a few meters to a wall, blue crystals grew out of his armor. It invaded other parts of his body. "I-It''s... c-cold..." he muttered. And his muttering dawned upon others a new knowledge. It was not a crystal. It was ice. And soon, the ice covered his entire body save for his head, encasing him in an uncomfortable prison. "Aa...aah!" Others could only gasp in the horror that befell their comrade. Never before such phenomena have ever been encountered in their work. Some may have fought against Ice Dragons in the north with their ice breaths, but from a human kid? The only time they had heard such a thing was two years ago when... "H-He''s the boy who froze mount Vulgis..." And that was the only answer the mercenaries could accept. Two years ago, the then-emperor of Palras sought to erupt mount Vulgis through dropping a special ore into its mouth. But some human boy literally froze the mountain as the lava spurted out like a fountain. Then, the group the boy belonged to revealed themselves before Beohar, stating its plans for this world and spelled the fate of the former emperor. And that group was... "Y-You want us to fight t-these... C-Court Wizards!?" "W-We waited here for months for this? T-This isn''t what I signed up for..." "D-Daddy... I don''t wanna die..." "Well," Will faced the receptionist, who was cowering in fear but still maintained professionalism. "Can we see the manager or not? "Or will you try to stop us yourself?" "H-He''s in the office..." "Well then," Will looked to his fellow Court Wizards. "Let''s go." Alicia Chapter 20.4.2: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Confronting Second Quarter "I suppose for you to have come on this very day should have been expected." Behind the office desk, there was a man halfway in his forties with head bald on top. He wore the standard business suit for a Bell Branch manager. This man is the manager of the Palras capital Bell Branch, Norman. Standing in distance to the shorter side of the desk, a bespectacled woman in her twenties with tied hair resting on her right shoulder. Wearing similar clothing but for females, she is the secretary of the manager, Lei. "And you have made quite the ruckus down there that I simply fathom that no one outside heard it," Norman continued, looking completely calm as opposed to his slightly tensed secretary. As the manager had said, the noise Owen and Will made had given them time to prepare mentally. Especially when arriving in the front of the office, the door was locked as expected. So Owen had frozen the lock and bashed it open, similar to that day. As to whether people outside would hear; just before they entered the building, an Air Catalyst was set up ordered to block off any sound coming out of the building - this was standard practice when raiding places located in public areas. It was the same device that was used in the Training Grounds only on a smaller scale. "So you do know why we are here, correct?" Alicia spoke in a flat tone. But instead, the manager asked her back, "And you are?" "Alicia Bell, daughter of Ronald Bell." "I see. Do forgive my... rude welcome," the manager gave a small bow. "As to your inquiry, yes, I do know what I did to warrant... your presence." There was no need for him to specifically admit that he had worked with the noble to undo the peace between a human empire and a Half-Beost''s. It was him who aided the noble starting with the ambush of the Vulgis ambassador and the subsequent attempts, exhaustingly foiled every time by the Otherworldly Court, on his life until today when the treaty will be officially signed and frame the entire empire for it. "Hmph," the manager grunted. "I suppose you would do everything to forge the peace between our races, even keeping that monkey envoy in the dark. "Especially so when one of your Guardians was a fish Half-Beost." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Who he was referring to was Miriel Aqua, Guardian of the Mother Soul of Water. She was also of the royalty of the Aqua kingdom, a kingdom in the great lake of Aqua in the south ruled by fish half-animals, mermaids. And because Miriel belonged to the royalty of another kingdom in Beohar, it would cause political problems if she were caught participating the mission (that and the public were unaware of Miriel''s status as a Court Wizard). So, she was back at the Transporter Room watching the whole situation as this mission was important enough to have monitored. "...So you do know what will come to you?" Hesitant, but nonetheless Alicia declared so. But, the manager simply rolled his eyes. "Lei, was it you who told them?" Ignoring the Court Wizards, he opened his gaze onto the secretary. "..!" Caught in surprise, the secretary''s glasses almost slide off. Setting it back, Lei opened her mouth, "I..." and closed it back. "...Yes, yes I did." Deciding to not deny it, she took a deep breath and confessed so. "H-Hey..." As Alicia was about to say the next word, she felt her hand being held. Glancing back, it was Rose. "This should be between the two of them," she softly said. The vampire had a solemn but serious expression telling Alicia to do as she says. "..." However, Alicia was still hesitant. She took a look at Owen and William, they had similar look and so she relented. Nodding as if knowing the Court Wizards'' attention, Norman turned to his traitorous secretary. "I see, so the transmissions in the communicator''s history were yours," he said, declaring the basis for his suspicion in the first place. Eeh~! The communicator device that can only send like ten words to Manegia has a history function!? And the manager decided it would be better to let us intervene each of their plans than for us to realize they were onto us and kept quite. (Rose) Then does the noble knew about us? No way, the noble will probably chicken out if Norman told his relation with us. (Will) "Then it was wise for me to not tell you of those mercenaries I hired to impede them." "W-What! You hired mercenaries on them!?" "Yes. In fact, they have staked out since the failed ambush." The manager looked at the Court Wizards. "I suppose they were but a minor nuisance along their way. But, they do certainly shatter your expectation of a smoother confrontation." "D-Do you really hate Half-Beosts that much?" "Then let me ask you," the manager spoke in a grimmer tone. "Why do you love those Half-Beosts so much?" "Because Crom''s wanted us, humans, to co-exist with Half-Beosts." BASH "And it was those animals that killed him!" The manager''s voice has become louder as he bashed the desk. "My son! Your lover!" "That was only one of them that killed him, you cannot blame all of them for it. Besides, even in his death he still wishes for us to live in harmony!" "And it was that foolish wish that got him killed!" "It was not a foolish wish, but a wonderful one! Why can you not forgive them already!" "Forgive them! To those beasts that did nothing but torment to us!?" "Do not say that they were the only ones that did nothing but torment us! Even we are not innocent in that! Can we not just set aside centuries of conflict with each other and move beyond it!?" "Never! And you''re just a noble brat who never knew what it''s like to have everything taken away by those vermins!" BANG Alicia Chapter 20.4.3: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Confronting Finale "Oh, I should probably tell you this, Lei is from a minor noble family. Her family is not very wealthy which is why she works in the Bell Branch." Rose said. "That said, if anything happens to her, her family will make a fuss regardless. We have to make sure nothing happens to her."
It happened so fast, but as the manager, Norman, finished his last sentence, he pulled out a wooden L-shaped object. It had the crest of the Bell Conglomerate carved into the metal part of the sides... connected to the ball-shaped hammer of an old flintlock. It was only a second too late for William to send an air slash to stop the manager from firing the trigger. SLASH "Aargh!" That still did not prevent the manager from howling in agony as he fell to the floor, holding the stump of what was once his right hand, blood spurting out like a fountain. The flintlock soon fell to the wooden floor along with Norman''s severed arm in a bloody mess. CREME~ CREME~ Then, a light-blue structure began to take form around the severed hand. However, it had also taken the liberty to extend its reach to the other, still intact hand, encasing the manager''s arms like makeshift handcuffs. With him neutralized, the Court Wizards immediately paid attention to the secretary, Lei, slumping her back against the wall. "She is hyperventilating," Rose reported as she rushed to Leo''s side, getting on her knees. "Hold on." SHIING Both of the vampire''s thumbs transformed, its nails growing into claws. RIP Rose easily tore through the secretary''s uniform, showing the hole oozing blood right above her brassiere. "It almost hit her heart," Rose turned to Owen. "Owen, freeze her wound." "On it." CREME~ As an icy coating covered the secretary''s wound, preventing further blood loss, Rose retracted her claws and ran her hand through the secretary''s cheek. "Lei, calm down. Breath slowly... In... Out... In... Out... Good. You will be transferred to the Otherworldly Court to heal you. You will be safe, I promise." "Is she going to be okay?" Alicia asked in concern. "I am sure of it," Rose nodded. "She will probably be traumatized, but she will get through." "Oh, thank goodness..." Alicia sighed in relief. She was surprised when the manager suddenly pulled out a gun and fired at the secretary, but that''s not all. Looking at the flintlock, ignoring the severed hand holding it, Alicia particularly eyed the Bell Conglomerate symbol. Then the manager spoke. "Heh, forgive me, young mistress." The manager, in his sorry state, apologized, but it seemed like he was scoffing. "It was meant for fighting the Beosts, but the first gun, as you called it, was used on a lady." "W-What?" Alicia clasped her mouth. But before Alicia could say further, Owen barged in front of her. "What the hell!? She''s Crom''s girlfriend!" he growled, pointing his arm to the secretary the manager just shot. This surprised Alicia, seeing him suddenly getting so angry. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Heh," the manager snorted. "As I said before. Lei does not have an inkling of what I''ve been through with them." Closing his eyes as if reminiscing everything up to this point, he started to explain his story. "I was a young boy when the Half-Beosts raided my village. I watched them kill my parents, my friends, and even the girl I liked. It was the day they took everything from me. "They spared no one as they kept killing everyone I knew. It only stopped when a passing elite hunting party repelled them. When one of the hunters demanded a Half-Beost why did they do it, he only said, ''Why not?''" Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and looked at the Court Wizards dead in the eye. "Even now, after all these years, they have taken my son from me, you two ought to know that better than anyone." Looking at Owen and William, having long since taken off their masks as was the custom meeting Bell Branch managers, Alicia saw their impassive faces. She had heard the two of them had some history with Crom, but it seemed to go deeper than that. "After going through all of that, you expect me to just forgive them!?" the manager ridiculed. "I at least have the right to have revenge for all they did." It was certainly a good summary of why Norman hated the Half-Beost. It didn''t need to be more detailed than it needed to be. Although it was a textbook reason for hating them, even Alicia had to admit it was just- "Yes." Suddenly, William, who had been silent since entering the room, spoke up. "Forgiving them is your revenge. Crom said that as much." "What!?" the manager spluttered. Even he didn''t expect that. "What are you even spouting!? What does my son have to do with this!?" "..." William seemed to take a moment before continuing. "From a religion in my world, God told us to forgive our enemies, not get revenge and it''s not for them but for yourself." "How does that even work?" "Because by doing that, you''re letting go of all that hatred that made you all screwed up," William said bluntly. "...What?" "We and Crom talk a lot," Owen interjected. "He knows why you hate Half-Beosts and he thinks it''s hurting you. He told us himself that he felt it becomes a ''stain in your heart'' that''s unhealthy even for us." "Killing all of the Half-Beosts is out of the question," William continued, crossing his arms. "You know we won''t let that happen." "And because of that, it motivated him to pursue peace even more," Owen said. "That''s why he fought as contradictory as it is, to do what little he can to end the war so you all can start making peace with each other. He hopes by doing that, you can finally let go of your hatred and move on." "..." The manager stood in silence taking the words of two boys decades younger than him before lowering his head in a downcast. Judging by his eyes though, he still doesn''t seem convinced yet. "It''s not like forgiving them is helping them. I said it before, it is how you pay them back. Crom says that that much," William stated. "Forgiving your enemy is the hardest way to get back at them. By doing that, you have made everything they did to you useless; that everything they built their life towards for nothing; that they are beneath you and worth nothing to make you bother exacting the kind revenge they expected on them. "It''s not like they''ll get away. Karma is real, and it''s inevitable. It will hit them harder than you ever can," he continued. "Hell, once it does, give them a little help. It''ll be the biggest insult to injury you can ever give to them. Think about it." PIING Then, the rainbow light circled the secretary as Rose stepped away. The manager looked at the shot lady impassively seeming like he wanted to say something. Whatever it was, he chose not to say it as the bright light disappeared, taking Lei to another world. PIING This is Miriel, is the manager still al... capable of speaking? The operators have seen men congregating in the noble''s mansion with... Firearms. (Miriel) Upon the following message received, the Court Wizards turned to the manager and as if knowing what went down, he answered, "Yes, I did supply the noble rifles as you called it. About fifty of them." "I''ll send the [Telepathy]," William said as he placed his two fingers behind the lower part of his ear. I see. I will send more Court Wizards to deal with them. All of you will confront the noble as planned. (Miriel) "Right," William continued. "What about you?" "I''ll be fine, the staff knows how to treat severed limbs," the manager scoffed, reminding the Court Wizards of the sort of world Beohar was to require such skills. "I knew my revenge was futile as it would have failed the moment you came." Looking back at William and Owen, "but... you have given me much to think about." "I see." Turning around, William said to the others. "Let''s go." "You know," Owen spoke as William was about to pass him. "If we talked to Norman about this years ago, maybe this wouldn''t have happened." "...Maybe." Listening to the two boys'' quiet exchange, Alicia couldn''t help the nagging feeling about it. So she inquired about it. "Owen," she called. "Did you?" "Yeah," Owen nodded. "That''s why I froze the Vulgis volcano." Alicia Chapter 20.5: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Continuing Going back down the lobby, Alicia saw the state of the people thereafter. The mercenaries seemed to have recovered, to say the least. With the icy bondage Owen formed expired, they got a hold of themselves and calmed down a bit with beverages presented by the other staff who came out. At least until Alicia and company came back. SPLASH As one of them dropped their wooden cup, the mercenaries backed away as much as possible upon witnessing the Court Wizards'' return. Some near the backroom retreated there. One male mercenary laid down on the couch just came to only to pass out again. The staff, however, fared much better. As staff like them worked fulltime in this building, they naturally were told of the company''s secret and so are generally used to the Court Wizard''s presence. Nonetheless, they were still tense with the current predicament. "D-Did you...?" Passing through the counter, the receptionist stuttered as she quivered out all her courage to inquire about that. After all, those on two floors below could still hear the whole confrontation. And the loud argument between the manager and his secretary ending with a loud foreign sound i.e. a gunshot certainly didn''t help either. "You might still be able to save him," Rose answered gently. "Also, we took Lei to our world for a while. We will also need a horse carriage." "...I-It''s in the backroom, our staff will guide you there and... excuse me!" And the receptionist dashed upstairs. Incidentally, the mercenaries who hid in the backroom immediately snuck out. Rose then turned to the crowd, startling them for a bit. "You should help her," she told them. After a few seconds, some of the staff swiftly did as the Court Wizard said. They were probably afraid of the consequences should they disobey her. Owen, does this always happen? ...Yeah. Somehow, every debut of us always started when some idiot pulled off a world-ending stunt. So we responded in kind. (Owen) What did you all do? After I freeze mount Vulgis, we basically made a huge show of powerful Orders in front of Palras, and also the usual fear tactics. (Owen) And ''fear tactics'' is - using Orders, Personal Skill, or whatnot - brutalizing one enemy or just look terrifying in general to spook others. It''s one of the reasons why Alicia had to watch violent movies. We did the same to the rest of this world as well so the Half-Beosts wouldn''t get into any ideas, and well... we accidentally formed Maneg Beasts. (Owen) Urgh! Those things again!? As Voice made her input, Alicia shuddered remembering the Maneg Amalgamation otherwise known as Maneg Beasts. She had almost died in her first run-in with them and Voice went berserk because of it. After we cleaned up our mess we made a stern warning against pulling that stunt ever again and left. The Palras emperor abdicated soon after. (Owen) I see. But still, the amount of fear they have towards us feels unreasonable. Well, magic does not exist in this world. So Orders are foreign to them and so fear it more as it is an unknown. (Rose) And also the Maneg Beasts. (Owen) Yes... also the Maneg Beasts we created by mistake. (Rose) ...Then this treaty was? No, we decided against specifically telling the two races to reconcile so as to not make do it forced out of fear. So this treaty was voluntarily by their own. (Rose) I see, that is a relief. ""We will guide you to your carriage."" Interrupting the little conversation of the mind, two male staff gave the Court Wizards a bow and said such. "I see," Rose replied. "Lead the way." "Right, this way please." As two staff members prompted the Court Wizards into the backroom, the mercenaries skidded along the wall like metal repelled by a magnet of the same pole. I''ll get the Catalysts. (Will) However, Will went to the front entrance to retrieve the sound barrier Catalyst plastered around the building. Alicia recalled it was a metallic sheet with the Order inscribed that could also camouflage - the medium used was from a post-modern world. With its large, but thin enough maneg battery box attached to it, it was set to use an amount of air maneg and to recast the Order before the previous expire. There were four of them, bent into each corner of the outside building.
The capital of Palras was split into two districts: the inner district where the imperial family and nobles live, and the outer district where everyone else lives. While these two districts can be split further into lots of sub-districts, this is all you need to know. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Remember, most of the population in any country in central Beohar congregate in one or two cities with small settlements scattered but around but still close to these cities. Only in the outskirts, near the Mist of No Return aka the Black Mist, where lots of settlements can be sustained as Beosts shy away from the Mist. And in the middle of the day, two guards guarding a gate to the inner district had a conversation. "Hey, Jack," one guard called his co-worker. "Why the hell do these nobles have the time to make a separate ''inner district'' anyway?" "Well, Mitch." Jack rolled his eyes. "I guess being a powerful empire means you can do whatever you want. "Heck, we didn''t even need to tame any Beosts like the in the countries near the Black Mist." That is true, while the land of Palras was vicious, it was also a hotbed of precious ores. Adding the blessing of generations of talented blacksmiths, even guards like them were equipped with the best of the best out of all of Beohar. Incidentally, most of the settlements around the Palras capital and one other city were mining settlements. "But still," Jack continued. "Who would''ve thought that our mighty empire will be signing a treaty with that Half-Beost kingdom? We just finished a war with them!" "I know right? It''s pretty strange to have a peace treaty with them. Especially with all the talk about them being the enemy." Mitch continued, "but personally, I really got nothing against them. Only my uncle died in the last war with Vulgis, but he''s an ass to me and my mom, kinda thankful for that. So I don''t really mind the change." "Yeah, I got nothing against them either. So I think the treaty will be great." Jack adjusted his helmet. "But man, it all happened because a bunch of otherworldly beings got pissed at our former emperor." "Uh-huh, our old emperor tried to blow up mount Vulgis. And then some kid with grandpa''s hair wound up freezing the damn thing whole like he''s an Ice Dragon! And then-" "Stop." Jack thrust his open hand towards his partner. "Let''s not talk about what comes after that. I still got nightmares from it." "Right, but man! It''s a day that would go down in history and we''re still stuck on guard duty!" CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP But then, they were interrupted by the sound of horse hooves. "Huh?" One of the gate guards, Mitch, raised his eyebrow. "Hey, Jack? Did the guys before our shift told us a carriage coming out this morning?" "No, Mitch," Jack replied to his partner. "I don''t remember the guys telling us there shouldn''t be any carriage coming." In the bustling street under the Black Mist, the guards looked at the horse carriage that was coming their way, they saw who drove it. "What in the Black Mist? They''re kids!" Jack exclaimed to his co-worker. Now, this was a strange predicament. Usually, they''ve only seen old men holding the ropes; but two boys younger than them? Now that was something they never encounter. "...Well, we''ll probably know once we got a look on their crest," Mitch replied. With what their job entails, they had to memorize every crest of the high society and important merchant such as the Bell Conglomerate. And speaking of the devil. "Oh, it is Bell Conglomerate," Mitch sighed in relief as they saw the familiar crest of the light-blue cloth around the rusted bell on the side of the carriage. "Man," Jack sighed. "They''ve been coming here a lot." Over the last month, they have been opening the gates to the carriage very frequently. It was only the coachmen being different that threw them off. By this point, they would rather just let them through, but they still had to do the procedure. Otherwise, they might lose their job. "I''ll do it," Mitch said. Mitch sighed as he approached the carriage as it stopped in front of them. "..!" However, when he approached the kids, they felt an indescribable feeling of revulsion. It felt like an "I don''t want to talk to you" and an "I''ll kill you if you approach me" kind of feeling of off these kids. And also, the boy with white hair seems familiar. And so he decided to just go straight to the carriage''s occupants instead. CREEK "Is something the matter?" B-Beautiful! Mitch flustered in his mind. The window opened to reveal the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Long hair that is not the white of an elderly, but like snow with a pair of bewitching red eyes to match. And the open window was wide enough for him to see her curvaceous body under her skimpy red dress which he couldn''t help but ogle at.
"What is wrong, James?" Miriel asked. "You were eyeing on that guards intensely." "Nothing, master," James assured her and he looked back to the surveillance with his fist tightening.
Mitch felt goosebumps as if someone, somewhere is out to get him. He finally diverted his gaze as the white-haired lady tilted her head in confusion. And he turned to the other woman behind her. She was a young lady with the reddest hair he''d ever seen. But under that was a contrasting pair of bright blue eyes, it did not devalue her pretty face, however. She wore the same red dress though it would fit her if her body developed more, but he got the feeling it wouldn''t happen. "..!" But then, Mitch froze as he felt an icy stare to his right. He turned to the front seat and saw the white-haired kid gazing upon him with his cold blue eyes. "Oi!" Jack called. "What''s the hold-up?" "U-Uh... Right!" Mitch stuttered, realizing that he was just standing there. "Please state the purpose of your visit before we can let you through." "I see," it was the red-haired maiden who said so in a confident voice. "We are here to visit the Wolframs to finalize a business prospect. The manager, Norman, was feeling unwell, so he asked us to take his stead." "I see, we shall let you through." As much as Mitch wanted to prolong the process be with them a little longer, the white-haired kid made him uneasy. Also, the black-haired boy beside the kid began to stare at him impatiently. "Open the gates!" Mitch shouted as he hurried back to the gate and his partner pulled out the keys from his belt and opened the lock. CLICK And both guards pulled each gate open. CREEK CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP And the carriage silently passed through. But the white-haired boy still maintained his glare on Mitch until he can''t. CREEK As they closed back the gates, Mitch sighed. It was strange experience, to say the least. They were in a state of euphoria, witnessing the most beautiful ladies among they''ve seen, and terror, being subjected to probably the scariest kids they''ve ever met, at the same time. Especially that boy with white hair and ice-blue eyes. Wait a minute! Nah, it can''t be, Mitch decided to dismiss the fact that the boy with white hair might be the very one who literally froze the erupting Vulgis. "What took you so long?" Jack complained. However, everything else was still a new subject to discuss with his partner. "Oh, you wouldn''t believe what I just saw."
"Well, that turned out alright," Rose said. "Yes." Alicia nodded. "But the guards seemed to drone off. Was there something wrong with them?" "Oh, I am sure it was nothing too serious," Rose assured her. "Do put it in the back of your mind." Then, Voice came out and went to the front. "Good one, Owen!" "Yeah, yeah..." Owen shrugged and then stopped. Then continued," whatever. Go back to Alicia." "K!" "Huh?" Alicia tilted her head as Voice went back inside her. She was unsure as to what that was. However, she did notice that Voice did not call Owen by the nickname she gave him. Alicia tried asking Voice but she was replied with "That''s a secret!" and so on. Seeing no luck, she asked Owen but he brushed it off as usual. Alicia frowned, he always did that when he was hiding something, it started five years ago (and she knew why three months ago). With a sigh, Alicia relented as carriage ventured onward with Owen and Will on the ropes. Chapter 20.6: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Infiltration Again, as around half of the citizens of Palras live in its capital, the city itself was vast. By extension, the carriage journey to the Inner District of Palras was a long one. Naturally, one does not sit idly by silently. Even after they had entered the inner district, they still had a long trek to their target.
"Rose," Alicia called. "About the Black Mist... Have the Otherworldly Court ever tried to see beyond it? Like using [Eject] to fly above it?" "Yes, we did." Rose put her hand over her cheek. "And there was more mist. Turns out it was an endless slope." "You mean like the Black Mist is like a funnel with its wider side up with Beohar at the bottom?" "Yes, that is the exact analogy." "I-I see..."
"You know." Alicia looked to her front, where the boys were steering the horses. "I did not know you can drive a horse carriage, Owen, Will." They, however, exchanged looks and Owen spoke, "We''ve done this... multiple times before." "...Is that so?" However, Alicia did not like the tone Owen used to convey. "There have been numerous times where we go on a carriage like this," Rose explained. "And some of those times we could not have a Bell Branch worker to coach it. So... we had to improvise." "In other words! You guys are the resident couriers!" "Yes, that is accurate." Rose nodded to Voice''s conjecture. "I-I see..." Alicia smiled wryly. "At least you both have a skill picked up... Albeit an odd one, to say the least."
PIING From high to low in an inconspicuous spot in the inner district, the transfer circle faded to reveal Hanz and Crea decked out in soldier equipment under their brown robe.
Everyone, I have decided to send Hanz and Crea with you. (Miriel) Is it about the noble''s soldiers with rifles? Yes, the visual feed shows at least fifty of them outside, there is bound to be more inside the mansion. (Miriel) While all of you can deal with them since they must have short training with untested technology, there is still the risk of getting shot and you cannot waste any time if we are to keep it in closed doors. (Miriel) Besides, if you two were to deal with the riflemen, you might cause the neighbors to notice. (Miriel) And the ''you two'' referred to Owen and Will. Considering their actions at the Bell Branch and missions before, Alicia suspected that Miriel might worry that Will and Owen will cause a huge gust of cold air that would reach far beyond in order to defeat all of the noble''s men in one go, as it a logical move. Incidentally, I have found the record of the authorization for its development two years ago. It includes rifling so they will be accurate. (Miriel) Hmm, the manager did say it was for fighting Beosts... Why has the record only found out now? I, er... (Miriel) I will explain to her, Rose messaged Miriel and turned to Alicia. "You see, we have a lot of worlds to take care of. So it is common for one or two mistakes to occur." "Is that speaking from experience?" "Yes." Rose nodded solemnly. Moving on, Hanz and Crea will also bring brown robes to induce fear among the enemy ranks. So once you enter the inner district, go to this location and send a [Telepathy] to signal their transfer. (Miriel)
And in Hanz''s arms, a bunch of brown robes rested upon it. Crea carried the masks. But... "Hanz," Rose rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Why do I only count three robes?" "Owen secretly sent a [Telepathy] that told me to bring his cloak instead." Hanz deadpanned. Looking closer, you can see the light-blue cloak among the stack of robes. Alicia simply looked at Owen in awe for his distaste for the brown robe, going so far as to conceal his [Telepathy] so Rose wouldn''t know. By specifically calling out a name in the Order, [Telepathy] can be sent without ''spilling'' its content to a nearby Court Wizard. This increases maneg consumption, and Court Wizards are supposed to save as much as possible. "They are not for combat use," Rose continued. "Its design is inconvenient for it. Also, Master Miriel told us that the brown robe is to cause panic as it is greatly associated with us." "And I never remembered Owen needing to break a leg to do his Orders and never have a problem with it when he does. Second, Owen froze the volcano wearing this." Hanz explained nonchalantly. "Besides, the robes too uncomfortable." Even though he wore the brown robe himself, Hanz has a habit of doing an ''epic taking off the robe to reveal the outfit underneath'' before going to battle as seen in Geron Yor; Crea picked it up after being around him frequently. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Alicia heard this from Rose complaining about it. And thinking of that reminded her of Rin''s outburst, it happened sometime after that mission. Rose sighed, having long since resigning to their and quietly muttered, "Maybe it is time I design a new uniform..." Then, the Court Wizards felt the Air Guardian''s Maneg Soul coming to their location. "I''ve placed the Catalysts," Will reported. "A bit far out because of the sentry." The Air Court Wizard/Guardian had also placed the Air Catalyst on the Bell Branch building. Anybody else in the group would run an extremely small chance to create a D rank Maneg Beast of the size of a small animal. Although it can simply be swiped off, it''s still better to have zero chance of it happening in important missions. And the phenomena was only known because most cases happened on the second floor of the light chamber in the Otherworldly Court. "Alright then," Rose said. "Shall we go?" Donning the robes and cloak (and masks), the six Court Wizards ventured onward.
"After you have dealt with the Bell Branch manager," Aqua continued. "You will proceed to the final mission of the First Treaty operation in Beohar." "First treaty?" Alicia spoke in wonder. "As far as we are concerned, it is the very first treaty between human and half-animal nations. Whenever they go to war, it usually ends with both sides pack up and go home with whatever spoils they got." "Really? Then it must have been very important." "Indeed, your target is the noble who sent the ''bandits'' to the envoy in the first mission, the one you have dealt with along with Richard, Jill, and James. "His first name was too complicated to be remembered so we will address him by family name, Wolfram." "..!"Alicia shivered upon hearing the name. ''Aw, come on! Why do we keep hearing ''wolf'' a lot!?'' Voice: Like, what the hell, Azhure!? Azhure: I couldn''t think of anything else. Also, the single (''text'') will indicate thoughts in flashbacks. It took all of her might to not stutter the noble''s name when explaining the purpose of the visit to those guards at the gate to the inner district.
The Wolfram estate was vast, like any other household in the inner district. However, visuals from Miriel and James stated that it was even more so than others. It would attribute to their wealth, a resource needed to pull off multiple sabotages and an army. Its wide land shall serve as an inhibitor for anyone outside from noticing the chaos that will ensue inside, on top of the Air Catalyst providing sound absorbent. Stepping far inside the boundary of the Catalysts, in which two of them was plastered on streetlamps, the Court Wizards could see the gates to the Wolfram estate. Behind it was the huge mansion inside a large garden. Will was right, the noble has the common sense to have two men, each holding a rifle with a long bayonet affixed to it, probably to pass it off as a spear, at hand and a sword in their belt, to keep watch at the front of the gate.
"The four of you will infiltrate the Wolfram mansion and stop the noble directly."
While the sudden change of events made the Court Wizard count jump to six, things will go as planned. Emotion suppression on. "Halt, you are in the territory of Wolfram! Leave now!" One of the guards shouted as they trained their rifles onto Hanz and Crea who approached first. However, they pointed the rifles like it would a spear, but their right hands still held the trigger so as to immediately switch to the proper rifle stance and fire. "I will say again, leave now or-" And then they realized the brown robe and widen their eyes. "I-I-It''s...!" TZANG But with [Eject], Hanz immediately dashed to the guards, his right hand pulled back to materialize a rifle with a bayonet of his own. SLASH And cut opened one guard''s throat, just barely missed the guard''s bayonet. RATATA And before the other guard could react, Hanz put three shots to that guard''s torso. He fell back like a string of a puppet cut loose. 2 noble''s men killed, 50 + ??? left. Bending down to the unfortunate guard whose neck spurt blood like a fountain, Hanz wrested the rifle from his dead hands with ease. Alicia and the others went to Hanz. Looking closer, the handle barely bent in conjunction with the barrel. With the absurdly long bayonet, it was not designed similar to any ''Earth'' rifles. The rifle itself was designed overall to look like a spear. A ''spear-rifle''. KETINK KETINK KETINK And rainbow colored motes of light enveloped the spear-rifle. Markings of all range of the visible spectrum etched itself throughout the handle of the spear-rifle. And that''s it. One of Hanz''s specialty was the efficiency in which he converts a gun into a Cherished Armament. As Alicia can see, the Cherished Armament before her was barely modified by Hanz''s loyal maneg comparing Jill''s and Rose''s. Also, Aqua had once told her that the soldier has a rainbow-colored Element though he preferred to use red. "I will break the gate and we will go in. I''ll deal with the riflemen with Crea and the rest of you will find the noble," Hanz said to the others in a monotone voice. Seeing as no third party is around, at least alive, he could speak verbally. The soldier pointed the spear-rifle towards the lock on the gate. The ''spearhead'' a few centimeters away from the lock. BANG CLANK However, the bullet that flew out of it barely put a dent to it. "Figures." Was all Hanz said and dispersed his latest arsenal into his Maneg Soul in kaleidoscopic light. RUSH RUSH "They''re here," he announced. If the early skirmish didn''t catch their attention, then this certainly did as riflemen began running towards the gate. Hanz stepped back, urging the others to follow suit. He lifted his arm to point at the gate and... WHOOSH BOOM The gates violently swung backwards to the Court Wizards'' perspective and hit the wall with a CLANG. The riflemen marching in paused in a jolt of surprise witnessing the explosion that destroyed the front gate. "W-Who the in the Black Mist are you!?" The rifleman in front shouted, pointing his spear-rifle like a spear. Others followed his example. However, Hanz simply walked forward, slowly. "Don''t come closer or we''ll-" "Aah!" However, that rifleman was interrupted with a scream. After all, to the riflemen''s perspective, they saw a figure in brown between their dead comrades. With recent events over the decade, it''s almost taboo to wear a brown robe. Because that could only mean one thing to them. "I-It''s the Court Wizards!" another rifleman screamed. "W-What are they here!?" "T-They must''ve have come to stop us!" "I shouldn''t have signed up for this!" And panic consumed their ranks as they began stepping back, preparing to run away. CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK WHOOSH WHOOSH Seeing as the riflemen realized what they''re up against, and despite under suppression, Hanz couldn''t help but take off his robe in epic fashion, revealing his red uniform. His partner, Crea, did the same almost at the exact time. "M-Men!" the front rifleman shouted, he''s probably the commander. "If it''s them, there''s no use running away. We have numbers and rifles on our sides! We can defeat them!" With their commander''s speech, the riflemen somewhat gained their composure. "On me!" The commander hoisted his spear-rifle to aim at the Court Wizards, his subordinates followed suit in a semi-disciplined manner. Hanz did nothing. "Fire!" BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG STATIC DING DING DING DING DING Because a dome of blue appeared around him, encasing him from the harm of the spear-rifles. It was Crea''s Vague Order, [Shield]. "It... did nothing?" the commander muttered in disbelief. While they were in confusion, Hanz simply called forth his own firearm and two more floating above his shoulders, just like in Geron Yor. There was no need to explain the riflemen''s reaction witnessing the inside of the semi-transparent dome of blue. And the soldier murmured quietly. "To arms." Chapter 20.7: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Vague Orders Sometime before the First Treaty operation''s final mission. "Um..." Alicia mumbled. "Is there something you need, Amelia?" She was just having her usual tea break with others when the maneg scientist suddenly barged into the fire chamber and dragged her into the second floor of the light chamber. It was quite a while since Alicia last stepped foot into the place. Looking back, she was also suddenly pulled into this place by Amelia with the purpose of researching her Maneg Soul which ended badly. "Well!? Spit it out, Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" "Ugh!" Amelia groaned upon Voice''s demand. "I can''t make heads or tail out of your master!" And she pointed both arms to Alicia with open hands. "Uhm..." Alicia mumbled, feeling awkward at the maneg scientist''s foul mood. "I am sorry?" To that end, Amelia groaned again. "It''s about your Maneg Soul or more specifically, your Vague Order," Amelia muttered to Alicia. "And to a certain extent, you," she continued, pointing her finger on Voice. "What!?" The pixie jolted back. "Are you gonna make us lab rats again!? Didn''t you learn your lesson last time!?" "Yeah, yeah, I got really into it so sorry about that." Amelia apologized but also shrugged with a shooing hand gesture on the pixie. "Besides, aren''t you satisfied with Ronald beating me up? Like, how could he commit violence against an innocent maiden like me, anyway!?" "Not even the slightest! Besides, you ain''t an innocent maiden, thot!" "Guh!" A figurative arrow struck the Evil Mad Scientist Lady. "Uhm..." Alicia raised her finger, trying to get their attention. "Hm?" Amelia turned her head. "Oh right! As I said, I''m here to talk about your Vague Order." "What about it?" Alicia innocently asked. "It makes no sense." Amelia deadpanned. "Huh?" Alicia blinked. "...Are we here just so you can rant about it!?" "Right you are," Amelia replied to the pixie. "And I also need you Catalysts for monthly maintenance, Alicia," she continued while presenting her hand for Alicia to give her Catalysts to. "Alright then." Alicia opened her purse, pulled out her rod Catalyst, and hand it to Amelia. She also took off her necklace Catalyst and gave it the scientist too. "Right then," Amelia said as she brought the Catalysts to her Catalyst-filled desk, where there was also a laser engraving machine to carve smaller runes. "Lemme check this for a sec-" KETINK KETINK KETINK Then, a bright distorted glow of red and white shone from Amelia''s hands holding the fire Catalyst. A snake of white and red emerged from the light, landed on the scientist''s hands, and gave a hiss. Alicia jumped and Voice jerked back when the snake Maneg Beast suddenly popped out of existence. But Amelia seemed unperturbed and more to being annoyed... SLAP THUD SHIING CRACKLE CRACKLE HISS ...as she literally backhanded the snake and unleashed [Beam] on the poor critter as it fell to the floor. Looking at the dispersed amalgamation, Alicia now knew why there were so many scorch marks on the floor which also meant that this happened frequently. "What... just happened?" Alicia asked after snapping out of her shock. "You know Maneg Amalgamations are made when maneg of two different Elements mix?" Amelia answered with a rhetoric question. "Yeah, there''s a small chance to happen when you touched the Catalyst''s battery, which I need to for the maintenance, with different Element than yours. The maneg inside it probably touched the maneg circulating in our body." And Alicia recalled Aqua mentioning a small portion disloyal maneg are under the skin to carry Orders faster. There was also an Order to ''surge'' your body with maneg, but it also manifests an aura around the body related to the Element and just wasteful. "Well, you probably won''t trip one up since you don''t have disloyal maneg," Amelia continued. "But even then, there''s still a chance you will with your fire Catalysts on your person, so you shouldn''t." "So is that why we generally do not use Catalysts?" "That''s the second reason. The first, as you know, is that we don''t really need to carry around a bulky Catalyst of the same Element unless there''s a mission that needs one. Though you''re a different case." Alicia smiled wryly as Amelia emphasized her. Voice scoffed at the maneg scientist. "Well, I''m trying to make a Catalyst that could store a lot of maneg," Amelia continued, "so we''ll be carrying one pretty soon." After checking the necklace Catalyst, Amelia returned the Catalysts back to Alicia. "Alright, these two haven''t got a scratch on their runes. You''ve been using them well," she praised Alicia. "So can we get over with your complaining and be done with it!?" "Patience little pixie, now we''ll move on to the next subject," Amelia said as she pulled out a whiteboard. Stolen novel; please report. Pulling the marker cap, the maneg scientist wrote ''Vague Order'' in the middle of the whiteboard. "As you know, Vague Orders are Orders using loyal maneg and are conveyed with broader instruction, hence ''vague.''" Amelia tapped the word twice. "But, it also ain''t something you can make in the Training Grounds." SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK Amelia drew a circle around the words and four lines coming out at the bottom. "Based on what Rose said and my own extensive research, Vague Orders are based on four things, classified as ''Origin.''" Amelia proceeded to write ''like,'' ''hate,'' ''wish,'' and ''fear'' at the end of each line. "Like is based on what you like, pretty straightforward. If you''re a Nature Fauna Wizard fond of squirrels then you could have a Vague Order good at forming one. "Hate is the opposite of like, pretty obvious there. If you don''t like fire then you might have a Vague Order dedicated to douse fire effectively. "Now wish is closer to normal Orders in a sense, it is based on what you want. Like, you wished to throw a [Fireball] that would reach its target without expiring, then you might use loyal maneg instead, making it a Vague Order. "Fear is different from hate. Fear Vague Orders is because you''re scared of what made the Vague Order, not hating it. For example, a Fire Court Wizard scared of the dark may invent a Vague Order that is essentially a torch." As the scientist explained all of that, she also jotted down the essentials below each Origin. Alicia was able to more or less catch up to what Amelia explained by referencing these. "Sound illogical coming from me?" Amelia quirked. "I know." Well, Amelia did emphasize ''extensive''. "And it''s also why Vague Orders are vague since your loyal maneg is your actual soul and so already know about it as it''s based on your inner self," the maneg scientist continued. "Heck, you can even give one without saying anything! Though it does take practice to show the intent to your Maneg Soul." "Any questions?" She saw Alicia shook her head. "Good." SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK Then, Amelia wrote another word. "Now, Cherished Armaments are technically the most common Vague Order manifestation. You know why?" "Because they cherished them?" Alicia answered, though weakly. "Pretty much," Amelia nodded. "They go into the like Origin because of their emotional attachment to certain belongings. Might be an heirloom, keepsakes, or even Cherished Armaments of a perished Court Wizard." She said the last factor with a solemn tune. "I see." Alicia rolled her eyes. "Then what about Rose''s loyal maneg reinforced legs?" "They go to wishes. I''ll be blunt, keeping crippled body parts just to remember important events in their lives is deadweight to them." Well, Amelia''s statement couldn''t be argued. "Hence, they ''wished'' for it to not hold back on missions. Formally, it''s called [Reinforcement]. [Reinforcement]s that replaced entire limbs have their own unique names, however. "Anything else you wanna talk about before we move to the next subject?" "Then what would my Vague Orders be- Eep!" Alicia yelped as a marker was just a shy centimeter away from her forehead. Amelia had tried to smack her with the marker, but she seemed to stop just as she was about to hit her. "Sorry," Amelia retracted her assault. "I got a bad feeling if I actually hit you." "Damn right, Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" "But seriously," Amelia brushed off Voice''s snap. "Didn''t I just told you I have no idea what your Vague Orders is supposed to be earlier!?" Alicia, taken aback, finally recalled it. "Ah, you were right..." "Well, if I had to," Amelia continued. "Your Vague Order consists of normal Orders with loyal maneg due to your composition. I would classify it into one name for convenience''s sake, something like [Mundane Ordering]." "Alright then, we will go with that." "You see!" Suddenly, Amelia snapped. "Can you at least have an input?" "H-Huh?" "Anyway, I still need more data to be conclusive." The scientist brushed her previous statement, making it incoherent. "So, what did you do at the Training Grounds?" "W-Well, I just do the [Fireball] Order exactly as Owen taught me." "Then it should be a wish Vague Order because you tried to perform a normal Order and expected it to work. That would also make it the Trigger too." "Trigger?" "Oh, I forgot to teach you that." Amelia then wrote the word ''Trigger'' on the board. "Trigger is the reason and the moment which gives birth to Vague Order. Again, it ain''t like normal Orders that you came up with on the Training Grounds. "For example, Cherished Armaments aren''t made the when the Court Wizard laid their sight upon the item they liked for the first time since becoming one, they also gotta be in the right emotional moment with said item in their vicinity. Well, it is a little vague, but that''s why they''re called Vague Orders." She then proceeded to write down note-like explanations below the word Trigger, just like with the Origins. "Like and hate''s Triggers are usually when the Court Wizard was thinking of something they liked and hated with a related entity in front of them. "Wish''s Trigger is the moment when the Court Wizard wanted the Vague Order to be created, no questions there. "Fear''s Trigger, on the other hand, happens when you''re spooked of your socks and you ain''t got a normal Order to solve that. Then, your Maneg Soul hastily creates a Vague Order to resolve that issue. "Well, there could exceptions, but we''re not talking about that. Anyway, you!" "Nyeh!" Voice froze in a pose when Amelia suddenly pointed at her. "When did she first appear?" Ignoring the pixie, Amelia asked Alicia. "Um..." Alicia held her chin.
"Thank you. Now, are there any questions?" "Hmm... I don''t know... I do have something I need to ask." "What is it?" "I think it''s about the voice probably coming from my Maneg Soul." "Huh? A voice from your own Maneg Soul?" . . . "I can help you with that!"
As Alicia recollected that conversation with Alice, she explained, "It started when..."
"I see," Amelia said. "You see there, the Trigger for Voice to appear was when you talked about that voice on the day you were recruited with Master Alice and wanted answers. "She appeared when you need it the most, making her a wish Vague Order. Though I''m pretty sure your little pixie just wants to show up cool and all, which she didn''t." "Hey!" Voice fouled, it seemed to Alicia that she didn''t like the Evil Mad Scientist Lady snickering the part where she was crushed between Owen and Russel''s foreheads the moment she appeared. Though Alicia expected for the avatar of her Maneg Soul that snark further, but she didn''t. Oh well. "Anyway, you understood so far, Alicia?" Amelia asked. "...I think I get the idea." "Brilliant!" Amelia exclaimed as she put the marker cap back to its place. "This should be the end of this pep talk. Thank you for taking your time and I hope to see you again!" The sudden end by Amelia threw Alicia off. However, she still remembered one last thing the maneg scientist didn''t clarify. "Wait," Alicia stopped. "You have not told me where [Mundane Ordering] came from." "Oh, it came from you being a passive listener and observer." The scientist deadpanned. "What?" "Lecture''s over, now shoo! shoo!" Amelia pushed Alicia out of the room with Voice screaming bloody murder for some reason. As Amelia closed the door behind her, she sighed. "Guess you didn''t ask about Voice, huh?" she mumbled.
Looking back, that exchange still left Alicia confused. But she at least saw an example of it at this very moment. BANG BANG BANG DING DING DING "The rifles aren''t doing anything!" "Dammit!" The Wolfram soldiers shouted in frustration as their spinning bullets simply bounced off of Crea''s [Shield]. Alicia didn''t know her circumstances that led to it, as it wasn''t her place to pry, but Crea was a staunch pacifist. She heard that Crea was so aversed to violence that she refused to order a simple [Lightningball] - this also meant her lack of rank. Crea''s Vague Order, [Shield], was the result of her pacifistic wish. As she would not learn offensive Orders, she instead opted for a defensive one. By using her own loyal maneg, she could form a [Barrier]-like Order which she can place in any location in any shape (usually dome-shaped) by pure intent, no declaring meters from the center of gravity at all, to protect those in harm. But... RATATATATATATATATATA "Shoot! Shoot- Guagh!" "M-My hand! My hand!" "You monster!" How ironic that it made the monster ''immortal''. Alicia Chapter 20.8: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Power of Ignorance "Our information gathered concluded that the Wolfram has raised an army to directly attack the signing and possibly a coup as well. He had likely recruited those who hated the treaty." Recalling what Aqua said during the briefing, Alicia had complicated feelings. These riflemen Hanz was gunning down must have a justified reason for their hatred. But... "...but to have your revenge is to forgive... "...you do it to get rid of your grudges against them... "...forgiving the Half-Beosts is not for them, but for yourself - a selfish act... "...And he knew that killing all Half-Beost is impossible... "...So that by doing so, you can finally let go of your stain and move on." On the other hand, Will had a point. But the way he said it implied that forgiving was the only way because taking vengeance through violence cannot be achieved. However... "We, the Otherworldly Court also practiced taking revenge..." The forgotten revelation by her own childhood friend, Owen, in her very first mission was unearthed. And it was of hypocrisy to his partner''s (at least Alicia assumed to be the case) statement. But, it was not her place to object to other''s opinions. And thus she sealed it in her heart, like always.
Apologies, we are late. (Jill) We have forgotten to ask Master Zekie to repair our armor and only realized it today, much to our shame. (Richard) Hey! You do not need to mention that! (Jill) Anyway, we are at the back of the mansion to make sure no escape from here. You confront the noble inside the mansion as planned. (Richard) Good, we will commence the mission. (Hanz) And Hanz summoned his assault rifles and quietly muttered, "To arms." Emotion suppression on. RATATA RATATA RATATA Hanz unleashed the full might of his firearms, hailing bullets to the riflemen all while under the protective [Shield] of Crea. A quirk that Crea developed on her Vague Order was that she could make it so that Hanz''s projectiles can pass out through her [Shield]. However, the same does not apply with passing into the Vague Order. So Hanz could shoot to his heart''s content without worry of getting shot back. And apparently, Crea was given enough confidence that she wouldn''t get her loyal maneg to break using her Vague Order and thus cause severe repercussions to her physical body. Maybe her loyal maneg was tougher than others in the same amount. Maybe that''s why Amelia got the bright idea to test the endurance of Alicia''s loyal maneg. DI-DI-DI-DI-DI-DI-NG-NG-NG-NG-NG-NG "I-I''m alive?" However, the bullets bounced off the riflemen''s armor. Their armor''s tough. (Hanz) That''s Palras Steel for you. (Crea) One of the things Alicia had learned before participating in this mission was the numerous mining spots Palras has access to. The minerals obtained from them were then smelted into an alloy they aptly named ''Palras Steel'' which is strong yet lightweight as well. It''s this alloy allowed the Palrasian to have some the best weapons and armor to combat against the most dangerous Beost that congregated to central Beohar due to their aversion of the Black Mist. Also, it was in abundance so even common folk has one or two items from Palras Steel. Incidentally, Vulgis also has access to the same minerals in their territory melted into a similar alloy which caused every war to end in a stalemate. And currently, these riflemen donned a full-suit of sturdy Palras Steel, they were going to attack a treaty procession so they were bound to be security. The gate guards Hanz killed earlier had thinner armor similar to the inner district gate guards, it was probably the norm. I''ll aim for the head. (Hanz) PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE And so Hanz lifted the muzzle, with the floating guns follow suit, to aim at the riflemen''s open faces and took the shot, killing three of them. Among them was the rifleman who had inspired his colleagues to stand their ground and fight. 6 riflemen killed, 46 + ??? left. The three dead riflemen had tanked a lot of shots, but they weren''t actual tanks in a fantasy sense so they fell backward. Right behind them were some of their comrades who tumbled as a result, there were five of them. RATA RATA RATA RATA RATA And Hanz wasted no time picking them off right between their eyes as their helmets currently exposed their faces. 11 riflemen killed, 41 + ??? left. "Spread out!" Seeing their dead colleagues, whose looks were unrecognizable, another rifleman shouted while Hanz was slowly killing their downed comrades. "Visors down!" Taking advantage of the time, the riflemen did as he told almost automatically. One could not deny their discipline and listen to the orders of that rifleman who immediately took charge. Maybe it was not uncommon for the leader of a hunter party to be killed by the Beosts they were hunting and was essential to have sub-leaders. Or maybe it was for fighting Half-Beosts. Should you try their rifle? Their rounds were stronger than what you''re using. (Crea) ...I''ll give it a shot. (Hanz) If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Hanz dissipated his gun at hand and materialized the speargun. He aimed it at a nearby rifleman. BANG "Argh!" It tore through the thick armor clean, puncturing his heart. BANG After a few seconds of delay, another life was taken. 14 riflemen killed, 38 + ??? left. This rifle is powerful, but it''s uncomfortable to hold and the rounds are too expensive. (Hanz) Another lesson Alicia learned was that ranged Cherished Armaments like bows and guns have their ammunition made from the Court Wizard''s own maneg. A Vague-Extension Order is used to create the ammunition similar to what the original weapon used, but the Court Wizard can still make modifications to it. And the Bell manager had said that it was for hunting Beosts... and for the upcoming attack. While probably not for breaking huge gate locks, it was certainly designed to punch through the tough Palras Steel armor and thick hides of Beosts with few shots. And Hanz did not like the cost for the spear-rifle''s bullets. "Fire! Fire!" BANG BANG JAM BANG DING DING DING "What the? It''s not working!" Meanwhile, the riflemen once again took aim and fired at the blue dome which was still a futile effort. However, some of the riflemen found their guns jammed as the Palras capital Bell manager had said. RATATA RATATA RATATA Hanz switched back to his previous weapon and sprayed red bullets on to the riflemen, three at a time. "Evade!" 17 riflemen killed, 35 + ??? left. "But the armor resisted earlier!?" 20 riflemen killed, 32 + ??? left. "Guhah!" 24 riflemen killed, 28 + ??? left. "W-What the? Their armor is... undamaged?" After twelve riflemen down, one rifleman noticed it. Each fallen rifleman has their chest plate still pristine as if the bullets never punctured it, yet one could see blood seeping out between the gaps of the armor. "Owen, what did Hanz do?" Alicia asked, watching the battle with a dull eye. Yet her emotions are only suppressed, not purged completely and curiosity wasn''t detrimental to keep a level-head in danger. "Remember how maneg is structured?" To answer her question, Owen asked her back. "Yes, It is only visible when we give Orders. Otherwise, it hides in a ''shell,'' making invisible and intangible." Alicia answered, looking at Owen who gave her a nod. Then she realized the last word she said, "...You are telling me that?" "Yes," the Ice Court Wizard nodded under his robe. "With the command ''ignore,'' we can order our maneg to temporarily shift back into its shell and phase through any sort of barriers and such." Looking at Hanz, "he modified his bullets to ignore once, getting past the armor. "It''s pretty much how the Maneg System gets one over with Magic Systems of other worlds. We call it the ''Power of Ignorance''." "I see." Alicia nodded in understanding. That would explain how maneg was able to compete with the magic systems of every world it came across. But then she recalled the previous mission in Qantasia; couldn''t Darc just use the Power of Ignorance to attack through the glass wall? Or the others since the dark Element couldn''t do offensive Orders well? Or why wasn''t it used frequently? "But, there is a catch." Owen continued, catching Alicia''s attention, as of knowing that she will recall the last mission. "The Power of Ignorance causes Orders to expire faster." Now that''s interesting. "Why is that?" Alicia asked. However, under that robe, Owen stunted. "Have you wonder how maneg could shift itself into incorporeality?" Suddenly, Rose entered the conversation. "Huh?" Alicia jerked. "Well, I never wondered about that. How?" "By hiding inside the Fantasy Law itself." "What?" Alicia was not the only one to react; Owen raised his eyebrow (or at least that''s what it looked like under his mask) and Will turned his head slightly. Crea looked as if she knew already, or was concentrating on maintaining the [Shield]. Rose continued. "It is a theory that Amelia made a few weeks ago, but it explained a lot of mysteries plaguing what we knew of maneg for centuries." Evil Mad Scientist Lady again!? "It would be good for you to listen as we have nothing to do here." As Rose said, Hanz was relegated of the duty to eliminate the riflemen so others could conserve maneg. "To answer the question, let us discuss this topic beforehand. Have you learned why normal Orders expire?" "No." But this time, Alicia racked her brain based on what she read from those fantasy books. "Is it because of the Scientific Law going against the Maneg System?" "Nope," Rose shook her head. "It is the Fantasy Law rejecting it. More accurately, the native Fantasy Law of each world." "Huh?" "It is surprising, I know. But it is the truth. You should be taught about this subject next month maybe. But I will teach you now." By the way, new Court Wizards are taught everything over the course of a year. And Alicia has only gotten over a fourth of the curriculum. "As you know," Rose began. "When maneg reached a new world, the Maneg System integrates itself into the existing Fantasy Law in a way that the Maneg System would be advantageous, like the Power of Ignorance and the immunity against indirect attacks by sacrificing disloyal maneg. But the native Fantasy Law would naturally try to reject it or at least try to make the integration their way. "The results can vary from world to world such as the degree anti-magic would affect maneg and the limit of our immunity. But there are two things that has always appeared in every world. "First, is the decrease in concentration of ambient maneg in the world. It is under Fantasy Law because of how has a fixed number, though the conservation might be Scientific. "And it would be why Maneg Pillars do not appear outside Manegia?" Alicia assumed. "Yes, you got the idea," Rose nodded. "And the second is the moment an Order is given, the native Fantasy Law will begin to undo it." "So is that why Orders expire?" Alicia asked. "Yes," Rose nodded again. "But of course, the Maneg System also fights back. "So is that why Orders expire?" Alicia asked. "Yes," Rose nodded. "But of course, the Maneg System also fights back. "In order to disperse an Order, the native Fantasy law must unravel all the steps of the Order, a second for each step. This is how Time Intervals between break-offs came to be. "The role the Maneg System takes is to keep the integrity of the Order when it was unraveled so that only a portion was broken-off instead of the whole package using the Court Wizard as a proxy. This is reflected by the Maneg Soul''s Efficiency. "However, Vague Orders using loyal maneg do not suffer the same fate, as you know. The native Fantasy Law cannot break what was originally your soul, it is too strong." Alicia nodded in understanding. She didn''t think too much of it when Owen explained it to her. She didn''t realize how deep it was until Rose elaborated it further. "Now," the vampire continued. "Amelia''s theory suggests that both Fantasy and Scientific Laws ''physically'' exist in a separate ''plane'' that overlaps their worlds. This ''plane'' allows the Laws to be projected to the world. "And it is where maneg is when it is in the intangible state. Now, imagine what would happen to the Order when it shifts back into that plane?" "It would expire faster as it is within the territory of the native Fantasy Law itself." "Correct, and it would also explain why maneg formations would come out with less maneg when it is formed further away from us. It still needs to travel out from our bodies but it is already in the state of an Order and so the native Fantasy Law already begins to break it down." That would explain Darc''s actions in the previous mission. The glass wall was thick so any Order would have to make a trek to get through and spawning it inside would be worse. Now add the magic-dampening stones into the mix, unless you want to waste too much maneg then breaking the glass wall would be the best course of action. "Though Guardians like Will can get around it," Rose added as, by the way, Will was also busy severing rifleman heads at the very backline (which explained the discrepancy of the kill count). It was also secretive for some reason, any living riflemen at the back who noticed were next before they could tell others. Looking back, even with Guardian privileges, the ambient dark maneg inside the cultist''s tomb Darc could work with would only be sufficient to condense one small lethal Order at best. "Then what about Manegia?" Alicia, the good questioner, inquired. "Orders also break-off there too." "Oh, that was because the Maneg System was not the native Fantasy Law of Manegia, to begin with." "What?" "We also wondered why break-offs occur in Manegia too. But we have discovered an ancient relic containing records dating more than one and a half thousand years ago. "And by analyzing it, we concluded that Manegia operated a different magic system, a different Fantasy Law back then. And when maneg arrived in year zero, it must have taken over the entire Fantasy Law and overhauled it to become the home of maneg. "By this fact, we suspected that there were still remnants of the old Fantasy Law, enacting its spite by causing the break-offs. It is supported by the fact that the amount of Orders break-off in Manegia is the lowest. "And that is how it came to be." "I see," Alicia sighed. "So maneg is an invader even to its own world..." "Miss Alicia, Rose, please don''t fall behind," Crea warned in a dull tone as they were near the circular edge of the electric dome. "Ah, thank you, Crea," Rose thanked with a similar tone. Incidentally, while the entire carnage was being unfolded while Rose was explaining all of that, Alicia and the rest were inside the [Shield] Crea''s in. Hanz has a separate [Shield] all to his own as they couldn''t keep up with his walking speed, especially Crea herself. "Ah? Aaah!" And it seems that one of the riflemen finally noticed their decapitated fellows courtesy of Will. 36 riflemen killed, 16 + ??? left. Chapter 20.9: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Firefight "W-What in the Black Mist is this!?" In the backline, another rifleman exclaimed, others looked at what got their fellow rifleman so spooked: the beheaded corpses of their men. "Haaaaa...!" STAB STATIC STATIC One after another, a different rifleman suddenly charged past Hanz''s and did a bayonet charge on the [Shield] Crea and the others are, causing sparks flying about. Of course, it did nothing but putting a nick on his blade. "This kid!" The rifleman screamed. "He''s making this... damn blue dome!" Well, Crea was holding her two hands up in a chanting position. Even if Beohar knew no magic, it was pretty obvious she formed the [Shield]. ZAP "Gah!" A jolt of electricity hopped onto the spear-rifle and again, landing on the Palras Steel. The visored rifleman was surprised at the foreign sense of pain, letting go of his weapon and staggered back. RATATA And one of Hanz''s floating machine guns finished him off. 37 riflemen killed, 15 + ??? left. "I am a grown woman," Crea softly muttered, stressing the last two words, slowly. Alicia was confused before remembering that the blue-haired girl was three years older than her despite being as tall as Owen. She seemed to be sensitive regarding her physical maturity. The gender assumption probably adds fuel to the fire (or power to the electricity?). "Get behind the statues!" The riflemen scattered, hiding behind the rows of statues on both sides of the brick road. It certainly took them a while for them to realize the advantage of taking cover, it''s the first gunfight after all. RATATA RATATA RATATA However, before they could do it, Hanz shot two of them down. One managed to get away though, quirking the soldier. 39 riflemen killed, 13 + ??? left. RATATA Hanz tried shooting through the nearest statue with a rifleman behind with the ignore Command. However, it seemed to have disintegrated by the native Fantasy Law before it could get through. These statues in question were of various large Beosts that seemed to be almost life-sized on an equally absurdly sized pedestal (which were of the same size, so some Beost statues would barely fit the pedestal and vice versa). About half of the remaining riflemen could hide behind one of them which they did. "Haa..." another rifleman sighed in relief, he saw that they had been reduced to almost a fifth of their forces. "You! Get reinforcements! Just detour through the garden!" "Got it!" the other rifleman rushed northeast if you consider the Court Wizard''s direction face as north, bending down as he ran to minimize his. Master Will, take him out. (Hanz) WHOOSH "What the?" Another rifleman exclaimed as a gust of wind past him. He turned to the second dome, witnessing the pair of eyes as black as the Mist staring intently under the dull grey mask. WHOOSH As if it was luck or reflex, the messenger stopped as the slash of wind flew right below his helmet, rippling the plants. WHIRR "Sh*t!" the messenger cursed as he felt air gathering above him. SLASH And his blood smeared the lush grass. 40 riflemen killed, 12 + ??? left. "No! Grr, it''s that other bastard on the left killed our guys on the back!" the rifleman who looked at Will exclaimed, actually connecting the dots between him and the beheaded riflemen. "Dammit! They''re gonna kill us all!" "He said this was gonna be an easy live shooting!" "Live target practice my arse!" Are you going to kill all of them? Hearing that rifleman''s cries, while under the suppression, it wouldn''t stop the common morals of a twenty-first-century teenage girl from asking. Again, it''s only for composure in combat. If they don''t issue their surrender, yes. (Hanz) Couldn''t you at least ask them? (Crea) Right. (Hanz) And the red soldier spoke to the surviving riflemen, "Surrender," in a deep tone. "Huh? What is he saying?" "He wants us to surrender." "Wait, what? I thought they always kill everyone." "Guess not. But should we surrender?" "I-I think we should." "And let the treaty go through," Hanz continued. "That is what we want." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. And the bloody garden became silent. "Hah! So they were here to stop us from attacking the treaty! They want us to be buddies with those animals! Well, I ain''t doing it!" "Seriously, why!?" "And why are you here? To stop that stupid treaty, right? We''re all here just for that and we got nothing else to lose anymore because of those damn Half-Beosts, right guys?" "...You''re right. Since they killed my family and friends just for the heck of it, this moment''s all I''ve been living for." "So, do we fight?" """Yeah!""" That''s their answer. (Hanz) "Let''s go! The wind Wizard moved to the right!" that rifleman shouted, also foiling a simple trick. While the riflemen were conversing with themselves, Rose beckoned the Air Guardian to go to the other side, hoping to confuse them. "Get behind the other dome so we don''t get into the red Wizard''s line of fire! But watch out the wind Wizard and the others!" With that, the riflemen dashed, using the statues as cover. Sure, it was foolish to shout the plan to the enemy, but it''s better than going out with no plan or trying to quietly relay the plan to the others across the road without getting shot. However, some were dumb enough to leave their cover the other way, exposing themselves to Hanz''s merciless fire. RATATATATATA 42 riflemen killed, 10 + ??? left. RATATATATATA "Argh!" a rifleman groaned, as a stray red bullet hit his leg. With the momentum of his run, he fell down, sliding across the soft grass, dirtying his pristine armor, with his upper body ending up not behind the safety of the statue. RATATA And Hanz did not pass up that opportunity. 43 riflemen killed, 9 + ??? left. BANG BANG While that happened, some riflemen to Hanz''s right took the opportunity to shoot as they ran, towards both [Shield]s. And Hanz, in turn, fired back. RATATA RATATA RATATA The over-sized statues gave the riflemen some breathing room. However, Hanz noticed a helmet peeking out between the legs of a Beost statue. "Crap!" and he noticed as well. RATATA But he was too late to react. 44 riflemen killed, 8 + ??? left. By now, eight of the riflemen had reached their destination, behind the blue dome where Crea and the others are in. They began to fire upon it whilst literally strafing. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Under fire, Alicia could see, while they shoot and reload, two of the riflemen gazing intently on her, the same goes for her companions minus Crea. Alicia knew what the riflemen were doing. They were watching her and the others in case they gave an Order. However, they also occasionally glance at Will, except the ones watching him, lest they get decapitated by condensed air. BOOM BOOM Suddenly, the ground between the Court Wizards erupted consecutively, spewing clay and dirt all over the Vague Order and the statues in between. In its wake lies a sizeable crater that just about touched the [Shield] and the statue on both sides. And Hanz happened to be just over the edge of one of them. "That was my bombs I just threw," a rifleman quickly declared, assuring his stunned comrades. "Made it myself. Was gonna use it on those Half-Beosts but better here." "Right! Keep firing!" It was certainly a simple plan. While the bombs certainly wouldn''t slip into Hanz''s [Shield], the huge crater did make traversing to the other side in order to shoot the riflemen more annoying. Hanz would have to either slide down and climb up to pass the crater, or he has to go around the large statue. And by then, the riflemen would have circled to the other side, making the of debauchery meaningless. The riflemen were already edging the opposite direction in regards to the crater Hanz went. The result was a linear formation of Hanz-Court Wizards-riflemen. I still can''t command my firearms to stray further. Master Will, finish all of them off at once! (Hanz) WHIRR "Get down!" Whether by a gut feeling or an impressive cold reading of the Air Guardian''s eyes alone, a rifleman shouted to his comrades the warning while doing what he said. WHOOSH WHOOSH And a wide slash of wind came out. Two of them. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH Two of the riflemen did not heed the warning, with the slashes of air cutting them into three pieces. The other four had only gotten down a second too late; one found himself bisected diagonally in half, two lost the feeling of their lower body, and the last one just had his head chopped off. Their Palras Steel armor was cut through like butter. 50 riflemen killed, 2 + ??? left. Then, Hanz dashed to the other side, where, across the other crater, one of the flopped riflemen was on sight. He concentrated all of his firearms at him. RATATATATATATA The downed rifleman had to let go of his spear-rifle and rolled like a log to outrun the red lights hitting the bricks where he just touched with his whole body. "Argh!" However, Hanz''s Vague-Extension Orders eventually caught up to him. 51 riflemen killed, 1 + ??? left. CLA-CL-CLAN-NG-ANG-G "This is for my family and friends!" At last, the final rifleman stood. Dropping his weapon, he pulled out the satchel behind him and opened it; it was full of his hand-crafted explosives. "And damn you to the Black Mist!" He grabbed the bottom of the satchel and swiped it at the Court Wizards'' protective dome, launching all of its content. And the Court Wizards braced for impact. Crea channeled more loyal maneg to her [Shield]. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM WHOOSH SLASH Just as the world turned white, the final slash of air ended the last rifleman''s life. Perhaps it was better to let him hold on to the delusion that he had got them in his death. 52 riflemen killed, ??? left. The skirmish was over. Emotions returned, for now. CRUMBLE CRUMBLE """Aah/Eek/Oh my!""" All three girls screamed as Crea lifted her [Shield]s. The explosion had left the entire area utterly destroyed, leaving an even bigger crater. One deeper than the ground the spherical shaped [Shield] encased within it. As a result, they all fell into the bottom of the crater. "Crea," Hanz slid down to his partner in concern. "Are you alright?" "Y-Yes, I''m alright," Crea replied as she took Hanz''s hand. Each of the Court Wizards got themselves back up. Owen immediately helped Alicia up while she was also queasy with the massacre that just occurred. They climbed back up from the crater when Voice manifested herself. "Ptooey!" The pixie acted as if she had dirt in her mouth. "What was that all about!?" "Yeah," the soldier agreed with the pixie''s conjecture. "What''s with them? They got better organized and got the jump on us all the sudden." "Was this your first time in this world, Hanz, Crea?" Rose asked. ""Yeah/Yes."" "I see. As you know," Rose continued. "This empire is infested with a plethora of Beosts. You can see the statues that they are not so easily defeated." All of them could see that. Especially if they seemed to be scaled one to one. Voice: So you are not describing any of them? Azhure: I''ll do it in the next book... Still in a bad mood, huh? Voice: ... "Furthermore," the vampire continued. "Palras is especially concentrated with them, so it was not uncommon for a Beost to intrude a hunting party fighting a different Beost." "So they would naturally learn to adapt to unexpected situations," Hanz deduced, assuming the riflemen were hunters. "And become really good fighters." "Correct." Rose nodded. "It was probably because their numbers that restricted their movement and fighting a never before seen enemy, you. But once they got past that, you have seen their mettle. "In the next battle, I suggest you finish the fight much quicker so they would not quickly get used to your attacks." "Got it." Alicia didn''t really pay attention to all of that for she already knew it back at the carriage. Instead... "...They want us to be buddies with those animals! Well, I ain''t..." "...we got nothing else to lose anymore because of those damn Half-Beosts..." "...this moment''s all I''ve been living for..." "...This is for my family and friends!" That was her attention. KABOOM One after another, an explosion was heard underground. "What was that explosion?" Alicia asked. "I believe it was the explosive Catalysts set in the secret tunnels of this mansion weeks ago," Rose deduced. "It is to prevent the noble from escaping there. They were also ordered to detonate when anyone set foot in the entrance inside the building so they would not know until now" And over the estate building, they saw silhouettes launched up in the air. It must have been Richard and Jill doing their work. Everyone, you all know what that means? Proceed to the mansion at once. I will update the location of the noble once you get there. (Miriel) "Right then," Rose said. "Let us move forward." And once again, Alicia kept her turmoil to herself. Alicia Chapter 20.10: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Breaking The noble has watched the battle and gave a speech to the rest of his army shaken by your arrival. Whatever he said, it boosted their morale and went back to their barracks to prepare something. (Miriel) So make haste, you might be able to force the noble''s army to intercept before much of their preparation. (Miriel) And the Court Wizards marched in rush to the Wolfram mansion without much fanfare after the battle before. I have the visual. The Wolfram noble was spotted through the window of the highest floor above the front door. (Miriel) They looked up and saw the balcony with the faint image of a man in gaudy clothing holding binoculars seen looking down on the Court Wizards before vanishing into a rectangular portrait window with an arc on top when they looked at him back. Also, I will send James to aid the knights. (Miriel) "Should we [Eject] directly there?" Alicia asked. "No," Will disagreed. "We gotta stay below the wall." And the Air Guardian, who usually devised mission plans, meant the walls surrounding this estate. It was high enough to almost conceal the explosion set off by the last rifleman. But [Eject]ing oneself upwards in the open will have a chance for an outsider to notice and it was voted that under no circumstances should you risk it. And so, the Court Wizards went the long way around. But, once they were about to break the front door. "Halt! You Half-Beost lovers!" A feminine voice reverberated the air. The Court Wizards faced right to see an all-female platoon bearing the spear-rifle. To their left was a platoon of men. They too were decked out in Palras Steel armor, but some had their greaves and/or gauntlets removed - probably had an idea about the Power of Ignorance but didn''t have enough time to take off all of their armor for maximum mobility. Armies of Palras often split genders into their own groups because they usually live in the same barracks for most of their service - they can''t afford to be romantically distracted in the army. Since they weren''t carrying spear-rifles but other various weapons, they will be collectively called ''guards''. "We won''t let you stop our vengeance even if you''re Court Wizards," the female guard growled. "How do they know?" Alicia asked. "Hmm, the noble must have suspected the purpose of our mission and was the speech he fed to his army''s rage against Half-Beosts - as we fight the riflemen earlier," Rose commented. "Ah." Emotion suppression on. "Shoot!" STATIC TWACK TWACK TWACK TWACK TWACK TWACK TWACK TWACK Crea automatically summoned her [Shield] just as the riflemen and riflewomen carrying crossbows fired. As always, the bolts simply bounced off of the Vague Order. RATATATATA RATATATATA RATATATATA "Agh!" "Gurk!" And Hanz materialized his Cherished Armaments and fired back, him at the female guards and his two floating guns on the male guards as they seemed to be more of them. "You four, go," Crea commanded in monotone. "We''ll hold them off." "Right," Rose nodded. "Best of luck." And the four Court Wizards originally sent opened the mansion door. CREEK "After those Wizards!" a riflewoman screamed. "Don''t let them reach lord Wolfram!" RATATATA "Argh!" "We won''t let you," Hanz dulled as he kept the pressure on both sides. STATIC STATIC The four Court Wizards pass through [Shield] like a membrane. Then, Crea enlarged it to make sure none would slip into the mansion. PIING And just as that happened, the climbing pitch sound of the transfer carrying one James Crosdar was heard behind the mansion building. PIING
First Floor "Aah!" a maid screamed. Just as the Court Wizards entered the mansion, all the servants they could see ran into nearby rooms in fear. From the intelligence gathered months prior to this mission, there are five stories in the Wolfram mansion and each floor was vast enough for the noble to give his speech at the other side of his mansion without much distraction from the fight in his backyard except the fifth floor, where the noble cooped up in right now, was of a single room at the very front. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. And now, the path to the second floor was already there, a wide stairway taking half of the hall decorated with a white carpet and various flower pots on the newel posts. However, the staircase hit a wall if it kept going so it split into two directions. A wide landing was built below the large Wolfram family portrait hanging on that wall. On that landing, there were four guards with swords. On both sides at the end of the stairs, there were a pair of guards carrying crossbows each. "Your lives will end here!" one of the swordsmen spoke a generic line as he brandished his sword. Three of them beside him did the same while the crossbowmen nocked their crossbows. WHOOSH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH CRACK And right at that instant, Will sent a wide slash of wind towards the sword wielders. They were instantly bisected and the air continued on until it hit the wall behind, ruining it and the carpet with a crack and bloody entrails. 4 guards slain, ??? remain. STAB STAB STAB STAB At the same time, Rose willed four [Javelin]s above her head. It then launched itself, splitting off in two groups, towards the crack between rifle guards'' visor before they could fire off a shot. 8 guards slain, ??? remain. THUD The Court Wizards jerked to their right. They saw a maid hiding behind an undescribable decoration on that corner fallen unconscious. It seemed that she had the front seat to the battle that happened less than five seconds. Weird, aren''t Beohar natives better than this? Nevertheless, the Court Wizards moved up the steps, leaving behind the innocent workers peeping behind their hiding spots behind.
Second Floor TWACK TWACK STAB STAB With a pair of red javelins striking true, two crossbow guards lost their lives while their bolts harmlessly blocked by the fiery pattern of Rose''s parasol Cherished Armament. 10 guards slain, ??? remain. Upon stepping on the second floor of the Wolfram mansion, the Court Wizards were presented the choice of taking the left of right corridor depending on which direction on the stairs to take after the landing - there was still a pathway connecting the two corridors on the second story without having to climb down the stairs and up again. They chose the right corridor. And they were met with resistance. BASH A door beside the Court Wizards violently opened to reveal an ambush from two sword guards. "Die!" one of them roared as they both swung their swords. CLANK CLANK However, a red rectangular object suddenly appeared to block one of their strikes on the one Court Wizard whose attire was light blue unlike the brown of the other three. The odd appearing Court Wizard himself blocked the other swing with his crystal-like rapier. CREME~ CREME~ "W-What in the Black Mist!?" "Aaah!" The sword guards shrieked as [Ice Layer] took effect, trapping them in ice. TAP TAP Then, Alicia touched their helmets simultaneously with her burning hands. The red bubble quickly formed around their heads and burned away all the oxygen inside as ordered. However, Alicia did not wait around and left them as the Court Wizards continued onward. She has Voice to return the loyal maneg once its job was done, though that also meant having to reorder [Burning Fist] again. 10 guards slain, 2 subdued, ??? remain. TWACK TWACK The Court Wizards heard two crossbow noises from behind. WHOOSH And Will sent a gust of air to deflect them. "Damn!" one of the crossbow guards cursed. SLASH SLASH That was the last word before Will sent another gust to cut them in half. 12 guards slain, 2 subdued, ??? remain. The guards had taken some sort of guerilla warfare involving ranged guards shooting at the Court Wizards front and back in the tight corridor and melee guards ambushing them behind doors. And so it devolved into the four Court Wizards in a formation with Rose dealing what''s in front of them, Will watching their backs while, and Alicia and Owen in the middle dealing with ambushers as they traversed through the corridor like some party in a dungeon-crawler. Sure, there was the suggestion to just freeze the doors to lock the ambushers in while they were fighting, but Will argued against that. He said that once the [Ice Layer] on the door expires, the melee guards would have rushed them from behind. It was better to disable them one by one. Besides, Owen''s Maneg Soul was abnormally efficient in maneg cost when it comes to freezing Orders like [Ice Layer] and Alicia well, you already know it. Also, Rose had ordered [Thermal Scan] so they know where the ambushers were. There are the stairs. (Rose) Finally! We''re out of this maze! Contrary to what the pixie said, they had only been going on a straight path to the stairs. And by then, they had killed an additional seven and subdued six. 19 guards slain, 8 subdued, ??? remain. "This is as far as you- Gork!" STAB STAB STAB Rose launched more [Javelin]s at the three crossbow guards on the stairs to the third floor. 21 guards slain, 8 subdued, ??? remain.
Third Floor "..." As the Court Wizards stepped foot on the third story and was about to continue on to the fourth floor, they stopped upon looking inside a room with an open door. It seemed to be a storage of artistic items like paintings, statues, decorated vases, etc. and there were lots of them. However, they were centered around a similar individual in... various forms, not in medium sense. There were a couple of servants dusting these articles off. And as if they sensed them, they all turned their heads towards the Court Wizards. "P-Please don''t mind these," one of the servants, an old butler, sheepishly said while others looked the other way. "The lords and mistresses of Wolfram through generations were very... self-indulgent." Nodding, Owen silently went for the door and closed it. SHUT "...Let us continue," Rose said, there was a very faint awkward tone as it was concealed by the suppression.
Fourth Floor "Ah..." A thin blade of a rapier struck the gap between the helmet and chest plate of a swordsman holding his sword for a downward swing, trickling the ice-blue of the blade with red. Holding such rapier was Owen, who widened his eyes beyond his mask. Between them was Alicia who recognized her childhood friend''s change of expression, the blood on the [Rapier] dropping onto her robe, all while under the suppression. Just as the Court Wizards were about to climb up the stairs to the fifth floor, a guard who must have gone out of Rose''s [Thermal Scan] range snuck from behind and attempted to swing his sword onto Alicia. Owen reacted to the surprise attack but there wasn''t enough time to order [Ice Layer], so he struck the neck of the assailant with the [Rapier] at his hand by reflex. But by doing so, he had killed the man, right in front of Alicia. SHATTER The [Rapier] shattered into light blue motes and the lifeless swordsman fell to his back. CLA-CL-NK-ANK-CLANG 31 guards slain, 15 subdued, ??? remain. "Are you alright, Owen?" Alicia asked, holding both of her childhood friend''s shoulders. Owen was stunned, he had expected differently. But he remembered that was just like her. "I''m fine," he replied, gently pushing her away. but he was downcast. "It''s just, this makes the first time I killed." "..!" Alicia glanced at Will and Rose, their looks attested to that. Like her, her father must have told Owen not to kill and he has been keeping it until now. "We will address this later," Rose spoke, rolling her eyes. "We still have a mission to complete." "..Right."
Fifth Floor There was only one entrance to the fifth and final floor, as it was just one room situated at the very top of the mansion which the Court Wizards stood in front of it. RATTLE RATTLE "Locked," Owen muttered, twisting the doorknob of the white ornate door and only to hear sounds of cursing inside. "Well then, we might as well make this formal," Rose announced, speaking in a different language so the noble wouldn''t understand it. "Once we enter beyond this door and dealt with the noble, this mission, this operation, the First Treaty will be over. Are you ready?" All three nodded. "Then let us go." And Alicia steeled herself for what''s to come, knowing what would happen since the briefing. Chapter 20.11: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Passivity Manegia Year 1421 Sometime after Alicia left the light chamber. "Huh? Fancy seeing you up here, Rose," Amelia greeted her, spinning the swivel chair to her direction, wondering why the vampire was up on the second floor with her legs reinforced with her loyal maneg. "Hello, Amelia," Rose greeted back. Watching the scientist twidling a Catalyst, she chuckled, "Fufu, I remembered when you first came here. You hid behind your brother all the time." "Haha," the scientist laughed sarcastically. "I wonder why?" "Anyway, have you said what you wanted to say to Alicia?" "Not all," Amelia replied guiltily, putting down the Catalyst she held. "I didn''t tell her that I already have a conclusive theory of her Vague Orders'' origin, with your help convincing me my own theory." "I see, though I believe it would be better she did not know now." "Right, if you say so." Amelia sighed, "Rose?" "Yes, Amelia?" "I''ve only met her three times and in the first meeting, her dad beat me up. Why do I feel so worried about her?" "Is it not obvious? It is our Maneg Souls that wanted us to care about her." The vampire took a seat on a nearby stool. "Look at Owen and Russel. Even if they often argue with each other, at the end of the day, they will still help each other." "I know... Ugh, why do I gotta be a psychologist to even know what Maneg Souls are? But yeah, I''m concerned that if she kept that attitude, sooner or later she''s gonna break doing Court Wizard work." "Yes, and I think you should go and tell Ronald about your discovery of Alicia''s Vague Orders. If it is true then her father should know about it and I do not believe I can convey the technicals properly." "..." Amelia stood there silently. She smirked in a dejected tone. "I don''t think I wanna go to the guy who punched me in the face repeatedly until his daughter could even register what was happening. "That''s why I came to you first."
Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 "Well?" Ronald said in a sharp tone. "What do you want, Amelia?" "..." Amelia, however, stood there nervously. She was definitely unwelcomed here, but it''s not like he held a grudge against the experiments she did with his daughter, right? No, scratch that, he definitely does. And to be fair, Amelia did request the operators to transfer her right inside the room where the Bell patriarch was staring at the black sky. Judging by the tray of eaten snacks on the low table, he probably had a personal talk with Owen and Voice if the natural ability to sense other Maneg Souls aren''t failing her. And speaking of them, their Maneg Souls (and for Voice, a part of it) turned around when she transferred and were about to reach this room. Amelia took and deep breath and... CREEK "I got an accurate idea of what Alicia''s Vague Orders manifested from." Owen and Voice paused midway as the former opened the door hearing Amelia''s statement. Thank goodness I didn''t stutter, she thought. "So you do know about it, Amelia," Voice spoke and it didn''t take a genius like Amelia to know her shift from her usual behavior. "Mind giving them a recap?" "I''ll get to it." They settled themselves in and Amelia explained what she just explained to Alicia days ago, giving a quick recap of her Vague Order theory as she doesn''t know if they knew about it. "And my daughter simply ordered a [Fireball] like Owen told her and it came out with loyal maneg," Ronald repeated. "[Mundane Orders], is that right?" "[Mundande Ordering]," Amelia corrected. "But yes." "Right, and it stemmed from my daughter being a ''passive listener and observer''?" "Correct," Amelia said and sipped her lukewarm tea. "For example, I gave name [Mundane Ordering] and she just accepts that without any input even though it''s her Vague Order for her to name! "Alicia is the kind of girl that would just watch what was happening in front of her and listen to what others say without any objections nor opinion." Amelia turned to the white-haired boy, "I''m sure you noticed in missions with her, Owen?" "Now that I think about it," Owen muttered with his head down, holding his chin, thinking. "Yeah, she kinda does. She only asked in briefings and leave it at that and she never did complain about what she has to do and just does it. Actually, she''s like that even more ever since she''s Court Wizard!" "Yes, and I''m pretty sure that was the foundation for [Mundane Ordering]," Amelia said. "It''s her nature to just accept and do what was told. That led to her loyal maneg to just so what she ordered without question." "Wait," Owen interrupted. "Back in Qantasia, she did suddenly went and roasted that SaltWaters noble." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Oh, that was a Bell tradition," Ronald explained. "We were taught to talk down any sabotagers or anyone similar who dare to go out upfront like that." He said it with pride before realizing, "Hmm, that would mean my daughter did that because she was taught to do so..." "Yes," Amelia nodded and continued, "and she probably thinks the stuff we do on the Otherworldly Court was something beyond her, even though we kept breaking our rules. It makes that trait of her''s even worse!" "Really? My daughter usually complains about her security detail I made," Ronald rebutted, recalling his daughter''s rant because he had Clint and Alexa, with lethal weapons, to secretly watch over her and Owen when they visited the orphanage, a Bell tradition stemming from the fact that his grandfather, her great grandfather, was an orphan. "Oh, I''m pretty that meant it was too unreasonable, even for her," Amelia retorted. Owen nodded in agreement, having experienced it with his childhood friend first hand. "Is that so? Anyway, I don''t really see the problem with it." Ronald shrugged. "If anything, it-" "Dammit!" Amelia cursed as she suddenly stood up. "That''s exactly Emilia Willows'' problem! Rin Fujiwara at least spoke up instead of bottling up inside her heart!" BASH SHATTER In a flash, Ronald shot up and threw his fist towards Amelia. But, a small glowing white [Barrier] stood in front of it. But the nature of the light Element was ill fit for the Order and as such, it broke immediately, but its purpose was completed. "...Had enough?" Amelia replied in a huff. "Urk!" "W-What the?" Anger and surprise turned into confusion and horror as they watched the scientist sitting back, taking out a handkerchief, and wiped off the blood she coughed up to her hand. "To test the theory of the origin Alicia''s Vague Order," Amelia casually explained, "I drained all of my disloyal maneg and gave an Order while adopting that mindset of hers. The result? I can use [Mundane Ordering] too." "What the hell!?" Owen exclaimed. "That''s dangerous!" "I have sixty-five percent loyal maneg," Amelia argued. "So I''m fine." "But even so," Ronald said, calming down a bit. "Why would you do that?" "I did it convince myself. And... I only reached that conclusion because I consulted Rose," Amelia admitted. "She saw what''s wrong Alicia the same with Emilia - that''s why she told me about her. And since I was the one who started this I''m here." Both Ronald and Owen were silent, unable to do anything but listen to her words. "Okay," Amelia continued, now in a more pleading tone. "This is completely out of character of me but-" "Well you''re not wrong, but you aren''t quite right either." Everyone faced the red pixie who suddenly spoke up when she was silent throughout the whole conversation. "Now let''s forget that gloomy topic for now," Voice chimed. "While your assessment about my master''s Vague Order was spot on, you forgot about the other one." "Right," the scientist realized. "I''ve only researched [Mundane Ordering] so I still don''t know exactly for sure what you''re supposed to be. That''s the other reason I''m here..." "Then what are you?" Owen asked. "I still find it hard to believe you''re a part of Alicia''s loyal maneg..." and he widened his eyes. "Yeah, I''ll cut to the chase." The pixie stood up, flared up her tiny butterfly-like wings, and floated upwards. And she spread her arms and declared. "I am the inner part of Alicia who had always wanted to speak up, assert her opinion, and take action because she wanted to, contrary to what you said, Amelia. Or at least that''s what I''m supposed to be." "In other words, the feelings that my daughter hide manifested in you," Ronald deduced to which the pixie nodded. "What! No way!" Owen exclaimed, not accepting of what Voice really was of Alicia. "I don''t even remember you being like that! It''s only just you being obnoxious!" "...What do you mean you''re ''supposed to be''?" Amelia, however, was more intrigued with Voice''s closing sentence which somewhat ruined the statement and asked that. "It''s about that one time my master left Owen to be friends with another," Voice answered. "Hmm? How did you..." Then Ronald remembered Voice was a part of his daughter''s soul, so she obviously knew about that. "How does that correlate to you?" he asked instead. "Because there, she decided something for herself," Voice explained. "And by the end of it, she felt really guilty for hurting Owen because of her ''selfish'' actions." "And she''s been repressing it even since!?" Owen deduced as he stood up, feeling partially at fault for what his childhood friend had become. "Yes," the pixie nodded. "But that wish is still there even if she''s denying it. And that gave birth to me but at the same time distorting me into what I am." The room became silent for a while as revelations are being digested. Then, Amelia spoke. "Interesting. So what would happen if Alicia were to finally accept that ''part'' of herself?" "Well, there''ll be two me''s!" Suddenly, Voice reverted back to her jolly attitude. "Oh, please don''t," Owen muttered in horror, unable to comprehend the consequences of such a case would happen. "Or I''ll just disappear." """..!""" Everyone stopped at her blunt declaration. "But since I''m also regulating Alicia''s loyal maneg output, I''ll probably just take on whatever she has hiding left or just be an emotionless machine." "Voice... I..." "Oh don''t worry about what''s gonna happen in the future!" The pixie shrugged off, reverting to her usual tone. "If it happens, it happens." "Well," Ronald slumped on his couch. "Now I''m worried about the mission she has to go to... Maybe I should come too?" "No, you do not need to participate in the last First Treaty mission," Amelia denied. "Geez, your way too overprotective..." "Forgive me," Ronald apologized and went silent, contemplating something. Then, he continued, "my wife had failed her pregnancy thrice." "What?" Owen widened his eyes. Voice and Amelia showed similar reactions. "I didn''t want to burden you nor Alicia of this knowledge. Two of our children didn''t survive before Alicia came to this world. Then, Irene and I tried to give Alicia a younger sibling but that did not work out, Alicia was too young to remember that." "I see..." Yes, that would certainly justify his behavior. It was only natural to really cherish your only daughter born from two parents who by all means shouldn''t have met, a one of a kind girl who would never have a ''doppelganger'' in another ''Earth'' "Perhaps it''s because we are two different worlds that shouldn''t be possible to meet?" "Nah," Amelia rejected. "Spiri Raia''s Fantasy Law doesn''t affect your wife''s physiology - spirit arts there doesn''t need extra organs, just having a good relationship with spirits. It''s not your nor your wife''s fault." "Is that so?" Ronald quipped. "Thank you, Amelia." "Your welcome."
Manegia Year 1421 TAP TAP TAP CLICK "Right, it''s done," Amelia thought out loud as she stretched her arms. After that conversation in Kaomagi Earth, Amelia decided to make the final update on [Avatar] and [Mundane Ordering]. Deleting the ''may''s and ''could''s and revising whole paragraphs as the theories were certain now. But she did not immediately save and closed the records. She was eyeing on two paragraphs on the two separate Vague Order archives that were similar to each other, a recent addition. They were, of course, about how the Vague Orders manifested due to Alicia''s stubborn attitude even if she hated what she saw and do on the inside. Anyone could read this, including Alicia, Amelia thought. In light of the revelation of Alicia''s Vague Orders, they had all decided that it would be better if she didn''t know about it so that she would change by her own will. Telling Alicia her problem would only make her try to do it because she was ''told to do so,'' making it counterproductive. However, Amelia couldn''t just delete these pieces of information, that would go against her pride as a maneg researcher. And thus, in those two paragraphs, Amelia selected them, except some parts at the beginning and the end, channeling her maneg and encrypting them with the following, ~access denied, requires Amelia Ricken''s Maneg Soul signature~ Chapter 20.12: The Awoken Dream to Test the Heart - Recollection Beohar Year 483 Fifth Floor BASH The door was violently swung open, scattering ice shards all over. There was not much room for four Court Wizards to fit in. It wasn''t because the room was too small, but because there was so much stuff cluttering the place. There was a bookshelf on one corner near the door which extended to half the room; a large flower vase on other; a low table with two sofas in between and jars of snacks (presumably) on top of it; numerous paintings hanging on the white empty walls space; and finally, a desk with of the balcony behind it. A lavish room. And the Wolfram noble was right in front of it. He was an old man in noble-like clothing. "What do you want from me, Court Wizards!?" The noble shouted, there was fear in his eyes but still stood his ground nevertheless. His clothes and hair were disheveled, drenched in his own sweat from running up and down the mansion trying to escape probably. "Surely you have figured it out," Will said, going in front of Owen who froze and kicked the door. As Rose suspected, the noble narrowed his eyes in a bloodshot. "Grr," he growled and quickly pulled the same pistol that the Bell manager had, "curse you!" and pointed it to Will. BANG WHIIR However, the Court Wizards will not fall to such a trick again. So a storm brewed in front of the Air Guardian, and the bullet stopped dead in its tracks, still spinning. A moment later, it dropped to the floor. CLI-CL-CLIN-NK-INK-K The Wolfram stood there with his mouth agape, unable to comprehend what just happened. Silently, Will lifted his right arm and brought it down like a swift strike of a blade. WHOOSH RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP TEAR RIP And the storm was sent blasting towards the noble, ripping and tearing everything in its path; the paintings, the bookshelf, the couches, the low table, the snack jars, all of it were utterly tattered. "Nggh!" The noble bore the brunt of it. Dropping his gun, his attire was torn asunder, red liquid oozing from it, was blown back, hitting his spine on the rather high-quality desk. "Grr," the Wolfram growled in defeat, knowing that he was finished. "Damn you to the Black Mist," he cursed. Beohar people seemed to like swearing by the Mist of No Return aka the Black Mist a lot. Then Will swiped his arm again, sending one final slash of air at the noble''s neck. SLASH His head rolled off the desk as his body slumped against it, his life leaving his body becoming a husk without its life. Will walked over to the nobleman murdered by his own hands. But as Will reached him, blood squirted out of the stump of his neck, staining the brown-robe. Beside, a robed one covered in the same shade as the earth with blood splattered over it. WHAM Suddenly, Will sent the desk flying into the air. The Wolfram''s corpse knocked forward as a result. "Aah!" a scream of a little boy was heard. CRA-CRACK-SH It landed near the balcony, almost toppling upside-down but twisted back, becoming only flipped over. In other words, it was rotated 90 degrees, destroyed. Once the wooden dust settled, it was revealed that a small figure hid behind the desk before it was flipped over rather highly that it didn''t hit the figure''s head. "A-Aah... P-Papa?" It was a boy, no older than seven, in gaudy clothing, the son of the noble. Tears soiling his cheeks as he saw his dead father. A little boy, crying. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Before the Court Wizards entered, Rose ran another [Thermal Scan] into the room and spotted the kid hiding behind that desk. However, it was only him and the Wolfram. Where are the rest of his family? There was the family portrait of four on the first floor; a mother and father, and two sons. And looking at this boy, he was neither of the sons in that painting, they were far older than him. So where were the two older sons and mother? The answer, they have already passed. The two sons died in the last human and Half-Beost war and the mother died from illness. That was known by the intelligence gathered prior to this mission. Nevertheless, Will stepped forward and gazed down on the child grieving for the last family member he had left. The robed one approached the little crying boy. It spoke. "Do you want revenge?" he said. The noble boy jerked his head up in attention. Gazing upon the dull mask, he went from grief, to fear, to confusion, to understanding, and... The crying little boy is an angry little boy. ...to rage. The angry little boy nods. And he didn''t even hide his slow nod. Will stood there, silently accepting the boys decision. "I won''t let you." SLASH
"Hold on a moment," Pierre, the Light Guardian and the only ''shield'' present in the discussion, said. "What it is now, Pierre?" Aqua, the Fire Guardian, asked. "Must we really murder the boy?" With that, the greater water spirit gave a sigh, "We are already over this, Pierre. You know that even if he could not reach us unless aided by the Wanderer-Maker, he can still sabotage the relationship between humans and Half-Beost that we were protecting or do anything else just to spite us. "And we know this because a similar instance happened before." "Yes," Darc, the Dark Guardian, nodded. "I could still remember Daisuke''s face when he came to me, hiring me to take care of the mess." "The report said you only aided, not doing it all by yourself," Aqua corrected. "Anyway, it might be hypocritical for us, but the boy will undoubtedly live his life for revenge only to fight a battle that will only lead to his death yet could still potentially cause lasting damage to our operations. "It would be better if we put him down now before he could make anything complicated for us." "Then what if the boy does not wish revenge?" Pierre argued. "He might fear doing so." "I''ll ask him then," Will, the Air Guardian, said. "If he does, then it will go as planned." "And I will see if tries to lie about it," Miriel, the Water Guardian, added. "I can still read the child''s intentions even behind the monitor." "...Very well." Pierre sighed and turned his back. "The Fujiwara siblings would''ve tried to put an end to this madness if they know." "...Yes, they certainly will." When Aqua relayed this on the briefing, she observed Alicia''s conflicted look. When she explained to the red-haired girl the justification, the greater water spirit had the feeling - the feeling which she obtained ever since she became the Fire Guardian - that when Alicia nodded in acceptance, her heart said otherwise.
Will turned around and approached the scratched low table. He slipped his hand through the opening in his robe, pulling out a piece of fabric embroidered with the scale over the spear and shield, the crest of the Otherworldly Court, and a parchment containing a warning for those who would dare to follow the dead noble''s footsteps. But, as Alicia watched this, she suddenly... A lavish room Tattered A high-quality desk Rotated 90 degrees, destroyed An old man in noble-like clothing A husk without its life Beside, a robed one covered in the same shade as the earth with blood splattered over it A little boy, crying The robed one approached the little crying boy It spoke "Do you want revenge?" The crying little boy is an angry little boy The angry little boy nods "I won''t let you." SLASH She didn''t know why but ever since her accident after her very first mission, she has the premonition of William Trust, a Court Wizard from the same peaceful world as her that upheld life and moralities, callously killing the boy in the room in the exact state with what she saw now. And only when it had happened did she finally remembered it, as if to mock her over a prophecy that she would never be able to avert. Both because she couldn''t remember it and because she wouldn''t even try to do so as it was her nature. Emotion suppression lifted completely. Alicia!? Alicia!? What''s wrong!? V-Voice, I... I...
BANG SLASH In their respective battle, Hanz and James had both shed the last drop of blood at the same time. Over the latter''s side. "Hah..." James sighed. "All these lives wasted over a grudge we will never understand." His fellow Court Wizard''s nodded in agreement. Unbeknownst to them, one guard was still alive, though barely breathing due to the slash over his chest. "D-Die..." He raised his still loaded crossbow at one of the brown-robed figures who had just massacred his brethren. TWACK "Watch out!" Richard, noticing it first, exclaimed. He rushed in and raised his shield, blocking the oncoming bolt coming straight to one Jillianis Speris'' head. DING STAB Then, James tossed his Cherished Armament, finishing the guard off for good. "Are you alright, Jillianis?" Richard asked. "I need not of your concern, Lazulian!" Jill snarked, but under her mask was a slight tinge of red. "I have noticed the arrow. I can handle it myself just-" However, she stopped when they heard a solemn cry. The cry of a girl who should have never experience what she has experienced in the first place.
Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 "Irene?" Ronald said worriedly as his wife came to him with distress on her face. "What''s wrong?" "I do not know, dear," Irene cried as she leaned her head on her husband''s chest. "I feel like we are going to lose our only child we have..."
Beohar Year 483 Bending down with her mask off and hood lifted, Alicia felt an embrace from her back. It was from Rose, also taken off her disguise. She also felt a gentle hold on her shoulder. It was from Owen, he too took off his mask. She turned around, looking at both of them, "I... I..." she cried. "It will be alright, Alicia." Rose gently pat her back. "It will be alright." Alicia did not say anything else but receiving her fellow Court Wizard''s embrace as she drenched her robe with her tears. As now, she truly can''t endure any longer. (Final) Alicia Chapter 21.1: The Choice - Contemplation Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 With both knees resting on soft cotton, Alicia rested her arms upon the sill of the open window beside her bed she kneeled on. She gazed upon the starry blue night, for there were no artificial lights beyond the window of her room blotting the sky black. It was hours after the final mission of the First Treaty operation in Beohar, but she still felt like it was moments ago. Thinking about it dejected her even further. "It''s... because of the nature of being a Court Wizard itself." "Why is that?" "Well, it is not... the best kind of job." "Is it because it is dangerous?" "...No, not really. We, Court Wizards, don''t go down and directly fight. Rather, we operate in the shadows. Doing subtle changes that impact the events of a world, but we can go public if we need to. However, it is how we do such changes is what I don''t want you to go through. "I know it firsthand and it''s a rather sensitive subject for me, so forgive me for not wanting to tell you my experience." She thought she could handle it, the whole thing, when she took her father''s warning. When Aqua briefed to her that the child of the Wolfram noble has to die and why her mind had accepted it but it was clear that her heart did not. And thus, she finally broke down. But perhaps, it was not just this. Perhaps this was just the final pressure that burst the lid. At the seventh mission, in Qantasia, she had experienced, for the first time, what the Otherworldly Court might be willing to do. And learned that even Court Wizards can folly, witnessed the closing of a hero''s sad past in brutal vengeance, and learned that a Court Wizard would only perish tragically. At the sixth mission, in Geron Yor, she had seen how despite the Otherworldly Court paved the path for the hero, they still strayed from it and failed to reach their goal, and how the Otherworldly Court was basically like, "Great, now we have to wait for the next hero to arrive." Then, the unexpected conclusion that was the Timeless Hero Wanderer and how Hanz stopped him out of spite. This was the final blow that drove Rin Fujiwara to abruptly take leave with Rose''s patient reasoning, albeit incomplete, sowing the little hope that she would return. At the fifth mission, in Osianicd Archipelago, she learned how the limitations the Otherworldly Court can do to intervene, the first clash to Rin''s ideals. The Contract was nothing but a brief respite for the younger Fujiwara for the sixth. At the fourth mission, she had almost died and glimpsed at how Voice reacted to it with extremity. Then, Haruto Fujiwara had meaninglessly saved her just to keep his promise to his sister, to save so others would not grieve. Thinking about it, the Fujiwara siblings would have certainly tried to stop the murder of the Wolfram noble as it was shown that his son had cried because of it. At the third mission, in Qantasia, she had seen the cruelty one can do to others first hand. At the second mission, in Beohar, she watched her fellow Court Wizards kill the noble''s, now known as the Wolfram, men and she could not hold her disgust. Even further now that the noble''s, and all those loyal to him, motivations were known to be ''right'' in their view. At the very first mission, in Kaomagi, she learned how the founding Court Wizards chose to put a seal to a ''Lord of Vengeance'' that will break once every century threatening extinction so that the world''s inhabitants would set aside their differences and live in harmony. And finally, after the first mission, in Kaomagi, she had lost consciousness in which she had the dream. Alicia now clearly remembered when she had that dream, the dream that she had forgotten when she woke up. And moments after Will had done the deed in the eight mission, that forgotten dream arose suddenly. She vividly remembered the events of that dream was exactly as in that faithful room on the fifth floor: its destruction, how the Wolfram died, the exact words and actions Will spoke before murdering the child, everything. Alicia could not fathom how she could foresee it. It was probably a premonition, a useless one for it was only remembered once it had happened as if to mock her for being unable to do anything about it... No, it was certainly to chastise her for not doing anything about it. How she knows this, well, she had always known ever since she had selfishly broken her friendship with Owen.Thing is, her father had told her against it, after she brought Kathryn home, but she didn''t listen. After reconciliations, Alicia vowed to never do it again. This was why she let herself sit and watch everything that happened in those missions; whether it was the actions of the world''s denizens or the Otherworldly Court, she just accepted it even though her heart disagreed; Rin, at the very least, openly expressed her discord. And this has finally taken her toll. With all of the aches to her heart, it should be pretty obvious that Alicia should quit - if she can''t stand the heat, then she should leave the kitchen. Furthermore, her father never wanted her to be a Court Wizard in the first place and she can see why. The Otherworldly Court wouldn''t stop her to resign as a Court Wizard, they did let Rin leave albeit she might return. In fact, she was told that she can so long as there was a good reason. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. But... "Then let us be your first friends after Owen..." "...Welcome to our little group, Alicia!" Because it was there, the Otherworldly Court, did she get the thing she was denied for her entire life. Alice Es, the Ice Guardian, and the first one Alicia met. Though she didn''t introduce herself as a Guardian, she must have low self-esteem or something. Alicia got the sense of wanting to protect her too, the others did so as the little girl somehow kept getting herself into harm''s way. Aqua, the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Fire. And despite that, she was the greater water spirit of Spiri Raia, the world where Alicia''s mother came from, as well. While being a deity to her own world, she may not have the same line of thinking with others, but her long life has broadened her horizon before coming to the Otherworldly Court. Rose Bloodlight, a vampire shunned by her clan for being too weak. The longest active Court Wizard. That title certainly showed her experience as a Court Wizard. The kind older sister who comforts her distraught siblings and it showed with her presence at the eight mission. Also, she really enjoyed sewing and clothing design. Jillianis Speris, the knight who couldn''t seem to be honest with her words, be it her knightly pride or shyness. Especially towards Richard Sworsis, who she obviously has a crush on despite saying he''s a knight from an enemy kingdom. Crea Snows, the seemingly little girl who was actually all-grown-up. A pacifist to the nth degree, even though she ironically partnered with a killer and displayed aggressiveness when someone addressed her stature. Alicia hasn''t interacted with her all that much so she couldn''t say much about her. Luna, the dragon-morph girl. Alicia had only met her once, but she seemed to be a sweet girl. She had it rough reining her twin brother''s hyperactiveness. Amelia Rickens, sister to the Light Guardian, self-proclaimed maneg scientist. The person that Alicia''s father nonchalantly beaten up for trying to test the durability of her loyal maneg as a part of maneg scientist''s experiment she dragged her into. But still, the Catalysts she made has helped Alicia''s problem with having one hundred percent loyal maneg. And finally, Rin Fujiwara, the little sister of Haruto Fujiwara. A child whose parents were taken from her and yet still retain her great empathy and a sense of justice. The girl who Alicia promised to help find her brother who was cast into that rupture in space. At first, she could only consider Owen Ruze her only friend. But now, ever since meeting Rose and Jill, she has found friends and made precious memories together. And of course, she wouldn''t pretend them not being a part of this: Russel, the first Court Wizard she met. A priest, or templar as he claimed, who liked to rile up Owen into an argument. Honestly, she wouldn''t know that side of Owen if it weren''t for him so she was kinda thankful for that. Richard Sworsis, the steadfast and honorable knight from Jill''s world, Irongrad. He seemed oblivious to Jill''s falling for him, though the female knight didn''t help it either. James Crosdar, the boy who had once saved Rose from certain death and the one the vampire likes. A cute boy, according to Rose, who was obsessed with fishing. William Trust, the Air Guardian, the boy who came from Alicia''s own world, Kaomagi Earth. A boy with similar personalities to her childhood friend and yet displayed intellect being relegated to make plans for missions. However, Alicia was unnerved with how easy it was for him to kill being from Kaomagi Earth and all. Hanz Huber, the man who Crea followed. A man had no qualms on shooting everything that moves and giving harsh truths, but he must''ve had meant well. Blaze, twin brother to the dragon-morph Luna. A rather rambunctious child, Alicia has not much else to say. But he must be quite a handful. Gabriel, the Life Guardian, a leader of the church of religion in Kaomagi, and guardian to the dragon-morph twins. The man who looked like a woman, the man who had healed Alicia''s injuries. Jonathan, the stoic hero of CoastLine in Qantasia. A man with a tragic past but has moved on from it by his own hands, literally. Alicia certainly saw the [Plant Arm] he stealthily returned as he went to the fox knight. Also, he seemed oblivious to the multitude of women having a clear liking to him. Darcassan Erith, the Dark Guardian. The older brother of Ilezenya Erith, the Nature Guardian who Alicia met once. An assassin with a heart of gold but can still hold grudges, it still did not detract the former. Haruto Fujiwara, older brother of Rin Fujiwara, the teen who had saved Alicia from that vortex. The boy who cherished his sister with his promise to her, to save so others would not grieve for their misfortune. Pierre Rickens, older brother to Amelia and the Light Guardian. Like his sister, he was every bit eccentric which manifested in his love of magic tricks and overly grand speech. But his ego was pretty fragile and he will devolve into awkwardness when shattered. Daisuke Fujiwara, a retired Light Court Wizard. He was the one who adopted Rin and Haruto when their parents had died, thus becoming the Fujiwara siblings. It was good that they weren''t left alone in their world, Rakarok-Earth World Merge. There''s no way the Eriths could take them in. Jake Rhaims, the pirate who admired his late father. With his unique accent, he peerlessly defends his homeland, the Celeste island kingdom, in Osianicd Archipelago just like his father did. And last but not least, Miriel Aqua, the Water Guardian. Alicia only met her at the eight mission. She seemed to be a no-nonsense kind of person. The red-haired girl was awed with the fish half-animal''s use of water maneg to let her walk on land despite her mermaid tail. All of these Court Wizards Alicia had met was the reason that she couldn''t get herself to leave the Otherworldly Court. And no, she will not blame her Maneg Soul altering her heart to bond with them better. Even without it, she felt it will turn out the same way. Furthermore, as said before, "...I will find your brother. I will make sure he returns." And she also still wanted to help Owen search for his father, it felt like a responsibility for her. In other words, it''s not like she couldn''t leave the Otherworldly Court. She can''t. But even then, it still didn''t overshadow the suffering she went through. And this created two sides that pulled her heart apart. A polar opposition. An internal conflict. A contradiction. "Why did you picked me?" Alicia asked the representative of her Maneg Soul sitting next to her arms, still gazing the night. Voice looked up to her for a moment, her wings lowered down, and answered, "I want to live." A very simple answer, without the usual chime to her tone. "I am not blaming you for that," Alicia shooked her head. "It is just that, why me? There are plenty of people out there, affiliated with the Otherworldly Court even, but why choose me in particular?" "Well," Voice dropped her head in downcast. "There''s really no logic to it. When I wandered into this world and saw you, it just clicked me that you should be my master. It just... felt right." Alicia looked at Voice, seeing her face that had lost its mischievousness. "I see..." KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK The two caught their attention to the door. Out of the trance of melancholy, Alicia recognized the signature behind the door. It was her father. Also, Owen''s Maneg Soul was at the edge of the corridor, but he doesn''t seem to want to enter. "Come in." Regardless, Alicia let her father in. (Final) Alicia Chapter 21.2: The Choice - Advice CREEK "Excuse me," Ronald, Alicia''s father, said as he entered his daughter''s room. Even though he can just stand in front of the door it''s still common courtesy to knock the door. Turning around. "Ah, you are here too, mother," Alicia raised her eyebrows as she saw Irene, her mother, right behind her father, her face looked like it had shed tears hours ago like her daughter. "I have heard from Owen of what had happened at your mission, dear. I am worried," her mother said as she sat on Alicia''s bed to embrace her daughter to which she accepted. "You did not want to talk about it." True, when she got back home, she almost said nothing for the whole night - the part of Kaomagi Earth Alicia lived in was a few hours ahead of where the Otherworldly Court was in Manegia -, and just retreated into her room without dinner. By what her mother said, Owen filled them in her stead. Ronald pulled the chair from her study and sat on it. He tightened his lips preparing to say something. But Alicia decided to speak first, "Is this why you do not want me to be a Court Wizard, father?" Ronald looked silently, expecting that to come out of his daughter. "Yes," he nodded, "...truth be told, my experience was worse than yours." Alicia could imagine it. But it would prudent to keep the flow of the conversation. "How so?" Ronald went silent, thinking of how he should respond. Then, he continued, "Do you know where your middle name comes from?" "My middle name?" While she has always introduced herself as Alicia Bell, that wasn''t her full name. Her full name was actually Alicia Emilia Bell and the reason she never divulged her middle name was because her father told to just give her first and last name. While she still needs to tell it for her student card and any of the sort for obvious reasons, any people she met should never know it. And she didn''t know exactly why her father told her to do so until she entered the Otherworldly Court that is. Apparently, Court Wizards don''t give out their middle name, or anything between their first and last name.
"I have been wondering, Aqua. Why does my ID not include my middle name?" Alicia asked, showing the part of her red metal sheet of interest. "You did ask for my full name for my ID." "Your full name is for the records," Aqua explained, opening the file in the computer titled ''Detailed Court Wizard Profile.'' "But to keep your sheet smaller, only your first and last name will be engraved into it. Though Cherished Armaments still have their complete title on the sheet, so if it is very long, that will defeat the purpose of the former." Looking at the screen, Alicia saw one profile that Aqua opened. The full name of this Court Wizard was ''Rosalie ''Rose'' Elena Bloodlight''. "So that is Rose''s middle name?" Alicia remarked. And it even included her nickname. "Hmm!? I sense a cosmic sized joke no one but ''those people'' will understand!" "Huh?" Alicia looked at the pixie. "What are you talking about, Voice?" "Bu~t," Aqua interrupted. "There are exceptions." She brandished her ID, it was longer than Alicia''s. "For example, I, as the Fire Guardian, insisted that my complete name shall be engraved into my ID," and the complete name was ''First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia.'' "But of course, I still insist on you addressing me as Aqua." "Ehehe, I see." Staring at the ID, Alicia could only chuckle wryly.
Because of how the physical ID was set up, at some point, Court Wizards began introducing themselves their first and last name only. That would explain the reasons behind her father''s instruction, but... "Why should I not tell people my middle name?" Alicia asked. "It''s special," Ronald explained, "Your middle name is not something you should give easily." Remembering the excuse her father made in regards to her middle name, it was more than just a cultural habit. "Does it have something to do why you told me not to mention it when I introduce my name?" Alicia asked. "Do you still remember that portrait at my office?" Ronald asked. "The one with the girl with blue hair between me and Joshua?" "...Yes." That portrait, sitting on a desk at his office, was one of the things that held the most mystery to Alicia. She had asked who the girl, looked in her teenage years, was, but her father never answered and just gave her a sad look. She had given up trying to find out. "When I was at your age as a Court Wizard, I did not venture worlds with Joshua alone. That girl was also with us, as a group of three. We went through many missions together, but as we noticed, they were getting worse and worse. Admittedly, Joshua and I were unfazed with what we have to do, but she... did not. "And she kept it to herself. In every briefing, she never once objected to any of the mission plans - Joshua and I did, however. She only stops to ask a question and retreat, seemingly accepting what she was to do. But, it was clear that she was suffering deep down and we, to our foolishness, never noticed the burdens she carried until, well, tragedy struck and she perished." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Alicia could only listen to what her father was going to say next. "That girl''s name was Emilia Willows. No middle name." And she widened her eyes, "So that means..." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "To remember her, me and Joshua decided that we would give our first child''s middle name her name, Emilia and Willows respectively." Owen Willows Ruze, that was his full name. His middle name, Willows, was feminine, making it one of the things that led to him being bullied. However, he never hated it - maybe his father had told him why. "I see..." Alicia continued. "Then should I quit then?" "It''s your choice, Alicia. Not mine, as much as I want to," Ronald rolled his eyes. "But, I believe you have a reason not to, right?" "...Yes." And then Alicia explained her conflict inside her. The friends she made and the promise to find Rin''s brother. "Of course, Maneg Soul interfering our minds or no, the bonds we made keeps us together. That''s why Court Wizards only retired for good once those of their generation perish before them." Ronald continued. "And, you must uphold your word, as the Bell heiress." "I know," Alicia said. "But..." "Well," Ronald stopped her. "Let me at least tell you this, "Don''t be afraid to speak out and make your own decisions, even if it''s a bit selfish sometimes. "It is alright to go against someone else''s word. Not every time, of course, but based on what you believe. After all, you did so towards that salt waters. "And you will never know what will happen then if you don''t try." He paused for a moment before finishing with, "finally, you don''t have to choose between just two sides." Gazing the beautiful night, Ronald stood from the chair. "It''s getting late, we will be going now. You should rest, my daughter." "Goodnight, dear," Irene softly muttered, kissing her daughter''s forehead before releasing her.
SHUT Closing the door behind them, Alicia''s parents gave a sigh. "Is there anything we can do, Ronald?" Irene sobbed softly so that their daughter wouldn''t hear, shedding her tears on her husband''s shoulder. "We can only hope, Irene," Ronald whispered, hugging his wife. In the end, Ronald told his story with Emilia and Joshua, which remotely told his daughter the dangers of keeping one''s opinions on a matter told to them to themselves. Then, contrary to what Amelia Rickens said, he told her that it''s alright to speak out and make choices that may not be aligned with others - he felt as a parent, he should guide his daughter. The last part, however, was a spur of the moment, the Bell patriarch didn''t know what compelled him to say that. "Ooh... Young mistress..." Tia, the unofficial personal maid of Alicia, cried, wrenching a wet handkerchief in her hands. Incidentally, the Bells were blissfully ignoring the numerous house servants peeking behind whatever was in the corridor, worried for their young mistress'' mental health. Why wouldn''t they? They practically spent their entire lives in Kaomagi Earth watching the red-haired teen grow up. It was then Owen, loitering around the hallway, came to the Bell couple. Brushing past a butler, "Uh, can I go in?" he asked awkwardly, seeing the state the couple was in. "Of course," Ronald replied, moving himself and Irene away from the door. "Alicia has surely sensed your presence here, so you should come in." "Right."
When the door shut, Alicia went into deep thoughts in regards to what her father had said. "It is alright to go against someone else''s word. Not every time, of course, but based on what you believe. After all, you did so towards that salt waters." She recalled that ''roasting,'' as people around her age seemed to call these days, and the mission did go well afterwards. However, she couldn''t get herself to take her father''s advice to make objections, the irony, not after that incident. "Don''t be afraid to speak out and make your own decisions, even if it''s a bit selfish sometimes." But maybe, she was just afraid of acting on her own wishes. Maybe she was afraid that by doing so, she may end up unknowingly hurt someone, just as she did to Owen. "You will never know what will happen then if you don''t try." But even so, her father was right. It''s not like bad things always happen just because she did something selfishly. Looking back, she started her vow after her breaking off her friendship with Owen, the first time she did something she wanted. She shouldn''t have drawn the conclusion based on a single event alone. "I should''ve sent Clint and Alexa to watch over you." But then, she recalled her rejection for Clint and Alexa to watch her and Owen going out, with guns. That, however, yielded its consequences with her kidnapping... actually, no. Alicia was only thinking that based on her father''s muttering. She was kidnapped from school, the house guard couple wouldn''t be there guarding her in secret, anyway. Even if they did, they would probably be fooled by the fake car and only realized it once Liam arrived. "And finally, you don''t have to choose between just two sides." The last thing her father said, however, was something Alicia did not understand. Frankly, her father looked like he just blurted it out on a whim. "What do you think, Voice?" she asked the pixie, who had been silently watching the whole time, assuming she already knew what was going on in her master''s mind. "...I think," Voice began before sensing Owen''s Maneg Soul in front of the door. "Owen''s here," the pixie said instead, dropping the nickname. "Come in," Alicia said. CREEK "Excuse me," Owen said politely as he entered her room.
Suffice to say, Owen screwed up. He had failed to protect Alicia, the literal and figurative fire that lighted the cold darkness inside Owen, from the cruelty that is a Court Wizard. He really should have done something on the highest floor of the Wolfram mansion, especially after what Amelia said that night. To make matters worse, he killed in front of her, and he really shouldn''t have mentioned that it was his first time taking someone''s life. What must have happened to his childhood friend after that weighed more than the guilt of murder. Frankly, he was surprised that it took five years for him to finally take another life, all in the search for his father. Then again, he was partnered with a guy from his world who had no reactions with chopping people''s heads off with air pressure. And now, he came face to face with Alicia, trying to give her words of comfort of some kind. "I-I... Uh..." And unlike in Qantasia, Owen can only stand there awkwardly. Yeah, he''s not the kind of person who can say stuff like that. Will was the guy for that job surprisingly. This went on for a minute before Alicia suddenly hugged him.
"Oh my!" Voice exclaimed, depression being washed away with shock at her master''s action. "W-What are you doing, Alicia?" Owen stuttered, taken by surprise. But he didn''t try to break free. Only the pixie saw his face ripened to the same color as her master''s hair. Why was Alicia doing this? Well, when Owen was just mumbling about, she could tell what he was trying to do. He did the same thing in Qantasia, in the aftermath of the seventh mission, after all, only he didn''t stutter that time. In Beohar, when he murdered for the first time, it was to prevent her from getting killed by an ambushing guard. It was to protect her. In Manegia, when she almost died from that Maneg Beast which made Voice go berserk, Owen was the first to come to her aid. Because of her lack of disloyal maneg, when she was pressured by Dubarim''s gravity spell, Owen held her. In Manegia again, when her loyal maneg broke and she lost her consciousness, she was told that Owen made a mad dash after her when it happened. "This time, it''s my turn to protect you." Yes, in every mission they went, Owen has always put himself in front of her, shielding her from harm, just as he said when he rescued her from those kidnappers alone. And Alicia realized that she has been taking it for granted. "Thank you, Owen, for protecting me," Alicia said as she hugged her childhood friend tighter. "I will be fine, I promise." (Final) Alicia Chapter 21.3: The Choice - Rins Resolve PIING Manegia Year 1421 The rainbow light died down and Alicia was met with the usual dark cylindrical room. "Hello, you two," one of the operators said. "Back so soon?" "Yes, John," Alicia replied. "We will go ahead." After the events of last night, Alicia felt like she needed some closure. And so, she decided to come to the Otherworldly Court first thing in the morning. Owen, naturally, tagged along. As the two teens from Kaomagi Earth left the Transporter Room, the operators struck a conversation. "You know," a female operator said. "Alicia got back here right after what happened yesterday. I''m worried." "I know," a young male operator spoke. "She looked like a wreck after she transferred back yesterday. Rin hasn''t gotten back here for two weeks." "Ah, don''t fuss about that," John, the senior operator, ordered. "Just get back to work." "What do you mean, John?" the male operator asked. "Well," John began. "I''ve been working here for half of my life, transferring three generations of Court Wizards in and out. And from my experience, this is the moment where Alicia will define where she stands in the Otherworldly Court." "Um..." the female operator mumbled. "To put it simply," John put it in layman''s term. "This is usually the time where she''s gonna quit or stay." "Then will she-" "And that is something out of our hands," John interrupted. "This is what most Court Wizards from Earth Base kind of worlds go through. Those kids'' fathers also went through that crisis after one of their- ''that'' incident happened. "And we have no right to be involved with it, so stop worrying over Alicia. Our job is to give her the final transfer back to her homeworld if she decided that being a Court Wizard is too heavy." PING "Also, we''re getting another transfer request." John then held the microphone on his desk and spoke into it, "yes, who is it?"
Aqua had seen when the red-haired girl came back to report, despair had taken over her. At the time, the greater water spirit couldn''t understand why; she was all fine and accepting when Aqua dropped the fact that the child of the Wolframs was to be killed, so why did she come back like that. Then, after the report, when Alicia left Manegia, Amelia Rickens of all people showed up. The scientist apparently wanted to sign the report on the archiving of the new Vague Orders as apparently, her older brother, the Light Guardian Pierre, procrastinated on the necessary procedures for almost an entire week. Those Vague Orders in question were Alicia''s, [Mundane Ordering] and [Avatar]. Suffice to say, Aqua now had the gist of the reason for Alicia''s state after the mission. Alicia has the innocence similar to Rin Fujiwara, but unlike the latter, she did not try to object or rebel when presented things that went against her principles. However, there was still a part of her that told her otherwise, which she actively suppress; that, apparently, manifested itself as the Vague Order [Avatar] aka the pixie Voice. But regardless, that habit of Alicia led her to suffer internally and her last mission struck the nail in the coffin. As a spirit, a greater one at that, Aqua would be indifferent to these sorts of things, but her Maneg Soul altered her otherwise. The Otherworldly Court was akin to a family, the Court Wizards of Elements as the children, and the Guardians as the parents. And Aqua failed to see her ''child,'' a Fire Court Wizard''s suffering and this made her feel like a failure as a ''parent,'' a Fire Guardian. This was why the Fire Guardian was surprised to see Alicia, with Owen in tow, back the very next day. Rin was befallen by a similar fate - though she has at least spoken out the attack on her sense of justice - and wasn''t even back for a month. Jill, sitting at the couch had a similar reaction. "A-Are you alright, Alicia?" Jill asked worriedly. She wasn''t one to honestly show her feelings, but in these regards, she wouldn''t try to hide it. "Yes," Alicia assured. "I am fine, Jill." Aqua glanced at Rose to see the oldest active Court Wizard looked calm, sitting on the couch simply drank the last drop of her tea as if she knew what was going on. "What brings you here, Alicia?" Rose asked with a smile. "Well," Alicia started. "I heard that you are the best person to talk to." Settling themselves down, Alicia confided the turmoil she went through last night. Everyone in the room sat quietly, listening to every word she said. "So I do not know, Rose," Alicia said. "On one hand, I cannot take it anymore, and yet I could not bear to leave you all. What should I do?" If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Pouring another cup of tea for herself, Rose calmly answered, "I see. I will keep it brief." Taking a long sip, the oldest active Court Wizard laid down her cup of tea on the saucer and said this, "do you really have to either resign or force yourself to continue participating missions?" "Huh?" Alicia raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" "Let me tell you a story. It is not my story but someone else that you know." Taking a sip, Rose began the story, "there was once two Court Wizards joining us, a brother and sister. Well, the story revolved around the sister, the brother was mostly irrelevant. "Anyway, when I first met them, the sister was all timid, hiding behind her older brother''s cape. She was really cute, she-" "Rose," Jill interrupted. "Please focus on the story at hand." "Oh, right," Rose cleared her throat. "The girl had an inferiority complex. She was overshadowed by her brother, who was accomplished by the time they became a Court Wizard; there is no bad blood between them, the brother doted on his sister actually. "Now, this feeling of inferiority was dragged further because of how she underperformed in missions in the first year in duty. She was almost killed in every mission if not for her brother. Comparatively, she performed worse than you, Alicia." "I see..." Alicia muttered. Looking back, she had a small contribution to the eight missions she went to. Ultimately, for every enemy she defeated, others defeated ten times that number. Apparently, this girl was even worse. "Then what happened?" she asked. "Well, she found another path," Rose said, Alicia was intrigued. "You see, she is a bright and curious child, she wondered the Maneg System and effortlessly finding its secrets. Long story short, she advanced our understanding of maneg several decades ahead and invented many Catalysts that even the four nations surrounding the Otherworldly Court use." "Ah," Alicia clicked. "You mean that girl is Amelia?" "What a surprise!" Rose continued regardless. "And over time, she has gained confidence in herself and a very... unique personality, just like her brother. Yes," she nodded. "That is the story of Amelia Rickens. "She has found her own path within the Otherworldly Court. Not by giving up nor continue to risk herself, but by doing something she does best." Absorbing what Rose said, Alicia touched the main part of the necklace Catalyst around her neck, the Catalyst Amelia created to ward off against indirect attacks that Court Wizards with disloyal maneg are able to resist. So even if the scientist doesn''t fight in worlds, she still contributed in her own way and found her place in the Otherworldly Court. Then what does it mean to me? "I will let you think about it," Rose put her sight on the door. "Because we have an unexpected guest." Hearing this, Alicia focused her sense of Maneg Souls behind the door. Her eyes widened in response to who was behind it. "Come in," Aqua called. CREEK "Excuse me," Rin said as she closed the door behind her. "Rin?" "Hello, big sis Alicia," the little girl greeted her. After half a month, the younger Fujiwara has finally returned. The girl who Alicia promised to find her brother, who meaninglessly saved her from that rupture in dimensions in the form of a vortex just to uphold his sister''s promise. The girl whose ideals were attacked by the very organization her brother worked for. Alicia has lots of questions for her, like whether she''s alright or not, or if she came here for the same purpose as she did, but it was stuck in her throat. "What brings you here, Rin?" Aqua asked. And there was the crux of this happenstance. Everyone kept their silence, anxious about what Rin would say. Then, Rin spoke, "I want to register a new Cherished Armament I got, but Maestro Pierre isn''t in the chamber," Rin explained. "I went up to ask Amelia, but she told me only a Guardian should register it and here I am." The Court Wizards were taken aback, slightly. They were expecting something in the lines of Alicia''s reason for the visit. Regardless, Aqua, the Fire Guardian, still carried her duty as a Guardian. "You do not need to address Pierre Maestro, but it is your choice," she commented. "Anyway, can you show me the Armament?" "Sure." Rin stretched out her hand. With a glow, Rin''s loyal maneg slowly gathered around her arm. Then, the Cherished Armament showed itself. CHINK A metal discus of some kind, a circle attached with eight evenly spaces tridents protruding outward, fell under Rin''s hand. She was holding the long chain attached to two parts of the discus. As Rin''s Element Color was white, the Cherished Armament had a white color scheme too. "Oh, and I can change it into this." The eight tridents sticking out around the circle then dissipated and in its place was a hammer. It has intricate carvings throughout the structure. "It''s a pendant big brother gave to me on my birthday," Rin explained as she willed the Cherished Armament back to its true form, a pendant with both symbols attached to the same bait rubbing together side by side. "This one is really special to me because of what these symbols mean." "Mj?lnir and Aegishjalmur," Rose said. "Both Norse symbols meaning protection, and I assume the former was meant for that." "Unh," Rin nodded. "Big brother couldn''t decide which one to pick, so he bought both and made it into one pendant." Alicia noted it observantly and then asked herself, Why Norse? Dunno! Rose, as if she read her mind, nudged and whispered to Alicia, "Rin''s world, Rakarok-Earth World Merge, is a Norse world merged with its Earth sister." "Really?" Alicia tilted her head slightly to Rose. "Come to think of it, Rakarok sounds close to Ragnarok, the event that causes the end of the world in Norse mythology, correct?" she murmured. "Yes, but instead of the world getting destroyed, both worlds fused together." "Then why was it called Rakarok?" "Yeah!" Voice chimed, yet also whispering. "Sounds like it''s butchered!" "It has something to do when naming the new world. They did not like naming their world after what was supposed to be the ''end of the world'' event but it was still the event that caused the merging. Then, someone twisted his tongue, and, well, Rakarok-Earth became stuck. The World Merge part is ours." Meanwhile, Aqua noted Rin''s Cherished Armament. "I believe you know our naming convention. So what do call it?" The whole chamber snapped back into attention. They looked at Rin, waiting for her answer. Then, Rin gave the name. "[Half-Month Resolve]." And everybody instantly knew what it meant. "Rin," Alicia asked, "does that mean you?" "Unh," Rin nodded. "Big brother risked his life and broke rules to keep our promise I made. So, it is time that I uphold it too." "...I see," Alicia smiled. Owen, however, facepalmed at Rin''s response. He knew just what it meant. "Oh no," Jill grimaced, having similar thoughts to Owen. "She became like her brother." "Fufu," Rose, however, chuckled at the sight. "It will be quite interesting." "Well then." Regardless, Aqua carried on like a professional. "I suppose that will be your decision, correct?" she asked. It was both a question to Rin''s reason to obtain the Cherished Armament and her resolve to follow her brother''s footsteps, the footsteps she created. "Unh!" Rin hummed with no hesitation. "I-" "Are you sure about that?" However, a voice interrupted everyone inside. They turned to the balcony and saw a man in a red uniform squatting on the railing. "Hanz," Owen muttered as the red soldier stepped down from the railing and walked into the chamber. (Final) Chapter 21.4: The Choice - I Decided "Were you here all the time?" Aqua inquired. "No, after I felt her Maneg Soul, I only got here when Rin declared she''s gonna be like her hero brother. Now, I''ll say it again," Hanz repeated as he marched. "Are you sure about your decision, Rin?" Everybody else was confused by the soldier''s statement. But then, remembering the aftermath of that failed mission... "I stopped the Wanderer because he doesn''t deserve to, nor do we..." "...that world where Timeless Hero, it was already dead when we got there." "...I hate his guts for him playing the hero." ...it made perfect sense. Hanz hated heroes, not just extreme ones like Timeless Hero but all of them in general, and would hold a grudge, which seemed petty sometimes, over their very existence, especially Timeless Hero, which was ironic that he has to work with them, be it from the shadows for a hero like Rei Furuta or with a fellow Court Wizard like Haruto Fujiwara. "Hanz, what do you think you are doing?" Jill, who was informed of this before, growled. She got up from the couch and stood firmly in Hanz''s way. "Rin has a brother to find, do not try to stop her!" "This has nothing to do with her finding Haruto nor her staying a Court Wizard," Hanz declared. "Just her hero syndrome, she can do without it." "But-" "Stay out of this, knight," Hanz warned coldly as he simply stepped aside from the red knight. He turned his back around and taunted, "And since when do you care?" "I do care!" the knight defended. "Since when I do not!?" "Whatever." Hanz shrugged. TZANG TZANG "Hanz! Wait!" Then, the sounds of maneg came from the Training Grounds. It was Crea and Alice, [Eject]ing themselves to the same balcony. "Aah!" However, Alice did not propel enough force to even grab the balcony''s railing. She tried to order [Eject] again but it didn''t happen. "I got you!" Fortunately, Crea, safely on the balcony, caught the Ice Guardian''s hand. "Thank you, Crea," Alice thanked as Crea pulled her up. "Are you alright, Alice?" Owen asked in concern. Everybody else also had similar reactions, even Hanz which broke his tense build-up. "Yes," Alice answered as she dusted off her dress. "I am fine." Back at the situation at hand, Crea approached her partner, "Hanz, why did suddenly you leave us?" "Because she''s here." Taking back his composure, Hanz pointed at the younger Fujiwara, who was strangely facing all of this with a calm mind. Then Crea and Alice were filled in on the situation, Hanz too since he didn''t show up at the beginning. "And now you''re confronting Rin on her choice?" Crea deduced. "Do you have to, Hanz?" "Yeah, I do," Hanz answered without hesitation. "Could you think this through?" Alice pleaded. "No," Hanz answered again. "And I started it, so I''ll finish it as well." "But-" Alice was about to say further when Rose gave her a stop gesture with a calm smile. "He is right," Rose said. "The path Rin is going to take should be tested first." "Doesn''t matter," Hanz said contrary to Rose. "I''m beating that out of her." And he came face to face with Rin. Rin on the other hand seemed very composed. "I''ve made up my mind a long time ago, mister Huber," she said, still holding her Cherished Armament in its original form. Tilting her head to the side. "At least, that was yesterday but it was after two weeks making my mind up." "And why would you want to do that?" "I made big brother promise to save people others wouldn''t cry, to be a hero, so I should too." Hanz clicked his tongue, irritated by that one particular word Rin emphasized. "Oh really now? You''ll be breaking our Rules of Engagement." "Rose said that it''s too keep us safe. Well, I don''t need it," Rin bluntly declared, earning an intrigue from everyone. "Big brother risk his life for it, so I am willing to risk my life too. After all, I''m the one who made that promise." "And because of that, your brother was missing." Hanz then pointed his arm at Alicia. "When she, who got a hundred percent loyal maneg, would be fine in whatever world she got sucked into by the Rupture." Alicia lowered her face in downcast, not knowing Owen''s scowl for Hanz to drag his childhood friend into this. However, before Owen intervene, Rin said this. "Then I find him." A simple and blunt answer. "That''s also why I''m here, right?" Clicking his tongue again by such a straightforward answer, Hanz gave his next rebuttal. "I bet Rose didn''t fully tell you about the Rules of Engagement, right?" He turned his head to Rose. Rose did nothing but drinking her tea. Her face plastered with a gentle smile. Taking that as a yes, Hanz continued, "Back then, the First Guardians created the Rules of Engagement primarily for two reasons. The other reason was because of everything the Maneg Users done in the Eleven-Century War. "We were invaders, wandering into one world to another; imposing our Law, the Maneg System onto them. Then they murdered, robbed, enslaved, and trampled over the people living in those worlds, using their Maneg Souls to commit many atrocities as if they owned the place; it''s so bad the First Guardians opted to rename everything that made up their identity: the Maneg System, Court Wizards, Maneg Souls, Orders, Catalysts, all of them are renames! Only the Elements and its names were spared. "The civil war, the reason that it''s called the Eleven-Century War, between the Maneg Users of Elements was just one of the things that happened albeit the biggest thing. "This is the first reason why the rules were made by the First Guardians; after all maneg has done, This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "We don''t deserve to." Upon finishing, the room was quiet. "And?" Rin smiled. Hanz stood there, registering the single word she said before going to a sequence of confusion, realization, flabbergast, and finally, irritation. By then, everybody else had also figured out what Rin meant and was in shock. Hanz just went all the lengths to go through the sins that their predecessors made for eleven centuries and she had basically said "So what?" in his face. "Y-You...!" Hanz growled. "Besides, it was the Maneg Users in the past, not us," Rin continued, earning scores from others for dragging the founders of the Otherworldly Court into the argument. "We have the power, so why can''t we use it? Wouldn''t that be better in atoning the sins of our predecessors? I, Rin Fujiwara, for one will use the power I was given to change things that should not be possible, whether you like it or not." "...Tch!" Hanz grunted, turning his back on Rin and walked to the door, utterly defeated. "Wow! Talk about a beatdown!" "Ah! Hanz, wait!" Crea yelled as she followed. But beforehand, she gave a slight bow to Rin. "Sorry about that," she apologized, "Hanz means well, he really does. It''s just, he couldn''t keep it... non-personal when it comes to ''heroes''." "Uhn, it''s okay," Rin said. "But did Hanz had a bad experience with heroes? If so, then sorry for digging up bad memories." "...Thank you." Crea looked at Rin silently. Despite Hanz antagonizing her, she still perceived and sympathized with him - what a pure girl. "As for your question... sort of. Also, it''s alright, Hanz needed some time to get over it. Now if you''ll excuse me." Crea bolted to the door, chasing after her partner. But before she closed the door behind her, she said one last thing with a smile, "your brother is lucky to have a sibling like you." SHUT A moment later, Rose clapped her hands. "That was splendid, Rin!" she praised. "And the last statement was quite inspiring," Aqua added. "Yes," Jill nodded. "I did not know you can talk back to him like that." "Thank you," Rin smiled. "Um, does that mean you are back, Rin?" Alice asked. "Uhn! Of course!" "I see. I am glad..." "Well then," Aqua smiled to Rin. "On the behalf of the Light Guardian, Pierre Rickens, "Welcome back, Rin." Alicia looked at all of this with a smile. Rin has found her answer to where she stands within the Otherworldly Court, even when it was challenged she stood firm. This gave Alicia the push that she needed. If Rin had done it, then so can she. Alicia reminisced for a bit. Five months. It was five months, from the end of winter to the middle of summer, after she accepted Voice''s powers to save her childhood friend and becoming a Court Wizard. Who knew a kidnapping could lead to this? However, she did not regret it one bit. Sure, she could never go through the things normal Court Wizards have to do, but with the friendships she made she cannot leave them behind either. And so it was, two contradicting choices that she has to choose. But... "...you don''t have to choose between just two sides." "She has found her own path within the Otherworldly Court. Not by giving up nor continue to risk herself, but by doing something she does best." And with Rose''s advice, she finally understood what her father said to her, while he probably didn''t understand it himself, and thus, she made her choice. "Don''t be afraid to speak out and make your own decisions, even if it''s a bit selfish sometimes." Although she was still shackled with her inner fears, in due time, she will be freed from it. And this will be the first step. Alicia looked at Owen, her childhood friend who brought her to this wonderful world, he gave a nod with a smile, knowing her intentions. She turned to the pixie beside her, the face of the powers that brought her here in the first place, the [Avatar] whom she named Voice. "I''ll be right behind you!" Voice cheered. "Always!" And so Alicia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and opened. "Everyone," she called, catching their attention, and declared, "I have decided, I..."
But a warrior does not fight with two shields nor with two spears, but with a spear and shield.
Voice: Pretty sure there''s some guy who dual-wield spears! P.S. Don''t leave just yet! There''s an epilogue after this! Azhure: Voice, don''t ruin it. Anyway, I assume you''re good now, Voice? Voice: ...Hmph! I''ll forgive you just this once. Azhure: Right... Well then, it''s been a long journey since I wrote this story. Starting from the first draft I published on a free WordPress site, that would be almost two years writing this story. Only on January 2019 did I finally got serious in writing this story on Wattpad. Later, I crossposted on a self-hosted WordPress site (with the old one deleted) and RoyalRoad. Voice: Yeah, and from the Lost Chapters you put on the new WordPress site you set up October last year, you''re a really crappy writer back then. Azhure: Yeah, I have definitely improved over the last year. And speaking of which, I would like to share the principles that made the core of how I write my stories: 1. Keep the contradiction theme going. It''s literally the epigraph of this series. And also make the missions dark so as to not make it underwhelming.Even now I still felt the missions Alicia went through were such. Voice: What!? Azhure: Be thankful that I at least didn''t do so, right? Moving on. 2. In regards to the previous statement above, if possible and if it''s appropriate, every story''s main Court Wizard should be in the situation that contradicts their ideals, unless/may not if it''s a story of an event in some world with the main Court Wizard happen to be intervening. If there are multiple main Court Wizards, only the most important main Court Wizard is counted, or all of them if possible. For example, Alicia''s passiveness being challenged by the missions and Rin''s justice challenged by the fact she couldn''t do anything because of the rules. 3. If ''nameless'' enemies are highly trained: random soldiers, the guards in Beohar who hunted Beosts for a living, etc, should be as competent as they''re said to be. A lot of the times, I see scenes where highly trained enemies get steamrolled by the protagonist, apart from those who are named characters that the protagonist fight against in an epic battle scene, without so much of a fight. So they should at least give the Court Wizards some trouble, at least after the element of surprise and fear tactics are gone. 4. And finally, make everything direct as much as possible. I''ll try to make explanations by word of a character and not making scenes that are just a summary. Incidentally, I''m going to go back to some chapters to rectify those mistakes. Voice: You forgot number five: Don''t forget to maintain all those onomatopoeiae and putting them all over the place! Azhure: You got that right. As far as I''m concerned, I''m the only one doing that. So it''s pretty much my specialty at this point. Anyway, I felt like telling you readers this as a way for me to remember them. Voice: And also because why the heck not!? Azhure: Anyway, I once again thank you for reading Wizards of the Otherworldly Court: Alicia; this is the end of Alicia''s story and it is time to move the spotlight to another Court Wizard. Voice: But before that, stay tuned for two more bonus chapters and the second epilogue/teaser for the next book! Azhure: And for now, enjoy the first epilogue as promised in the previous chapter.
"Ah, Ronald-kun," Daisuke Fujiwara greeted. "It''s been a while since we last saw each other." "Yes, quite so," Ronald replied, sitting down on the chair. "Here you go," Daisuke said as he poured some tea. "Thank you." Ronald picked up the cup and sipped it. "I heard what you''re daughter has decided, or is it grandaughter? Regardless, so she''s going to chase after her brother''s footsteps?" "Yes, she has always looked up to her brother, even when what happened that day. This time, with more conviction." "I see. Anyway, has there any progress with the hunt of those terrorists who killed their parents?" "Not much," Daisuke sighed. "They have been awfully quiet lately. It appears they have realized we are onto them, looks like they are laying themselves low while they try to reformulate whatever plans they have." "Well damn," Ronald cursed. "If only we knew where they were even hiding. And Haruto-kun got himself lost into the Dimensional Rupture to save my daughter." "Don''t worry, he will be fine. With things going on, I''m sure he will be rescued in due time, Joshua as well." "Hm, you got that right." "And speaking of your daughter, I heard from Rin that she has made her choice as well." "Yes," Ronald smiled as he breathed in the aroma of his tea. "She has acknowledged that she could never participate in what we usually do although she accepted it as necessary, but she also remembers the precious friends she made along the way. "So, instead of letting it turmoiling her heart, she has chosen a third path where she does what she does best. Much like Amelia." "I see," Daisuke chuckled. "Looks like the young Court Wizards will be seeing her a lot, providing logistical support as the elusive lady behind the Bell Conglomerate Branches." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "That much I raised her to be. Though with what Amelia told me, she has a long way to go. But, the choice she made was primarily by her own wish, so that is a step in the right direction. As her father, I am proud of her." Drinking the last drop of his tea, Ronald looked up to the bright blue sky, "I wonder what will happen next?" Alicia Interlude 5: Bunch of Experiments 2 "Loyal maneg return!" With that, a ball emitting light broke down into motes of white and scurried back to Amelia''s Maneg Soul. Alicia, seeing this, gasped. "Amelia, did you?" "Fufufu." After turning the lights on, Amelia crossed her arms with a huge smug on her face. "Exactly! I, Amelia Rickens, the genius I am have figured out how to use your Vague Order, [Mundane Ordering]. Kinda tricky at first, but once I did, I just need to tell my Maneg Soul to switch to loyal maneg and bada bing-bada boom, I can even give vaguer Orders." This was certainly a sight to behold. Today, Alicia, having resolved to her role in the Otherworldly Court by her own choice, was just laying the groundwork for what that resolve entailed when Amelia just showed up and dragged her to the upper room of the light chamber. There, upon entering the bedroom-turned-laboratory, she saw the Order [Shine] lighting the room brightly. After that, Amelia recalled it with the phrase that Alicia frequently used, meaning that maneg formation was from loyal maneg. "What! How dare you steal my Alicia''s specialty, Evil Mad Scientist Lady!?" Voice shrieked. But somehow, Alicia felt that it wasn''t genuine, as if the pixie already knew. Regardless, Alicia asked, "Amelia, how did you manage to replicate it?" "Classified." The scientist deadpanned. Alicia blinked. "Um, what?" "Classified," Amelia repeated. "Is there anything wrong with-" "Nope, nothing''s wrong. But it''s sensitive data, so no leaking. Don''t take it personally and think about it too much," Amelia excused as she patted Alicia''s shoulder. Unknowingly to Alicia, Voice gave the scientist a deep glare, her eyes saying, ''Why did you show my master that!?'' "A-Alright then," Alicia relented. "But did you invited me here just to show this to me?" "Oh, I wanna do more tests with [Mundane Ordering]," Amelia said with a straight face. "What!? Didn''t you learn your lesson already!?" Alicia nodded in agreement, the first and only time she did, Amelia ended up getting beaten by her father. "Don''t worry." The scientist swayed her hand down. "I''ve done ''em myself, so they''re perfectly safe." "Then why did you drag Alicia in too, then!?" "To gather more data of course." Both Alicia and her pixie looked at the smirking scientist with a long face.
Researcher: Dr. Amelia Rickens Subject: Dr. Amelia Rickens, Alicia Bell Test: Further testing of the interaction of normal Orders using loyal maneg, now called [Mundane Ordering] with the Power of Ignorance. "The Power of Ignorance?" Alicia muttered. "Yep," Amelia replied. "I wanna know what happens if you used that with loyal maneg. Already did it myself, so I wanna see if it''s the same with you."
Experiment 4 General use of [Mundane Ordering] with the Power of Ignorance. Test 1: Order an [Elemental Ball] with loyal maneg and ignore an object. Result: [Lightball] with loyal maneg was able to phase through a book various thicknesses. Further testing with multiple obstacles (meaning more ignore commands) has shown the same results. The [Lightball] has kept its integrity as it phased through the objects. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Alright," Amelia said. "Now you try it, Alicia. Just add ignore to your Vague Order." She presented a table with the book ''Maneg 101, by Amelia Rickens'' standing on it. "Alright then," Alicia channeled her loyal maneg. "Voice?" "Got it! One [Fireball] coming right up!" And since Voice was there, the [Fireball] already manifested itself and hurled itself towards the book. BLAST And the book was turned into a pile of ashes. "It did not work?" Alicia said. "Oops, my bad!" "You did it on purpose!?" Amelia growled at the [Avatar]. "Heh!" Voice smirked. They tried it again and the result was the same as Amelia. The [Fireball] properly phased through the other copy of the book without a single loyal maneg breaking off. Other tests that Amelia went through yielded the same results for Alicia. Additional Result: Testing with Alicia, the creator of [Mundane Ordering], yield the same result.
Test 2: Same as the previous test but in worlds aside from Manegia. Result: Same results as the previous test. No degradation of [Mundane Ordering] whatsoever. "Why would we need to do this?" Alicia asked. "As you know," Amelia explained. "What remains of the original Fantasy Law in this world interferes with the Maneg System the weakest. You know the Efficiency in our ID''s is the ones in Manegia, which is the highest compared to every other world. So we gotta test on a world that doesn''t." And so, the two Court Wizards world-hopped to many worlds from Kaomagi Earth to Osianicd Archipelago. Never mind the ''curse'' where one Court Wizard will always fall into water when transferred in the world of water, Alicia had lost count how many times she has transferred. "Hah... hah..." Alicia''s breath was ragged as she held onto the chair for support. "So~ tiring!" Amelia, however, gingerly wrote down her results despite being soaking wet from the curse that was the transferring to Osianicd Archipelago. Additional Results: Alicia''s [Mundane Ordering] has shown the same results as Amelia''s. End Report.
Experiment 5 Investigation of whether loyal maneg is in the plane of the Fantasy Law or not. "Like the ones in the atmosphere, disloyal maneg inside our Maneg Souls hides inside the plane of the Fantasy Law," Amelia began. "We know this because of the Special Order known as [Court Wizard''s Aura] where all the disloyal maneg shift into this plane and circulate beneath our skin to eliminate the delay after we give Orders." Azhure: I''m sure I have written what Amelia said above before. Couldn''t find it. "And you assumed it is not the case for loyal maneg?" Alicia asked. "Yeah, it''s because of Aqua." "Hm? Why is that?" "She''s a body-less soul. So what you see is her ''naked'' soul meaning two cases; either it''s an exception for her kind, or that''s her loyal maneg we''re looking at." "I see."
Test 1: Testing delay between [Mundane Ordering] and normal Orders, with and without [Court Wizard''s Aura]. CLICK "And~ done." Amelia looked at the footage she gathered on her expensive-looking camera. The solution to this test was to record Alicia ordering [Mundane Ordering] out loud while being recorded with a high-speed camera. Then, Amelia will compare the footage with a normal Order and another one under [Court Wizard''s Aura], seeing whether there''s a difference between their delays. As to using [Court Wizard''s Aura], which apparently required chanting an aria like traditional magic spells, it was quite the experience for Alicia. It wasn''t every day when you can make your skin glow red. Normally, it was dangerous to use [Court Wizard''s Aura] "Alright now let''s hook this baby up!" the scientist exclaimed. Result: The difference in delay between Vague Orders and normal Orders is one second. Vague Orders, Vague Orders under [Court Wizard''s Aura], and normal Orders under [Court Wizard''s Aura] have relatively the same delay after the Order was given.
Test 2: Get Voice to hide inside the plane of the Fantasy Law. "Please~?" Amelia pleaded with the pixie. "We already proved that the foreign Fantasy Law doesn''t break down a Vague Order inside its plane, so do it for maneg science!" "Nuh-uh!" "Voice?" Alicia spoke. "I do not think Amelia will let you go without trying it." "...Fine!" Voice grumbled. And without flying back inside Alicia''s Maneg Soul, Voice simply shimmered out of sight. It was like the opacity of a picture slowly reduced to zero percent. "Ooh..." Alicia raised her eyebrow. Five seconds later, Voice reappeared. "There, happy!?" "Good," Amelia praised. "So how was inside the Fantasy Law?" "Eh, I don''t know!? Just those bunch annoying lines and equations trying to undo me which didn''t work at all, obviously!" "Lines and equations?" Amelia inquired. "What do you mean by that?" "Ugh! It''s like this..."
"I see, I see... Fuhahahaha!" Amelia laughed. "Uh oh! She lost it!" "Huh? What is wrong, Amelia?" Alicia asked worriedly. "It''s alright, Alicia," Amelia reassured her. "Because your pixie here just showed what the Fantasy Law, and by extension, the Scientific Law, looked like. This will be great for my world database overhaul!" "Uh..." Alicia mumbled, staring at the joyful scientist. "You are welcome?" "But wait! I need more data to be sure... Aha! I know, I''ll get Aqua inside the Fantasy Law!" Amelia concluded. "You are teaching Aqua [Mundane Ordering]!?" Alicia exclaimed. "Of course!" Amelia retorted. "In the name of maneg science, nothing''s gonna hide from a genius like me! "And we just proved that loyal maneg in our Maneg Souls is always in the physical plane, so what would happen if Aqua were to hide her''s in the Fantasy Law? Will she be completely invisible? Or with only her loyal maneg incorporeal, the part that made her a water spirit remain? If so, will her appearance revert back to her original color? But will she also shrink to make up for her loyal maneg hiding away her mass in the process? "Ooh...! The possibilities!" With that, the scientist dashed out of the laboratory. "She forgot her current test," Alicia muttered. "Aye!" Alicia Post Chapter: Modules Manegia Year 1421 "Thank you all for coming," Amelia said over a microphone with green glowing runes, a Catalyst. She was standing in the courtroom, facing the eleven stands representing the eleven Guardians of the Elements of maneg. And for the first time in a while, every Guardian was present. Wish ''he'' is here for this occasion, Amelia mused. His Cherished Armament''s pretty helpful too. SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK "Today, I''m going to present you the new system to classify Fantasy Laws of Circles of Worlds." She pulled the cap off the marker and wrote on the whiteboard she always used behind her. "The ''Module'' classification," she said the words out loud. "Ah, so you have finalized it. Splendid, sister!" Pierre Rickens, the Light Guardian, praised his younger sister. "You have always had a... poor view of the contemporary handling of the data." True, ever since Amelia scoured the Otherworldly Court''s database, she was utterly disgusted by it. Never mind the fact that a century has passed and the corrupted data has yet to be fully recovered, the whole thing was a joke! And now, she can say goodbye to one of those things, just like she did with the others. "Thank you, brother." Amelia continued. "Now, this," she pointed at what she wrote, "replaces the old section on Fantasy Law. In fact, I already did it!" "What!" Xiao Yong Gang (СÓ¸Õ), the Earth Guardian from the Eastern Dynasty of Manegia, exclaimed. "You modified the database before you inform us!" "What?" Amelia deadpanned. "You guys made me the admin." "She''s correct, you know," Pierre chastised. "Since none of us either comprehend the operation or simply wished not to do with any of it." "...Right," Xiao Yong relented. He did glance at the database and immediately averted his gaze from it ever since. "Anyway," Amelia continued. "This new system will address one problem everyone has been procrastinating for centuries." WIPE WIPE Clearing the drawing board, she then drew a diagram of two Circles of Sister Worlds, a stickman inside one of the Circles with an arrow going to the other, all the while commentating about what she drew on the whiteboard, "You all know when a person transfers to a world, not from their Circle, whatever Personal Skill he''s got under Fantasy Law gets affected by the new world''s Fantasy Law. "For example, Spiri Raia''s spirit arts doesn''t work at all if it''s not in that world unless you''re Aqua." Amelia leered at the greater water spirit in question. "While Master Darc''s Rakarok-Earth World Merge dark elf magic still work in Qantasia, albeit less effectively. You catch my drift?" None of the Guardians seemed to be confused, those above shared the same sentiment. They have seen it for themselves during missions in other worlds, their Personal Skills would sometimes work differently or just wouldn''t activate at all. "And so far, the data related to that gives us almost nothing but garbage." Amelia scowled bluntly. "So today, my idea is to separate each part that makes one Fantasy Law into neat little boxes which I call them Modules." WIPE WIPE SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK Afterwards, Amelia presented these words on the whiteboard: ''World Species Module'' ''World System Module'' ''World Object Module'' "World Complex Module'' "A World Species Module," Amelia explained. "At a glance, is exactly as it sounds, the Module for Species, or races as you¡¯re all familiar with, like humans, elves, half-animals, etc. But, all of us here know that''s not all, am I right?" "True," Miriel Aqua, the fish half-animal Water Guardian, spoke, flapping her crystal-scaled periwinkle mermaid tail with a glowing blue halo around it. "I have seen the counterparts of my people in other worlds, and they have differences with us even if we share the same tail and ears," she said, twitching her fin-like ears under her long wavy hair of the same color as her rear. "One of them was able to split their tails into two land legs, I wish my people can do that," she sighed, the Water Guardian for one has been using her loyal maneg to traverse on land. "And stuff like those are specified at the ''world'' part in the name," Amelia said. She then wrote below the current subject. "By the way, that''s a placeholder, I don''t put it on the database. Also, since we sometimes name the Circle and sometimes don''t, I''m putting the name of the world where the Module shows itself in the database. "For example, Master Miriel''s Species would be classified as ''Beohar Fish Half-Animal Species Module.'' And this Module makes up everything that makes you unique including Personal Skills that can be only used by your Species in your world, cuz'' making an entry to that is unnecessary. "By the way, this type of Module encompasses all living entities, even if there is only one of their kind. So Beohar''s mutated animals, the Beosts are also under this Module." "I see," Miriel nodded. "And I suppose the World System Module refers to the various types of systems that allows Personal Skills like magic, spirit arts, and such. And the Maneg System would count as a unique system, correct?" "Exactly," Amelia nodded. "Officially, it would be called Manegia Maneg System Module since there isn''t any other System Module that''s similar to it. And conversely, World Object Module refers to the collection of fantasy items like Osianicd Archipelago''s artifacts or the ridiculously overpowered weapons Master Zekie''s family forged in Irongrad." As she said this, she eyed the blacksmith Lightning Guardian, Zekie, whose full name she did not remember. "Also, that Black Mist from Beohar and those Beacons in Geron Yor also count as well." "And what about the World Complex Module?" Miriel asked as she might as well do it. "It''s the collection of multiple modules above that fits a theme, for organization purposes. And before I continue, I should establish how the Module types will be named," the maneg scientist explained. "Object and Complex Modules are prioritized to be named after what the people of that world called it, then our classification, then whatever describes it. Species and System Modules uses our standards, with parentheses beside it for what the natives called it. Anyone got a problem with that?" None objected. "Good. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Now, back to Complex Modules. For example, each and every Half-Animal Species Modules on Beohar would collectively be under the Beohar Half-Animal (Half-Beost) Species Complex Module. By the way, if the Complex Module is made up of just one of the Module types, the name of the type gets included and still uses our names followed by what they called it in parentheses unless it''s a collection of a variety of races that couldn''t be universally named by us like Eria''s Children. "Otherwise, you get Modules for the Species¡¯, magic system, and fantasy stuff of Rakarok-Earth World Merge under Rakarok-Earth World Merge Norse Mythology Complex Module since everything about it screams Norse mythos." "Which is the entirety of our old world," Darcassan Erith, the half-dark elf half-light elf Dark Guardian, commented. "And it''s still surprising for us that all the worlds of ''Earth'' has folklore about our old world," Ilezenya Erith, the half-light elf Nature Guardian, Darc''s younger half-sister, added. "Albeit with some differences." "And additionally, since we have Maneg Amalgamations and Catalysts, a Race and Object Module aside from the Maneg System Module, I compiled all three of them into a Complex Module called the Manegia Maneg Complex Module, the Complex Module that jabbed itself into every world," Amelia declared. Everyone seemed to agree with her. "Any questions before we move on to the next part?" She glanced at the audience, none raised their hand. "Good." WIPE WIPE WIPE SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK "We''ll just go for the example to get the idea," Amelia said as she wrote the same words she spoke. Giving a look at the Dark Guardian, he sighed and gave her the go. "Darc can still use his dark elf magic on Qantasia as that world has the Elf (Dark Elf) Species Module. But it is Qantasia''s Elf (Dark Elf) Species Module, and so his magic has to get integrated into the Module''s Personal Skills, becoming less effective in the process. "However, if he''s on somewhere like Beohar, which doesn''t have a Magic System Module, then it''ll be ''disabled'' unless there''s some distant Module that Darc''s magic could integrate into which even then would barely function or change into something new entirely. And in Beohar, there ain''t any since his dark elf magic doesn''t work. The same goes for some Personal Skills even if there is a similar Module as they''re really specific and can only work on the Module of its native world no matter what. "And finally, if it''s in the same Circle-like in ''Earth'' before it got fused into Rakarok-Earth then Darc''s magic would work exactly the same since worlds inside a Circle all share the same Fantasy Law, thereby sharing the same Modules. Again, I''m entering the world name where the Module kicks in instead of the Circle, so don''t get confused." "I see, so we can use our Personal Skills as long as that world has the Module, though it would work differently if it is in a different Circle, baring a few," Aqua concluded. "And that example did actually happen. But I believe there are exceptions?" "One, this whole thing means nothing if you ''carry'' your Fantasy Law, or should I say your Module. And our Maneg Complex Module too since it jabbed itself into every Fantasy Law it sees - though the Module for Maneg Amalgamations couldn''t function properly," Amelia said bluntly, looking at the questioner. "And two, there could be some Personal Skills that only works on their own Fantasy Law, no matter how much the other world''s Module is similar." "And what about the Species and Object Module?" Aqua asked next. "The explanation you gave is implied heavily for the System Module and the aspect of the Species Module that would have been in the System Module if it was otherwise." "I was getting into that." But Amelia looked like she had forgotten about it. "There are two cases if the person goes outside their Circle, and if it''s inside then nothing happens. One, if the other world has their Species Module, then they follow that Module instead of their original one, gaining and losing fantasy traits. You were able to split your tail into two when you''re in that world, right Master Miriel?" "True," Miriel nodded. "Though I always have to turn it back before I leave lest something unfavorable occur." "Right, and the second," Amelia continued. "If there isn''t any compatible Module, then every fantasy trait becomes disabled unless there''s a distantly similar Module." And everyone already knew a certain someone in that situation. And she was content to have most of her weaknesses and inconvenient peculiarities disappear in exchange for the loss of the abilities of her Species that she wasn''t even adept in. In fact, the certain someone in question was among the audience above, showing a smile that relayed her thoughts exactly. "As for Object Modules," Amelia continued. "As far as I''m concerned, only the latter case applies to it. I haven''t seen any fantasy object still working effectively outside of its Circle unless it ''carries'' its Module like Master Zekie''s Cherished Armament." "Yes," Zekie, the Lightning Guardian, agreed. "My hammer seemed to be only one that functions properly outside of Irongrad, being the origin of the Module you speak of. Richard and Jill''s Armaments, as well as my other Armament my father forged, couldn''t use its full power unless they''re in my homeworld or in the presence of my hammer in another world." "Hence why Object Modules are named by what the masses referred to it as, and that''s about it," Amelia concluded. "There''s gotta be more obscure exceptions for all Modules I haven''t found and we still haven''t got into details what an object, species, or system would gain in a different Module, but that''s my presentation." CLAP CLAP "Splendid, Amelia!" Pierre praised. "Tis'' a great endowment upon us all." "Thanks, brother," Amelia blushed. "Any questions?" One pale blue hand was raised. The Guardian who raised his hand spoke. "You''re Modules... suggested... that... Fantasy Laws... are ''puzzle pieces'' that... make up the Law." Zack Grymes, the ''living'' zombie, the Death Guardian, slowly said. "How... did you get... the idea?" And that got everyone intrigued. Amelia simply cleared her throat and shifted into a more serious tone. "A while back," she began. "I did another experiment with Alicia Bell." Alicia Bell. Daughter of Ronald Bell, the man who managed the Bell Branches, the Otherworldly Court''s intelligence service, and the first Court Wizard to have one hundred percent composition of loyal maneg, making her the subject of most interest this year, especially the pixie named Voice. Some Guardians have yet to meet her, due to differing schedules. "Specifically," Amelia continued. "I had her [Avatar], Voice to use the Power of Ignorance to shift into the Fantasy Law which was successful. What she saw inside the Fantasy Law became the push I need to propose the Module theory." """..!""" The entire attendees were shocked. Knowing what the Fantasy Law looked like was the most coveted knowledge of them all. And now, they may just have a grasp upon it. "Oh, I suppose. Voice is rather... uncooperative with you, so I assume you did not get many results. Though I am curious to see what my authority looks like, I did not get to see it when I impose it upon Spiri Raia - it just... happened when I was born - and I certainly could not look into it by my own power." "Yeah," Amelia nodded. "But even then, I more or less got an inkling to describe what the Fantasy Law is. It''s..."
"I see," Aqua muttered. "If it is true then I believe ''that'' would seem more plausible to us. Though I had the impression that me and the other greater spirits''... Sub-Module meshed together when we appeared and imposed it in Spiri Raia." "Hence why they''re Sub-Modules," Amelia explained. "They make the Module, so taking one out would make it a different Module all together, not to mention how delicate it would be to do so." "Um..." Alice Es, the Ice Guardian two years in service, mumbled. "What are you talking about?" "Alice," Aqua said. "You see, if what Amelia said is true, then Fantasy Laws are akin to bookshelves with each book being the Modules. And the Manegia Maneg Complex Module applied itself into Fantasy Laws by simply inserting itself there." "And is there anything wrong with that?" "Well, this thinking increases the feasibility of one idea the Otherworldly Court has ever since the Fantasy Law theory." And Aqua dropped the bombshell, "since the Maneg System must have forced itself upon Fantasy Laws of many worlds by modifying it, could we, the people who harness the power of the Maneg System, do the same?" "..!" Alice could do nothing but gasp at the implication. "Yes," Amelia nodded. "And that is exactly why I gathered all of you Guardians here." Alicia Epilogue BEEP BEEP It was another day at work for the Transporter Room operators in the Otherworldly Court. It was the usual work, briefly observing a world and then shift to the next. The readings were, in the simplest terms, represented by the ripples of a pond - they were not visual-based; if they want to, they''d have to send a drone Catalyst which was inconvenient to use. The twist was, each operator does this with six separate holographic screens showing six different worlds. After they got used to the post-modern technology marvel, they became quite adept at reading through six worlds at once. Quite often, they would receive an [Telepathy] on their monitor from a Court Wizard requesting a transfer to Manegia. The operator who received it would take the coordinates the machine read from where the Court Wizard sent the message and transfer them in. Similarly, they transfer Court Wizards into other worlds, either for missions or just for going back home. Anything else than that were rare occurrences, like transferring in non-Court Wizards and or getting strange readings on the screen. Through their experience, something big will happen whenever these things occur. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. PING PING PING PING "What the hell?" an operator cursed. He swirled his chair to the direction of the senior operator. "John? I''m getting a lot of reads of people being killed en masse in Spiri Raia." "Well that''s not good, is something happening down there?" John muttered. "Wait, I got more readings... Huh!?" The operator exclaimed. "I''m also getting active reads of ice Orders at the same time!" Now, this got all of his co-worker''s attention. As far as they were aware, there weren''t any Ice Court Wizards living in Spiri Raia and they hadn''t transfer anyone there. "Hm," John gave a stern look. "Check the signature of the Order, find out the Ice Court Wizard." "On it, sir." BEEP BEEP CLICK CLICK PING "Found it," the operator said. "I''ll send it to your screen." "Right," John swirled his chair back to his desk and read what he had received. And his face paled in shock. "N-No way... It''s!" Name: Joshua Ruze Age: 47 Sex: Male Species: Human World: Kaomagi Earth Element: Ice Element Color: Light Blue Cherished Armament: ??? Rank: Grand Wizard 5, 23, 29 Description Full title: End of the Five, Twenty-three, and Twenty-nine Years Story Alternate title: Five, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Nine Years "Dad? I think I got a really bad fever, why do I still feel fine?" "It feels cold..." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Five years ago, Owen became a Court Wizard in search of his father who was lost to the unknown three years prior. But that wasn''t the beginning of the story. Maybe it began twenty-three years ago when Ronald Bell and Joshua Ruze saved the Illyer family. Or perhaps, it all started twenty-nine years ago, when Ronald, the son of the wealthiest merchant, became a Court Wizard. Well, it doesn''t matter anymore, for the story five, twenty-three, and twenty-nine years ago shall now meet its end. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 1: Meetings Kaomagi Earth Year 1989 "Dad? I think I got a really bad fever, why do I still feel fine?" In the empty and partially unkempt mansion of the Bell family, a fourteen-year-old boy with a longish dark red hair woke up to find his body rise in temperature to an extreme degree, yet he doesn''t felt its harmful effects. "Hm?" the boy''s father, having the same features as his son except for the hairstyle, glanced at him and in an instant, "ah, I believe you have received a Maneg Soul, Ronald." "Really dad?" the boy, Ronald Bell, widened his sea-blue eyes. "I''m going to be a Court Wizard, just like you?" "Yes," the boy''s father, Alan Bell, nodded. "Wait for a few days for the Maneg Soul to settle in. Now, let me contact the Otherworldly Court about your recruitment and send someone to pick you up when the time comes." "Hm? You''re not coming with me to the Otherworldly Court, dad?" "No, son. I have to take care of the Conglomerate. These days, my normal work has taken much of my time. So I can''t do Court Wizard work as often."
A week later, the weird feelings associated with heat had subsided, it''s still there but ignorable. Getting out of the bathroom, almost stubbing his toe on the old tub on his way out, being shorter than the boys of his age, Ronald was well dressed in his overly baggy red shirt and blue trousers, which hid his body fat. He went down the stairs with a skip. Today''s the day that young Ronald Bell will go to the Otherworldly Court. And he was quite excited. "Ah, there you are," Alan, Ronald''s father said. There was someone beside him. He was four years older than Ronald, with a pair of ice-blue eyes and white hair in the same style as Ronald''s. Taller than the boys of his age, he had a light-blue cloak covering his entire figure. "This fine gentleman here will bring you to the Otherworldly Court," Alan looked at Ronald''s would-be mentor. "Come on, introduce yourself." "Okay okay," he said, waving his hand. "Hey, the name''s Joshua Ruze, and I will be your mentor. I''m sure we''ll get along, kid." However, on that smile that Joshua gave to the young boy, it was strained.
Nights before Ronald''s Maneg Soul''s merging completeness. SPLASH "Wah!" Joshua jolted up, his upper body wet from the cold water poured over him, though he barely felt the cold his brain still registered it and forced him awake. He looked to his right to see Alan holding a bucket of water in a way that he had just poured it over him. "What the hell, old geezer!?" he grumbled. "Come now, I''m not that old," Alan calmly spoke. "You weren''t awake even though you were carried out of your apartment and droved all the way here. Quite a snoozer, you are." "Wait, what?" Joshua looked around, he was in the garden of the ill-maintained Bell manor. "How did you?" he asked as he turned back to the Bell patriarch in a bewildered state. Because going by what the Bell had said: he broke into his apartment, dragged him into the limo that was somehow cheaper than normal cars, according to the Bell, and drove him all the way here to be drenched in cold water since he didn''t wake up after all of that. It was fortunate that he lived away from his parents, he couldn''t imagine how they''d react. Joshua was from a small town and moved to this city to study. "I have my ways," Alan smirked. "Ugh," Joshua groaned, knowing this was the typical Bell. "What do you want?" "My son got a Maneg Soul," was all the father needed to say. As Joshua stood back up silently and said, "I already have a junior to mentor." "And there''s no rule saying you can''t mentor two." Alan shrugged. "As far as I''m aware, the only rule is that Guardians can''t double as a mentor since they already have a role to the recruit." "And why can''t you do it?" "I''m too busy with mundane work. Haven''t you read the business section of the newspaper?" "I don''t read newspapers." "Well, you should." "Well, that''s rich. A money pincher like you buys newspaper?" "What? No! I only read it right from the kiosk and put it back." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Of course you bloody cheapskate." "Ahem," Alan coughed. "Anyway, I will call you when my son has fully merged with his Maneg Soul," he said as he walked past Joshua, going towards the limo. "Hey!" Joshua turned his head to Alan and exclaimed. "I haven''t agreed to anything yet!" "Oh, you will," Alan mused as he reached for the limo''s doorknob. "Besides, I will still impart Ronald with the family Order. So don''t say I didn''t do anything at all." CLICK PULL "Get in," Alan said, waving his hand to the limo like a butler with a warm smile. "I''ll drive you back home."
PIING Manegia Year 1392 After the spectacle of lights of many colors, which Ronald counted eleven, he was at the Otherworldly Court at last. While the boy marveled at the holographic screens of the Transporter Room, one of its operators swung his chair back. "Welcome back, Joshua," that operator of the Transporter Room, a young man, said. "You got another recruit?" "Yes, John," Joshua replied. "Alan strongarmed me to mentor his kid." "Oh, the third Bell, eh?" the operator, John turned to Ronald. "Nice to meet ya." "Uh," Ronald stuttered. "Nice to meet you too?" Were his family important? Was the boy''s question... And what did they mean by another recruit?
TAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP Going out of the dark cylindrical room, they came upon a girl, sixteen years of age, who was resting her back against the corridor and was furiously tapping her foot. She was about thirty centimeters shorter than Joshua. With braided pigtails which rested over her shoulders, and along with her eyes, was of the same shade as Joshua''s eyes. Wearing a brown top which exposed her navel, tight pants, and an unstrapped hooded overcoat of a similar shading, she wore what was essentially a rogue''s outfit like in those fantasy tabletops. Overall, she was quite attractive and Ronald being a growing boy couldn''t help but fluster. "Ah, you''re finally here," she said in an annoyed tone, standing straight. "Geez, what took you so long? Did you oversleep again?" Then she spotted Ronald, "who''s this pudgy kid?" And that ruined Ronald''s impression of her. "Hey! I''m not pudgy!" he complained. Also, how did she know of his overweight status under his baggy clothes? "This, Emilia," Joshua narrated, ignoring the boy''s cries. "Is Alan Bell''s kid, Ronald, and your new teammate." "...What?" Emilia stated dumbfoundedly. "So I''m getting schooled for the whole year with this kid? Are you even allowed to mentor two at the same time?" "Apparently yes," Joshua sighed. "So the old geezer made me do it." "And why''d you agreed?" "Because this is Alan Bell we''re talking about, the guy who had the bright idea to install his company to other worlds to spy on them and also definitely to make a profit out of it." "Oh..." Emilia shuddered. "What did he do to convince you?" "You don''t wanna know." "Uh..." During the two''s remarks about his father, Ronald stood there, not quite catching on to their conversation. "Oh, right! I forgot to introduce myself!" Emilia exclaimed, hammering her fist to her other hand. She turned to Ronald. "Hello, kid. My name is Emilia Willows, nice to meet you."
Practicing Orders for the first time was an ecstatic experience for Ronald. Afterwards, they went to the second floor of the Otherworldly Court, to the Fire Guardian''s chamber. Emilia decided to hang back though. "Yo, old lady!" Joshua called. "I got the recruit here!" "Ah, so the new recruit is here!" A voice of an old lady said. Going deep inside the fire chamber, Ronald saw the Fire Guardian. She was short, shorter than Ronald, with a greying long ponytailed hair and black obsidian eyes. Wearing medieval clothing, she has a demeanor of a gentle old lady. "Hello, miss," Ronald greeted. "My name is Ronald Bell." "Oh, so you''re Alan''s child. And polite too, unlike your father," the small old lady mumbled the last statement, being in front of the desk as it would cover her short stature. "I am the Guardian for the Mother Soul of Fire, I am called Gertrude. And as you can see, I am a dwarf." "Ooh..." Ronald was excited. It''s the first person he met straight out of a fantasy! "Oh my, he is full of wonder," another voice said. "He reminds me of when Alan first came here." Coming from the balcony, a well-endowed woman who was an albino, white long and wavy hair, and a pair of red eyes like crimson blood stood tall. She was wearing a casual red dress that exposed her bare lower legs and a sunhat on top. She was very beautiful and Ronald couldn''t help but blush. "Greetings, little Ronald," she greeted, pinching the hem of her dress and gave a bow. Ronald couldn''t help but stare. "My name is Rosalie Bloodlight, but everyone refers to me as Rose." "Woah... You''re so pretty, miss," Ronald muttered. "Fufu, thank you, dear," Rose chuckled. "I am certainly conscious of it since coming here, where I can properly see myself in the mirror." "Huh?" Ronald blinked. "What do you mean?" "Because in my homeworld, my kind cannot see oneself upon the mirror. But that rule does not apply in this world," Rose explained. "I am what people call a vampire," and she gave an open smile, revealing two sharp teeth. "Eh?" Ronald stood there. "Eeh~!" And shrieked. "Pfft!" Joshua couldn''t hold his laughter. "Emilia should''ve seen this!" "My, my," Gertrude smiled wryly. "Fufu," Rose chuckled with her hand over her mouth. "True, your reactions are always cute."
Spiri Raia Year 899 "Hey, Joshua," Ronald said. "Remind me why we can''t just have the managers put the report down and have it transferred directly?" "Because there isn''t any working Catalyst that pinpoints the coordinate for the transfer, and putting a visual feed just to collect a bunch of paper isn''t worth it," Joshua reminded. "And we only have the desk phone Catalyst the first Lightning Guardian made that can only send like ten words to the Transporter Room, so they''re only there for the managers to notify us." "And why can''t we just set the spot with our Order?" Ronald asked. "It''ll be inconspicuous to have rainbow lights coming out of the building, why do you think we''re transferred far outside of the town?" Joshua deadpanned. "Right," Ronald panted as he walked through the countryside. "Getting tired walking this long." "Oh, don''t be such a baby," Emilia chastised under the Otherworldly Court''s robe on top of her overcoat. "You need to lose some fat off of you." "Hey!" Ronald shouted. "Besides, worlds move around the Sea of Nothingness," Emilia continued. "The coordinates change every day." "Uh, no," Joshua denied. "The Transporter Room observes and transfer in a world by its maneg signature like our Maneg Souls, not by current positions in the Sea. "Fixed coordinates for that world only are established when a hapless Court Wizard gets thrown into there blind for the first time. So it doesn''t matter if worlds drift around, the numbers stay the same." "Oh, I see," Emilia muttered in understanding. "Um, what are you guys talking about?" Ronald asked, not understanding the whole exchange. They looked at Ronald, and then to each other, and back at the boy. "Yeah," Joshua said. "I''ll explain to you later." "Fine..." Ronald grumbled as they head towards the town where a certain Kirash noble resided, to the last Bell Branch Alan installed there before his son''s recruitment. That was twenty-nine years ago...
"By the way, why not set the coordinate outside of town?" "They''ll get mugged along the way, kid." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 1: The Return to Spiri Raia Spiri Raia Year 904 "Spiri Raia," Ronald muttered. "And we''re even going back to the same Bell Branch for my first mission." "Yeah, wonder if it comes to a full circle or something," Joshua mused. It has been five years since Ronald had become a Court Wizard. And much had happened, for better and worse. One of which was obvious. SHIING SHIING Both willed out their respective Cherished Armament. They both held an identical dagger, curved as it was designed for slashing in mind. The only difference was the colored pattern each had, it was respective of their Element Color. Though Ronald''s still has the lingering light blue of its previous owner, Joshua has the same color. Recalling it back to their Maneg Souls, Joshua said, "Let''s get this over with." "Yeah," Ronald agreed in a solemn tone. And the two Court Wizards ventured forward towards the town of the Illyer noble household. Though Spiri Raians would call it a city, it was town-sized to the two modern city boys.
"You know," Ronald narrated as they walked. "I recall father telling me how he and his team were the first to contact this world, in this kingdom even. And apparently, they got attacked by the local deity." "Oh that," Joshua said. "I believe it''s the greater water spirit, First... Greater Water Spirit Aquarius... of Spiri Raia or something. Damn, what a mouthful," Joshua groaned, struggling to remember the greater water spirit''s name. "True. The water spirits around this kingdom had seen their arrival and reported to their matriarch. Then she just came down and attacked them out of the blue, thinking they were alien invaders or something." "Hey, our predecessors were alien invaders." "Oi, we don''t talk about that," Ronald snapped. "Anyway, one of father''s partners somehow convinced Aquarius that they were good guys trying to keep worlds alive and even made a working relationship." "Yeah, but that doesn''t stop her spirits from spying on us." And the two eyed on a nearby puddle, where a bunch of water spirits, one glowing blue-skinned baby surrounded by tiny glowing blue wisps, were peeking their heads out of the water. As they saw the humans they were observing spotted them, they immediately scrambled into the puddle, fumbling into each other. "Even though they could let themselves be seen if they want to, these little guys are really used to their invisibility that they don''t know how to react to us," Joshua smirked, "Court Wizards are able the see them thanks to the Maneg System screwing around his world''s Fantasy Law." "True," Ronald added. "And by now, every spirit knows about this, and apparently the greater spirits told them to just run away if they saw our uniform and we see them." "Yeah, sucks that we can''t interact with them," Joshua said. "But on the bright side, we''ll never get trouble fighting a spirit art user since all the spirits would already skedaddle out of the battlefield." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "Though ''named spirits'' might stay their ground for their contractees, but it''s otherwise a good advantage for us." The two looked back at the water spirits cowering in the puddle. They were peeking their little heads out to just above the eyes. "Boo!" Joshua spooked. """Hii!""" SPLASH The water spirits made a fright and sunk themselves deeper into the puddle. "Heh," Joshua chuckled. "Emilia always finds them cute..." "Yeah..." They went silent and carried onward.
"Speaking of those water spirits back there," Ronald said. "I remember they have a hierarchy we can tell by their size. What were they again?" "Uh... Let''s see." And Joshua began, "those wisps are ''lesser spirits'' that follow a regular ''spirit'' that''s basically at least baby or a toddler at most. Then there''s ''intermediate spirit'' that has the size of a kid and ''greater spirit candidates'' that are teenagers. The greater spirits themselves are adults." "Wait, why are the greater spirit candidates called greater spirit candidates..." Ronald wondered before realizing. "Oh, right. The greater spirits are gonna kick the bucket by the end of the millennia." "Yeah," Joshua nodded. "And the greater spirit candidate they choose will be called a ''greater spirit heir,'' the rest are backup if the one they chose refused or something."
"By the way, did Spiri Raia got hit by the Eleven-Century War?" "Hm... No, as far as I remember."
The city... town which the Illyer duke household resided. Where they lorded over their territory in the Kirash kingdom. And as the kingdom was in the greater water spirit''s domain, water was the prevalent theme in these lands. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. As such, when Ronald and Joshua overlooked the Illyer''s town from the distance, they smelled the same fresh scent of water as they did half a decade ago. The territory lied in the northern part of Kirash, facing the capital to the south where there was the vast pond between them. The capital was smacked dabbed in the middle of the pond on its little island with three bridges connecting it to the nearest land in the southeast, southwest, and south. "You know," Ronald began. "Despite being the greater water spirit''s territory, this kingdom barely has any ships." "I know right?" Joshua replied. "This kingdom''s landlocked by the other kingdoms, ironically, so they don''t need battleships." He pointed at the vast pond. "That pond is like Kirash''s only large body of water they have." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "And there isn''t strong wind blowing over the pond so sails were useless, they were forced to row their boats," he remarked looking at one particularly transport ship with oversized paddles slowly approaching the dock. "Or use water spirit arts, and maybe wind spirit arts if they used sails though few would wander here." "And from the capital, I heard," Joshua added. "You can see the whole pond, so they didn''t bother having patrol ships and just send out spirit art users on a boar to deal with pirates stupid enough to sail there. "And by the way, did other kingdoms invading this place tried hauling ship parts to build it onshore and rowed it to the capital?" "It would sound plausible," Ronald remarked. "But I imagine the costs would be expensive..." "Hah..." Joshua sighed, facepalming. "Of course you''d think about the money..." "But of course," the merchant''s son shrugged. "And also, I heard the greater water spirit didn''t like her water filled with dead bodies, so..." "Yeah, pretty much," Joshua chuckled. "If you wanna take over this kingdom, you''d have to capture every town around the pond before sieging the capital through the narrow bridges. Otherwise, one of the towns will keep sending ships to keep the capital stuffed." "And with the relatively short distance, peaceful waters, and the fact Aquarius forbids bloodshed over water means that they could afford to not build many vessels as they can have them sail back and forth with the knowledge that it wouldn''t be attacked, even if it''s a single town''s ships supplying," Ronald concluded. "That''s the idea, but I cannot help but find it flawed." "Well of course it is," Joshua remarked. "Having two or three ships rowing back and forth to supply the relatively huge capital doesn''t seem plausible. But hey, this kingdom''s got many powerful spirit art users, they never get to see if it works. It''s no wonder they called it the strongest kingdom in this territory." "Arrogance much, I presume?" Ronald asked. "Yeah, pretty much," Joshua agreed. "By the way, if the capital did get sieged, what of the dead bodies that would fall off the bridge? Do both sides try their best to not let that happen lest angering their greater spirit?" "Now that is something worth thinking about."
Entering the streets, the two Court Wizards could see that the town was bustling with life. There were lots of people passing through and fro. """Hello mister guards!""" a couple of children playing waved at the local guards as they passed by. "Hey, now don''t stray further," one of the guards replied. "Your parents might get worried." """''Kay!""" Then, at an intersection, the Court Wizards saw some guy in a bizarre outfit that couldn''t be described in words other than it was blue in color gathering a huge crowd. He must be a street performer or something. "Step right up!" the performer announced. "You''re gonna look at the most spectacular water spirit art by yours truly!" "Ooh, a Spirit Bard, eh?" one of the onlookers commented. "Correct!" the performer, called a Spirit Bard, said astutely. "And now I shall show you!" And he took a stance, clasping his hands together. "Oh, water spirits, lend me your beauty!" And then the Spirit Bard spread his hands wide to the sky. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds. "Um... water spirits?" the Spirit Bard muttered meekly, lowering his arms. He was like a deer stuck in headlights. No matter how much he begged, the water spirits still did not listen to him for reasons unknown. But Ronald and Joshua, however, knew what actually happened. Because as they approached the spirit bard, they saw the water spirits around the Spirit Bard scurrying away upon seeing their standard Court Wizard attire just as he made his request and so couldn''t heed his request. But of course, everyone else was none the wiser. "Lady Aquarius ought to punish you for faking your relationship with her children," one of them in the gathered crowd scowled. "No... Wait... Please..." the Spirit Bard''s voice was weak as he fell to his knees, reaching out to the disappointed crowd leaving him. Now, the two Court Wizards would feel bad about indirectly sabotaging his performance, but they couldn''t care less. At least, they''re supposed to, which was what they did. CLI-CLIN-CL-NK-K-INK Though that didn''t stop Joshua from tossing a consolation coin when they passed by the poor man which he accepted graciously.
After the unfortunate event for the performer, they entered the shopping district where numerous street vendors were trying to pawn off their wares to every passerby. "Hey, you sirs in the robe and cloak!" One of those merchants called out the Court Wizards. "Have you traveled all the way to Kirash? Then why don''t you grab some souvenirs? I got lots of things here, like- hey! Where are you going!?" The merchant fretted as his potential customers didn''t even bat an eye. Turning right, Ronald and Joshua stood in front of a three-story building. It was not grand, it was made cost-effective in mind. The only thing that stood out was the large crest above the signboard above the door, the rusted bell with a tinge of gold left covered by a light blue cloth. And the name inscribed on the signboard, in the language of this world, was called The Bell Conglomerate. Incidentally, there were more buildings with the same crest and much more aesthetically pleasing too. But that was for attracting consumers, this building wasn''t built for that. After all, it was the Bell Branch of the Illyer territory, the central control for every other establishment it held. CREEK Entering the Bell Branch, the two Court Wizards was met with the relatively same lobby that they were accustomed to. It was empty right now, save for the receptionist behind the front desk which they went towards. "Welcome back, sir Court Wizards," the receptionist bowed. "The manager has been expecting you. I will escort you to the office."
CREEK "Thank you, Mary," the manager said. "You may leave." As the receptionist, Mary, left, the manager faced the two Court Wizards. "Thank you for coming, young master Bell, mister Ruze. And where is miss Willows?" But all he got was a solemn frown from the two young men. It was enough to give him the idea. "A-Ah... Apologies..." "It''s alright, mister Arnald" Ronald sighed. "You wouldn''t be informed anyway. Now, shall we get to business?" "Right, ahem," the manager, whose surname was Arnald, cleared his throat. He then produced a bundle of paper beneath the desk and an opened letter. "From your request via your other colleagues months ago, I have found the opportunity to arrange a meeting with duke Illyer by this letter of invitation he conveniently sent to me. He will expect me to come next week. "Also, I have compiled everything about the Illyers I could find in this stack of parchment." The manager handed over the parchments and letter. Afterwards, he asked, "but may I ask, why would you want information about duke Illyer before meeting him? He is a wonderful man, I cannot imagine him being corrupted." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collections Chapter 2: Background Checking a Duke "But may I ask, why would you want information about duke Illyer before meeting him?" the manager asked. "He is a wonderful man, I cannot imagine him being corrupted." "Hm?" Ronald raised his eyebrow. "What makes you say that?" "Well, you quite literally told me to ''find any dirt on him''." The manager deadpanned. "And that''s because, mister Arnald, there''s a chance that he might secretly be doing dirty stuff while ya''ll are not looking," Joshua casually stated, taking his hood off to get a better look at the parchment. "Yes, yes," Ronald nodded, reading his share of the parchments. "Please don''t address our lord as if he were some crook," the manager sighed. "I can see why you Court Wizards view nobles very badly, but not all of them are bad." "We know," Joshua replied. "But most of them are, we barely find anyone who remembers what the word noble even means! And those that do are usually dead, either in wars protecting those very corrupt nobles, or get murdered by their machinations for being too good and honest. "Besides, once they''re no longer needed, they''re pretty much cancer by that point." "Now, I do not know what cancer is," the manager commented. "But it can''t be that bad?" "Well, from what we''ve seen so far," Ronald said. "They would often ride on their past bloodline''s achievements and abilities even though they don''t even inherit it. And they use underhanded means to bar common folk with actual skill, thereby shooting the whole nation in the foot. "And you have certainly seen many gifted people or those who have worked very hard overlooked by the high society. After all, they work here." "Yes, and they have led this Branch to success and improved their lives, including myself," the manager sighed. "And I can''t deny that duke Illyer has wasted their potential." Ever since five years ago, the manager has been recruiting talented people that they themselves never knew they had it and grew the Branch with guidance of Ronald''s father''s guidebook. And now, they have finally caught duke Illyer''s attention, having many properties in his territory. "So in conclusion, good nobles die, so they gotta be at least shrewd to survive," Joshua said. "So we gotta check if Illyer could potentially do nasty stuff behind our backs, ''cause we''re gonna reveal ourselves to the only aristocrat that''s backing the first prince, whom we''re rooting for, "Since the other prince''s a battle-hungry arse looking to conquer the water territory. And our edict says that it''s better to have multiple nations with cordial relations than a single ruler that''s destined to become tyrannical." "Wait," the manager stopped. "So the reason to contact duke Illyer is to pledge support to get prince Albert to the throne?" "Oh right, we didn''t tell you that," Ronald facepalmed. "And yes, we do intervene in political matters because an unhappy world is a destroyed world. Even if the world is in balance, if its inhabitants are living horribly under the yoke of an iron fist, it might as well be dead. So at least, we try to make everyone live good lives, though we can''t help everyone. "Incidentally, we do mark a world as ''destroyed'' in that case, but recoverable, unlike an actual destroyed world." "I see," the manager muttered. "And that was an interesting philosophy too." "True," Joshua added, looking at the parchments.
"May I ask, the Otherworldly Court surely have nobles within the ranks, right?" "Hm... Yeah, kinda. But usually, they''re fallen nobles, before or after being recruited, and more or less jump on the bandwagon."
"Right, by this report," Ronald began. "Allister al Illyer, the current head of the Illyer family. With the rank of duke, his major accomplishment was his victory against odds with the invading Fichs empire. "Domestically, his territory was by far one of the most prosperous in the kingdom despite doubling as the first defense against any Fichs invasion. The people in his territory generally liked him." "And apparently," Joshua added. "His eldest daughter, Irene ir Illyer, named a greater spirit candidate, which was not surprising since the greater water spirit has always liked the Illyers. Though there was never an official debut, so it''s still a rumor." He turned to the manager, "naming a spirit here is basically contracting them, right?" "...Yes," the manager confirmed. "Although it isn''t the appropriate term, the spirits are not bound to the person who named them. But they do tend to be loyal to them." "And currently," Ronald continued. "He is the only noble that supports first prince Albert al Kirash and openly expressed dislike of the second, Van va Kirash." "So he''s supporting an entire faction?" Joshua commented. "Damn, he''s gotta be that powerful then." "Well, there were others who did back prince Albert," the manager said. "But over the years, they have either switched sides or mysteriously fell. It was only last year that duke Illyer became his only supporter." "I see," Ronald uttered. "Yeah, definitely has nothing to do with Van pulling the strings," Joshua commented sarcastically as he held the letter duke Illyer sent to the manager. "Anyway, it says here duke Illyer wants to invite you to his manor, praising you for this Branch''s prosperity and would like to talk over a cup of tea." Stolen novel; please report. Tossing the letter back to the desk, Joshua continued. "Pretty obvious he wants to drag you into the succession war which suits us just fine." "Yes," the manager nodded. "I believe he did. He has to shoulder an entire faction by himself, I''m sure he wants to gather allies within his reach." "Well, looks like this is all you gathered," Ronald stood up, his partner followed suit. "Anyway, we''re gonna go out and see this ourselves." "What!?" the manager exclaimed. "Then why ask me when you are going to investigate duke Illyer yourself?" "No no," Ronald replied. "Your intel is helpful, but we still need to confirm it ourselves. Also, we want to investigate any deep secrets the Illyer may have, something you cannot find." "I see, I suppose you have some reason to be as cautious as you can be," the manager sighed. "Well, on a side note, I see you both have rid yourself of that bizarre haircut the last time we''ve met." "Yeah, we''re just going with the trends in our world," Joshua shrugged. As the two Court Wizards were about to reach for the doorknob, the manager continued, "Also, Ronald, you have grown into a fine gentleman indeed. Lost a few pounds too." "Guh!" It was as if a figurative arrow struck Ronald''s head much to Joshua''s amusement.
When it comes to gathering information, the most cliche place would definitely be the tavern. CREEK Passing through tables of daylight drunkards, Ronald and Joshua went to the counter where the bartender was cleaning a spotless wine glass. "Your order?" the bartender asked. "The house''s recommended food and drink," Joshua answered. "Oh, and my friend here doesn''t drink, he doesn''t like the taste. Also, make mine light," The last statement was to cover the fact that Ronald was still a minor without much fuss. "Really?" the bartender looked at Ronald incredulity. "Shame, drinks here are really good, ya know?" he muttered as he turned around, shouting at the cooks in the kitchen the order. SWOOSH Afterwards, the bartender pulled out two wooden mugs, went to a collection of tapped barrels, filling one with some alcohol and the other plain water. Then, he went back to the duo and placed the drinks in front of them. "Other than booze, I only have freshwater," he said to Ronald. "Good enough," Ronald said. As the Court Wizards... well, just Joshua enjoying his drink, the bartender struck the conversation first. "So, you''re travelers? Where from?" "A faraway land," Joshua simply replied. "Right, I''ll leave it at that." The bartender continued. "And what makes you come to this place?" "Well, we heard about the lord here being favored by the greater water spirit," Joshua answered. "Oh! So you''re interested in lord Illyer, eh?" the bartender grinned. "Yes," Ronald nodded. "Can you tell us about him?" "Of course!" the bartender exclaimed. "Now strap in folks, this will be a long afternoon."
JAB JAB JAB "Hey, wake up," Ronald hissed. "Gah!" Joshua gasped. "Uh..." the interrupted bartender mumbled. "Was he asleep?" "Yes," Ronald answered. "He dozes off easily."
About half an hour, the bartender finally concluded his preach about the greatness of duke Illyer, which was mostly what the Court Wizards have read on the parchments, and then the food arrived. He put the food in front of his patrons. "That is quite the tale," Ronald perked, taking the first bite. "But it sounded too good to be true," he continued, swallowing first. "True, true," Joshua added. "Yeah, we get that a lot." The bartender shrugged. "But believe me, he ain''t like the other sh*tty nobles plaguing this kingdom." "Well," Ronald uttered. "We will be the judge of that." "Also, another," Joshua interjected, lifting his empty mug.
SHIING "Ei, the old man''s back," Joshua remarked. At the rooftop of a building owned by the Bell Branch which overlooked the Illyer mansion, Ronald and Joshua spotted a pair of floating black orbs floating in their direction. Then, nodes of light maneg shining different colors broke off bit by bit, revealing an Asian man in his forties wearing the same brown robe. "Ah, Daisuke, you''re back," Ronald said. "What have you found?" In the Otherworldly Court, there was always one Court Wizard who''s whole thing was about stealth, and Daisuke Fujiwara was that Court Wizard. As a Light Court Wizard of a modern world, he found out that the light light maneg emitted could be dispersed as the rainbow of colors that made the white color. Using this fact, he made an Order which covered his entire body, baring his eyeballs lest he wished to be blinded, in light maneg each shining different colors with appropriate brightness that constantly change to match the environment. Essentially, he achieved some form of [Camouflage] which was also the name of the Order. As to how that worked, who knows... "Only tax reports and such," Daisuke reported, presenting his smartphone, a piece of technology that will come in a few decades to Kaomagi Earth as long as the Bells weren''t tempted to make it now, which showed shots of the various documents on a desk. "And they all looked legit, no signs of embezzlement or anything, apparently. "Checked whatever secret rooms or basement they have, they only got traditional escape tunnels and confinement rooms with no torture section in sight. Somehow, they''re empty and have no signs suggesting it''s been used for quite a while. Though considering the second prince''s finished with everybody else, it''ll get filled pretty soon. "Other than that are whatever goes into getting the first prince on the throne which doesn''t scream underhanded for some reason." "I see, so he''s relatively clean in his house," Ronald nodded. "Well, you can go back now, just print the documents or something for us to review it." "Right then," Daisuke pocketed his phone. "With this, I can retire now." "Oh?" Joshua raised his eyebrow. "And what''re you gonna do after that?" "Well, you know," Daisuke said. "Finally realizing my dream of building a school." "Right, you always say you wanna make a school," Joshua commented. "I see," Ronald replied. "Well, my father has plans to build one too, though it looks like I will have to finish it." "Huh, what a coincidence," Daisuke muttered. "Considering it''s you Bells, you''ll definitely make a cheap one." "Oh please, we don''t cut back on service and products, and we don''t make them overly expensive either, just the appropriate price," Ronald retorted. "Profit is profit, no need to be greedy or you''ll lose it all." After the exchange, Daisuke said his farewells and headed towards the same spot where the other two Court Wizard transferred into Spiri Raia. Ronald and Joshua continued onwards.
Night on the third floor of the Bell Branch. "Haah..." "Hm..." "So, do you believe us now?" the manager said, clasping his hands together with a smile. Throughout the rest of the day, Ronald and Joshua went on a wild goose chase trying to find any incriminating signs that duke Illyer was like any other noble. Well, the results were not promising, at all. "Now don''t go plural on us!" Joshua snarked, slightly exhausted. "There''s got to be someone other than the second prince''s lapdogs dissenting Illyer." "Is there?" Ronald asked, also out of breath. "We even tried scouring around the slums except there aren''t any. We even asked the children, making us look suspicious with our uniform - the guards almost arrest us -, and they still answered the same! "What''s more, they all sound so genuine! They took great offense if we accuse them of being indoctrinated or brainwashed by spirit arts which there isn''t any evidence of it!" "Well damn straight!" Joshua groaned. "Now then," the manager said calmly. "Will you proceed as planned?" "Hah... Fine," Ronald resigned. "We''ll be back next week. In the meantime, we''ll discuss with the Guardians on how we''ll approach Illyer." "I see," the manager nodded. "Best of luck in the oncoming week for the both of you." 5, 23, 29 Interlude 1: Bunch of Experiments 3 Researcher: Amelia Rickens Subject: Amelia Rickens Test: Testing the properties of light maneg.
Experiment 1 Check if the dispersion property, first shown by Daisuke Fujiwara''s [Camouflage], can be performed by other Light Court Wizards. Test 1: Replication of [Camouflage]. Result: Subject successfully replicated [Camouflage] to the same degree. Test 2: The Order [Shine] in different colors. Result: Subject was able to have [Shine] emit all seven colors of the rainbow and mixes of these colors. Test 3: Dispersion through a foreign object. Result: When [Beam] was ordered to emit through a prism, the light emitted dispersed when entering it. End report.
Experiment 2 Testing the reflection method. Test 1: Ordering light maneg to reflect foreign light. Result: The created Order, [Mirror], was able to reflect light from a laser pointer with the correct trajectory. Test 2: Light emitted by light maneg reflecting by an outside apparatus such as a mirror. Result: Light emitted by light maneg was reflected when in contact with a mirror and in the correct trajectory. Test 3: Light emitted by light maneg reflected by the Order itself, without outside apparatus. Result: Upon the Command reflect, it was shown that additional light maneg traveled to the position where the Subject ordered the light to be reflected and done so in the same manner as the previous test. End report.
Experiment 3 Testing the refraction property. Test 1: Ordering light maneg to refract foreign light. Result: A flat-screen formation was formed out of light maneg which was able to refract a laser beam. A cube maneg formation was able to refract laser from a laser pointer when coming into the cube and then refracted back to the initial trajectory upon exiting. Note: It''s possible that water and ice maneg can do the same. Further testings will be needed. Test 2: Light emitted by light maneg refracted by an outside apparatus. Result: Light emitted by light maneg was refracted when entering a glass of water. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Test 3: Light emitted by light maneg refracted by the Order itself, without an outside apparatus. Result: Much like Experiment 2, light emitted by light maneg was refracted by additional light maneg traveling to the position and refracting it similar to the Order in the first test. Test 4: Refracting light coming into the subject. Result: Recorded in a camera, the subject was shown to be invisible when the Order was given to make a ''baggy suit'' covering the subject. It refracted the light coming into the subject when entering the suit and then refract it back to the initial trajectory once it exited the suit, preventing contact with the subject, achieving invisibility but there was still a slight blur. Note: Improvement of the Order of this test will be required. End report.
Experiment 4 Testing the diffraction property. Test 1: Ordering light maneg to diffract foreign light. Result: A maneg formation of a rectangle with narrow slits between them successfully diffracted light from a laser pointer. Note: Earth, ice, and any solid-based maneg Element could do the same. Further testing required. Test 2: Light emitted by light maneg diffracted by an outside apparatus. Result: Light emitted by light maneg was refracted when entering a diffraction gradient. Test 3: Light emitted by light maneg diffracted by the Order itself, without outside apparatus. Result: Much like Experiment 2, light emitted by light maneg was diffracted by additional light maneg traveling to the position and diffracted it similar to the Order in the first test. End report.
Additional note: during Test 1 and 3 of Experiments 2, 3, and 4, light maneg automatically lowered its intensity to zero, leaving a clear maneg formation.
Experiment 5 Testing the interference property. Test 1: Interference between two light maneg formations. Result: Using Young''s double-slit experiment, interference has been shown using two emitting light maneg formations. Test 2: Interference between light maneg formation and foreign light. Result: Using the same experiment as the previous test, interference has been shown using a light maneg formation and foreign light. End report.
Afterwards, Amelia conducted the tests for polarization and scattering, both showed the intended results. It was quite the spectacle seeing them in action. Honestly, Amelia doesn''t know what use all of these light properties could have on the field. Some like refraction, reflection, and the previously used dispersion can be used in Orders, but the rest would require some creativity to be useful for Court Wizards. "Well, whatever," Amelia shrugged. "Now to the final experiment for the day." Experiment 8 Test whether the wavelength and frequency of light maneg can be altered. "Right then," Amelia grinned. She hovered her hand over a cold plate of meatballs and... Follow as I order, emit in straight line 30 cm in diameter 3 cm in front of my right hand parallel to my right arm, do next two steps simultaneously, change frequency to 1 gigahertz, change wavelength to 30 cm. SHIING SIZZLE SIZZLE The white light coming out of her right hand faded but the plate of meatballs was heated seemingly on its own. I end my Order. With the Progressive Order terminated, Amelia made a jump for joy. "It worked!" she exclaimed. Tossing a heated meatball into her mouth, she conducted the next tests. Test 2: Omitting the change of one of these parameters: frequency, wavelength, or the simultaneous step in the Order of the previous test. Result: When only the frequency is ordered to be increased, the wavelength automatically decreased itself and vice versa. Omitting the simultaneous step yielded the same result. It seemed to be in the same manner as omitting either frequency or wavelength. For example, when the frequency increase step was given first, the wavelength was decreased automatically, the next step for wavelength became redundant as it caused the light maneg to change to the same wavelength. The omission of these steps will result in a faster Order but with a loss of Time Interval, however. "And now, the moment I''m waiting for," Amelia grinned, rubbing her hands together. Test 3: Forcing a light Order in which the frequency and wavelength were not in the electromagnetic spectrum. Stretching out her hand again, Amelia gave the Order. Follow as I order, emit in straight line 30 cm in diameter 3 cm in front of my right hand parallel to my right arm, do next two steps simultaneously, change frequency to 1 gigahertz, change wavelength to 740 nm.
Result: ~Removed~ DO NOT TRY THIS, EVER! On a side note, I really expected the Order to not work. End report.
Note: Get big brother to participate in the same experiment for more results. Also, the Order Step in Experiment 8 will be registered with the name [Spectrum Change]. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 2: Bonding Irona Year 593 Year 1394 in Manegia "Where are they!? Find them now!" Emotion suppression lifted. "Hoo..." Joshua panted, seeing as their suppression was down. "Looks like we''re safe here." "Yeah," Emilia said. "Good thing we know this hiding spot." "You said it," Ronald added. It was just a simple mission in Emilia''s homeworld, just observe some suspicious people attending a shady meeting inside a cottage hidden in the dense forest that made up a third of the land in the nation it''s in. However...
"Huaam..." One of the guards yawned, looking directly upwards as he did. "Huh?" he widened his eyes. Standing on one of the beams supporting the ceiling, there were three figures, two brown and one light blue. "Intruders!" the man yelled, pointing his finger up to the ceiling. Immediately, Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia dropped from the ceiling in succession. THUD THUD THUD "Protect the duke!" One of the guards yelled as others followed his words and surrounded the person in the fanciest clothes. TZANG TZANG TZANG But, instead of a fight, the three Court Wizards simply launched themselves to the exit, with some kind of magic propelling them forward. In a bewildered state, the duke barked, "After them! They cannot know of this!"
After which, the trio was chased by an entire platoon of horseback soldiers shooting arrows and spells at them. Now, they managed to hide in a cave hidden in foliage they stumbled into a while back. Of course, they made sure nothing else was living in there. "Geez!" In frustration, Emilia kicked the charred corpse of the monster that lived in this cave. "What is that all about!? You told me that ninja tactic worked all the time!" she snapped at Joshua, but quietly so that they wouldn''t be heard. "Excuse me," Joshua retorted. "Nothing works every time. There are always those people that break the norm, like that yawning guy." "Huh, he kinda reminds me of someone." Emilia deadpanned. "..." Joshua simply stood there with no defense. "Quite down," Ronald whispered. "They''re patrolling back to this area."
As the search party has not yet subsided, the three Court Wizards took rest inside the dingy cave, waiting for them to let up. "Why can''t we just kill them and be done with it?" Emilia asked. Ronald winced hearing the teenage girl''s casual statement of killing. "Because one of them is still those ''good and honest'' nobles as far as the public''s concerned," Joshua replied. "Better let them know that he''s secretly evil before we get him." "Oh, fine..." Emilia relented. "Hey," Ronald interrupted. "Can''t we just transfer out?" "By the time the circle''s complete, we would be skewered already." Joshua deadpanned. "And we''ll screw the transfer if we give Orders." "Well that''s just great," Ronald crossed his arms. "Well hey," Joshua said. "At least we know the duke is a shady character colluding with the local evil magic organization. Now we just need some proof and wipe them both in one fell swoop."
"Hm, I don''t see them anymore," Ronald reported, peeking his head out. "I think we''re clear now," he said, turning his head back to his partners. "Finally!" Emilia groaned as she stood up. Joshua followed suit. "This place is cramp," she complained. But as she took another step, she tripped over a carcass. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, falling over. GRAB "I got you!" Joshua instinctively caught her by her stomach. "You alright?" he asked, helping Emilia''s footing back. "...Y-Yes," Emilia said sheepishly. "T-Thanks..." "Ahem," Ronald coughed. "You''re faces are getting too close." With that, they immediately put some distance, with their cheeks as red as Ronald''s fire maneg.
CLASH CLANG CLASH On top of a tree, the three Court Wizards watched as the battle between the duke''s guards and this kingdom''s royal army unfolded in the duke''s mansion grounds. "Well now," Ronald remarked. "The evidence we piled up certainly paid off." "Yeah," Joshua nodded. "And the look on the royals'' faces was absolutely priceless when we dropped on them from the ceiling and tossed it at them." Stolen novel; please report. "Oh please," Emilia complained. "That was reckless! We just got chased around by a calvary the other day, then we got chased by the royal army. And both of them are right here duking it out!" "Well you didn''t object to it," Joshua defended. Kids, those troublemakers are slipping away from the south. Do catch them. (Gertrude) Right. (Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia) Responding to the Fire Guardian''s message from the Transporter Room, they scanned the south of the estate and spotted those purple-garbed mages shifting away to save their hide, conveniently in the Court Wizards'' direction. TZANG In a synchronized [Eject], the Court Wizards launched themselves right where the mages were going. THUD THUD THUD Making various landing poses, the trio unceremoniously stood up gazing at the mages caught off-guard. "You will not get away," Joshua coldly stated, as ice maneg gathered in his hand, forming a rapier. Emilia called her Cherished Armaments to her side and Ronald prepared his family''s Order, [Burning Fist]. Emotion suppression activated.
PIING Manegia Year 1395 KLING KLANG KLING KLANG Hearing the familiar noise when Court Wizards transferred to one of the designated spots as per agreement with the Four Nations, Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia saw the familiar town of Southwood of the Southern Kingdom. As always, the townsfolk turned their heads to them, seeing the usual Court Wizards, before resuming their business.
Hunting Guild "Ah, you''re here, you three," the guildmaster, Rudolf, said. "Hello, guildmaster," Ronald greeted. Emilia and Joshua also gave their greeting. "And I see you all have grown up a bit since the last time I''ve seen you," the guildmaster commented, looking at them. "You, Joshua, got even taller." "..." Joshua stared silently. Despite passing the age where he couldn''t get taller anymore, he somehow got a growth spurt and now stood over a freakishly two meters tall. It was quite inconvenient, finding clothes that fit. "While you''re much more prettier, Emilia," the guildmaster continued. "Eh? T-Thank you..." Emilia stammered with red rosy cheeks. After the last time she met the guildmaster, she too had one final development, giving her a more endowed figure but not too much that it''d impact her abilities and a well-sculpted face. All in all, she has a beautiful look that other girls would envy. "And you boy," the guildmaster called out to Ronald. "Good work ridding some pounds." "Gurk!" Ronald cringed. Was that all he had to compliment? What about his other growths? Anyway, how come people know about his weight problem? Was it his cheeks or was it because of the overly baggy clothes that people figured he was overweight back then? When father didn''t cut back on food expenses so his son would grow properly, how did he end up like this? Well, thank goodness for all the cardio ever since he became a Court Wizard. Now he just needed to put up with the congratulations of his weight loss in the next couple of years. But it''s not going to get rid of the photos Rose took from her smartphone that''s supposed to be coming in the next few decades in his world. And he highly doubted that the centuries-old vampire would give it up. Oh... He could feel those damn pictures haunting him one day. "Guhahaha!" the guildmaster chuckled. "Alright, enough pleasantries, let''s talk about the request."
Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 Year 1421 in Manegia "Hey, daddy!" Voice yelled. "You didn''t tell us you were chubby when you''re a kid!" "Gah!?" Ronald grunted, almost banging his head to the dining table, and showing the side he had never revealed to his daughter. "Oh?" Irene raised hey eyebrow. Really?" "...How did you know?" Slowly lifting his head, Ronald asked creepily. "Um, Rose showed photos of your younger self to me," Alicia answered. "I see..." Afterwards, Ronald did nothing but smile wryly in resignation during the rest of the evening.
Manegia Year 1395 C?A?W? ?C?A?W? ?C?A?W? Wings of a pterodactyl, yet with the head of an eagle. Tendrils sprouting below its kaleidoscopic body, the eagle-type Maneg Beast soared through the sky, raining pieces of its own body coming out of the appendages. 75.4% integrity remaining. TZANG TZANG TZANG And dodging these projectiles were the three Court Wizards raggedly [Eject]ing themselves all over the place. They also had [Barrier]s formed around them, but they''re for when they messed up and got hit. [Fireball 3] 12 times, 1 meter diameter. Large balls of flame forming one by one in front of Ronald. With his right arm pointing at the avian monstrosity, once all of it had formed, they fired themselves all at once. BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST C?A?W? ?C?A?W? 65.7% integrity remaining. Screeching in pain, the Maneg Beast released mini versions, D rank bird-type Maneg Beasts, of itself, expending its integrity to protect the rest of it. 60.7% integrity remaining. S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? Making an annoying sound, the D rank Maneg Beasts flew in an erratic formation, pursuing the Court Wizards in the air. Simultaneously, Joshua and Emilia formed dozens of [Javelin]s in front of them and launched them towards the birds with pinpoint accuracy, for their Maneg Souls were capable of taking a vaguer Order to home in on the Maneg Beasts. PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE One by one, the D rank bird-type Maneg Beasts dissolved into ordinary maneg as the [Javelin]s did not have enough ice maneg to mutate them into D+ ranks. S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? S?C?R?E?E?C?H? And then S rank Maneg Beast released another wave of D ranks, more of them this time. 52.4% integrity remaining.
"Man, that was tiring!" Joshua complained, stretching his arms. His cloak was torn apart. "That bird really had to make so many minions." "Aye," Ronald said. His outfit was also disheveled. "Good thing our Maneg Souls accepted ''travel to D rank Maneg Beast untargeted by other maneg formation,'' so they''re just an annoyance with the main Beast killing itself." "Yes, the Beast is gone, so no one will get hurt anymore." Breaking away from each other, the two Court Wizards turned to Emilia who was talking to a crowd of children of the village near the Maneg Beast. With her hood off, she gave a soft smile interacting with the excited kids. "Hm, once you get past the snarks, Emilia really is a kind person," Ronald mused. "You said it," Joshua agreed. "Achoo!" Emilia sneezed, surprising the kids.
Manegia Year 1396 "Is this a camera?" Emilia inquired. "The lens is sticking out really long." On the table, a black camera of a certain brand commonly found in many ''Earths'' laid there. As Emilia said, the lens was stretched out twice its width. "Yeah, it is," Joshua answered. "This thing will apparently start existing in about two decades and a half or so in our world." "Apparently, our tech friend here ''from the future'' really loves exposing us nineties kids technology from the twenty-first century," Ronald commented. "He lent it to us for the day, mostly to show it off." "I see. So then..." Emilia paused for a bit. "Do you guys... want to take a picture together?" she asked, with a hint of red on her cheeks. "Eh sure, why not?" Joshua shrugged. "Might as well use it." "But where should take it?" Ronald asked. "The spiral staircase we never used?" "There is a beautiful tree on top of a small hill near the border with the Northern Empire," Emilia suggested. "It''s said that it looks better at night." "Hm..." Joshua scratched his chin. "Sounds good. Let''s go there." "It''s pretty far away though," Ronald complained only to get stared at by the other two. "What? I''m stating the obvious."
"And... go," Joshua said, pressing the button, bending down as the tripod''s too short for him. DING DING DING With the camera beeping, Joshua rushed to where Ronald and Emilia were, under the beautifully sculpted tree which its falling leaves shine in the moonlight and the many stars scattered throughout Manegia. Behind them was the snowy land of the Empire to the north. Beating the clock, Joshua got into position, to Emilia''s left. He almost tripped from his cloak; Ronald and Emilia were also wearing their ceremonial cloak. "Cheese!" Ronald, beside Emilia''s right, exclaimed. And they all smiled. FLASH 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 3.1: Meeting the Duke - Contact Spiri Raia Year 904 "Lady Irene, please wake up!" "Hnggh?" Irene ir Illyer mumbled uncharacteristically for a noblewoman as she woke up and looked at the window to the outside. "It is very early in the morning, what is it, Layla?" She looked to her right to see a petite girl, who looked thirteen years of age, who has a glowing blue body, the spirit whom Irene named Layla. Despite her looks, she was a genuine greater spirit candidate - she had just matured into one. But even then, it was not every day that one would name a greater spirit candidate, her father named an intermediate spirit which was already impressive. In fact, never in the reign of the first greater spirits has any human name a spirit who could be their successor until her! At least, that''s what the history books tell. There were named greater spirit candidates, but they got theirs when they were in their previous evolution with their namers already pass away by the time they have matured. Perhaps it was the blessing of the greater water spirit Aquarius who favored her family that she was able to name Layla. "You got a meeting, remember!?" Layla chastised, putting her hands on her waists as if to give a lecture. "...Oh, right!" Irene exclaimed. "Exactly, now get up, you lazy bum!" And Layla pulled her namer''s blanket from her. Irene simultaneously jolted out of bed. CREEK And on cue, the maids came in. "Young mistress," her ''personal'' maid said. "We''ll get you dressed shortly." "Right," Irene said. "Thank you, Mia." "Our pleasure," the maid, Mia, replied. With two other maids besides the one who spoke to the noblewoman, they began to dress up their lady.
Going through the hallway with Layla by her side, Irene was outfitted in a formal blue dress that complemented her bright blue eyes. "Good morning, young mistress," a young maid bowed as Irene passed through. "Good morning to you, Tia," Irene replied. "Yoohoo!" Layla revealed herself, doing a peek-a-boo. "Eep!" the young maid made a cute noise being surprised which amused the greater spirit candidate. "Please do not mind her, she is how she is," Irene apologized. "Continue with your work." "Y-Yes, young mistress." The young maid bowed again and scurried off. "Layla, please do not scare the new maid," Irene chastised the named spirit. "It was fun!" Layla shrugged. "Hah..." the noblewoman sighed. "On the side note, I recall Tia was Mia''s younger sister, correct?" "Yeah," Layla nodded. "Their parents must''ve been really lazy naming their kids!" "Layla..." "Anyway," the water spirit continued. "That''s a pretty dress you got." "Oh, this?" Irene twirled her outfit. It was a beautiful blue dress with embroidery that made a tribute to the greater water spirit, the hue matched her bright blue eyes. "Yep, never seen you wear that." "Well, I suppose I never had the chance to wear this. Our meetings with prince Albert has always been casual and I only strolled in the city and that is it, this dress is not appropriate for that and ." "Oh yeah, you never even went to the capital since your dad won''t let you near that ''big bad wolf'' who''s apparently the second prince." Layla made a wolf impression as she said this. "Yes, and it was quite childish for father''s part," Irene chuckled. "And speaking of father, he told me to wake up early to prepare for whose meeting again?" "Uh... some merchant named Ralph Arnald." "Ah, yes. He is a merchant behind Bell Conglomerate. I have seen a couple of establishments under that name in the past few years in this city, so father wanted to meet him for a partnership of sorts." "So he''s pretty important?" "Yes. With our family being the last pillar for prince Albert, father is hoping for the most successful merchant in our territory for his support and also to make sure prince Van does not get him." Irene continued. "And why did he have the meeting early in the morning again?" Layla asked. "Father is very busy. I suppose he could only squeeze it to this time frame, so he thought to treat the guest breakfast as well. Also, father wanted to give me experience in these sorts of things seeing as I would take over as the head of the family." "Mhmm," Layla hummed. "Since prince Albert''s smitten with your lil'' sis." "And father did not mind transferring our engagement to Elaine seeing as she fell in love with prince Albert too. Me and prince Albert were never an item anyway." Irene sighed, "honestly, I do not know how they fell for each other but it just happened." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Aye, and those they''re being lovebirds in public too!" "Fufu," Irene chuckled at the greater water spirit candidate''s antics as they were nearing the dining hall. "Speaking of prince Albert," Layla continued. "He''s here, right?" "Yes," Irene nodded. "Father planned to surprise the guest with his presence, to get the meeting straight to the point."
"Well, at least you got a good excuse to wear that pretty dress," Layla remarked. "Yes," Irene looked down at her dress. "And it does feel right as well."
CREEK With the house servants opening the door for their young mistress, Irene and Layla entered the dining hall. Sitting at the dining table, there was her father, Allister, in the middle of the right side of the table, her mother, Isabelle, to his right, and her sister, Elaine, one seat to his left along with prince Albert beside her. Floating above her father was a glowing blue boy below ten in age, the intermediate water spirit her father named. "You look sleepy, Elaine," Albert commented to his fiancee. "Well, I had to wake up early to properly dress up for this occasion," Elaine replies. "Does it really take long to wear your dress?" "Good morning, father," Irene greeted, unknowingly interrupted the lovers'' conversation. "Mother, sister, your highness." She looked up to the intermediate spirit, "Neptune." "Hello," Layla waved her glowing blue hand lazily. "Ah, good morning, Irene, Layla" her father, Allister, was the first to greet back. Afterwards, the others exchanged their greetings before Irene sat between her father and sister. CREEK And on cue, a butler came in from the other door. "Sir," he said while bowing. "Ralph Arnald of Bell Conglomerate and his entourage are here." "Right on time," Allister mused. "Let them in." "As you will, sir," the butler replied and stepped away from the entrance and opened it wide. CREEK Behind the door, they saw the elderly man in a rather nice suit fitting for a merchant, but it was his companions that interested them. The one to the merchant''s left was freakishly tall, might be the tallest man they have ever seen along with his exotic white hair of a foreign yet fine cut and a pair of ice-blue eyes. He wore a hooded cloak with the same shade as his eyes which he took off and hanged it on the hanger himself, despite the butler prompting to do it for him. Under the cloak was an odd grey themed clothing, Irene does not recognize the design, she knew the fashion of other territories and this does not ring any bells, no pun intended. The other man to the elderly''s right was at a reasonable height, about as tall as prince Albert. With a contrasting combination of dark red hair of a similar hairdo and deep blue eyes, he looked pretty young, about the same age as Irene. He too wore a hooded cloak, except it was red in color which its shade does not match his hair. At the same time as the tall man, he took it off and hanged it beside the light blue cloak, also ignoring the butler who was supposed to do it for them. Again, similar to the white-haired man, he wore a similar strange clothing, but in the same shade as his hair and in a slightly different design as the grey clothing. It fit him rather nicely but it looked very old as if it was passed down from generation to generation. Also, Irene felt something she has never felt before looking at the dark-red haired young man. "Uuh..." Banishing her thoughts of him, Irene looked back and was surprised to see Layla shivering, with her expression showing genuine fear. "Layla," Irene whispered to her. "What is wrong?" "T-Those two guys," Layla stuttered. "T-They''re... dangerous..!" "Huh?" Irene raised her eyebrow. "What made you say that?" "...I can''t tell you," the water spirit quipped. "Huh?" Irene blinked. "Hm? What is the matter, Neptune?" Allister whispered. "Scary...!" Neptune said, completely spooked. Turning to her side, Irene saw that the child-sized water spirit too was terrified before the young men in front of them. However, they could not ponder further as the guests had seated and it would be rude to talk amongst themselves further. Incidentally, as the guests had taken their seats, the two water spirits immediately ducked, hiding behind their namers.
Minutes before the encounter, walking through the corridor filled with a bunch of paintings that would never be in the mansion of the Bells, Ronald once again readjusted the tie of his suit under his cloak while the butler guided him, Joshua, and the Bell Branch manager. Haven''t asked, but looks pretty old. (Joshua) Hm? Well, it''s passed down from my grandfather. Still in good quality as well. ...Huh, never thought I''d see a kid being proud of hand-me-downs. Can''t you just buy a new one, like how you made me buy my own suit? It''s your idea for us to look all fancy and stuff. (Joshua) Oh please, the money you get from missions came from us. So technically, I paid for your suit.
CREEK Damn, they''re all blondies, even the prince who''s there too. (Joshua) As the butler opened the door wide, the Court Wizards met the Illyers and prince Albert face to face. As Joshua said in [Telepathy], the father, the mother, the eldest daughter, the younger daughter, and even the prince all share the same shade of blond as their hair color. Looking towards the eldest daughter, as Ronald took off his cloak and hung it on the hanger, unaware of the butler trying to help him do it, he spied the water spirit behind her who immediately shivered in fear. And the rumors about the eldest daughter of the house naming a greater spirit candidate was true, though she looked like she just became one. Pretty much... Though, weirdly, she and that other spirit behind duke Illyer recognize us. Pretty sure they only know us by our robe, not that I wear it so those spirits last week probably assumed I''m a Court Wizard too after seeing you. Or is it because we made eye contact? (Joshua) Hm... If I recall, spirits here can sense our souls, correct? Father mentioned how the greater water spirit commented that their souls are incomplete yet at the same time it is. Probably so they could discern good and bad people to get named by. Now that you mentioned it, yeah. Though it could be eye contact since they''d obviously know if they were seen when they''re supposed to be hidden and that means us Court Wizards. (Joshua) Yes, and there aren''t any humans with mystic eyes or anything that lets them see spirits that made themselves hidden. So they should conclude that it''s us when they''re spotted. Yeah. And by the way, is just the greater spirit candidate your spotting? (Joshua) ...Cough, cough. None of your concern. The boys ended their mind conversation as they seated, noticing the two water spirits ducking behind their namers. Taking a good look at the eldest daughter once more, he noticed how she looked sleepy, not like Joshua, but just lacking sleep in general. Well, judging by her attire, she must have woken up early to get dressed up like a little kid by her maids. But really though, what are you staring at? Assets? (Joshua) None. Of. Your. Business. Anyway, it was fortunate that early morning in this part of Spiri Raia was before noon in their world, so the breakfast duke Illyer invited them to was lunch for these Court Wizards and not to mention they didn''t need to wake up at crack dawn. And duke Illyer started first, "Thank you for coming, mister Arnald. I am the head of this ducal house, Allister al Illyer." Gesturing his hand to his family, "this is my wife, Marisa, my eldest daughter, Irene, and my youngest daughter, Elaine. And the young man beside Elaine is..." "Albert al Kirash, first prince of the Kirash kingdom," the prince finished for the duke. "A pleasure to meet the most successful merchant in this city." "I see," the manager simply nodded, as if it were natural. "A pleasure to meet you as well, your highness." "...Right," Albert replied, raising his eyebrow. He totally expects the manager to look all surprised. (Joshua) Yes, good thing we knew beforehand. "Ahem," Allister coughed. "In any case, might you introduce these fine young men are?" Showtime. (Joshua) "Ah, yes," the manager cleared his throat. He first gestured to Joshua, "this man here is Joshua Ruze, a good friend to," then to Ronald, "this gentleman here who is the heir to the Bell Conglomerate, Ronald Bell, son of Alan Bell, the owner of the company I work for." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 3.2: Meeting the Duke - Initial "...this gentleman here who is the heir to the Bell Conglomerate, Ronald Bell, son of Alan Bell, the owner of the company I work for," the manager said. Hearing this, Irene recalled the discussion with her father before meeting the merchant, she had almost forgotten it.
"Ralph Arnald is not the leader of Bell Conglomerate?" Irene inquired. "Yes," her father, Allister, nodded. "He is just a manager of the branch in this city. Aptly, it is referred to as a Bell Branch." "I see. I suppose he is a good one being able to raise multiple establishments over the past few years, I can see why you wanted his support, father. But then, who is the leader?" "He is called Alan Bell, which would make the name of the company his family''s namesake. However, his existence was questionable at best." "Huh?" Irene raised her eyebrow. "How so?" "One, no one knows where he is from nor his current location, not even his face. "He is said to come into a city, establish a Branch, pick someone from the city to be its manager, and just leave to let the manager ''grow'' the Branch as they see fit. "Occasionally, he would come back to those Branches to check on the managers'' progress. But, no one knows when that happened, the managers never divulge it, a testament to their loyalty to him." "I see," Irene uttered. "I suppose he is an eccentric sort?" "Perhaps. Maybe he thought having the leader of a mercantile company an enigma would add some sort of an appeal, or it could be that Bell Conglomerate was really led by those Bell Branch managers with Alan Bell being entirely a fabrication which would explain the secrecy of their occasional meetings with him. "However it is, it also makes the location of the main Branch unknown, even if you knew where all the Branches are. That is why I invited Ralph Arnald, as contacting Alan seemed unlikely."
And here was the young man the Bell Branch manager claimed to be Alan''s son, Ronald. So that''s why he sat directly in front of her father. "Truly?" Allister piqued. "Is he really the son of Alan Bell?" "Yes," the manager said. "He has the family''s red hair." "Is that important? I have never heard that the Bells all have red hair." "Ah, forgive me, I must have failed to spread that information then," the manager apologized. "But yes, red hair is the trait of young master Ronald''s family and it was one of the things master Alan told me to spread awareness of." "Well, no harm done," the duke mused. "And since it is your word, mister Arnald," he then turned to Ronald, "I will believe that you are his son, mister Bell." "Why thank you, duke Illyer," Ronald replied. "Your welcome. But still," Allister said. "It is most intriguing to see the son of Alan Bell when I have only invited you, mister Arnald. I never thought a Bell would answer my invitation." "Yes," the prince, Albert al Kirash, interjected. "And I thought my presence would be surprising enough. But it seemed to be not the case, rather it was us who were caught off guard." "I see," the manager chuckled. "Well do forgive us for surprising you instead, your highness." "Apology accepted." "But anyway," Allister continued. "What is the purpose of your sudden invitation, mister Bell?" "Well, I will take over as the head of the Conglomerate in the future, so my father wanted me to have experience beforehand," Ronald answered, which was within the Bell textbook. "And I heard mister Arnald was invited by you, duke Illyer. So I said to myself, why not? And I brought my friend with me as well." "Yo," Joshua waves casually. Now a noble would be offended by his demeanor. But if duke Illyer was that kind of aristocrat, they wouldn''t even have this meeting, to begin with. "So anyway," Ronald continued. "I''ll take over the manager in the talking, duke Illyer if you don''t mind." "I do not mind. But, this makes a coincidence," Allister mused. "I too intend for my eldest daughter to be acquainted in talks such as these," he said while also briefly signaling his daughter, it did not escape Ronald''s eyes. "Greetings, mister Ronald Bell. My name is Irene ir Illyer," the eldest daughter, Irene, bowed in her seat. "Pleasure to meet you." "Nice to meet to too," Ronald replied. What a pretty voice... and... Again, what''re you looking at? (Joshua) Shut up. "Though due to the importance of this meeting, I will still be the primary negotiator," Allister continued. "And I presume you know that my invitation is not just a casual invite for breakfast, correct?" "Of course," Ronald nodded. We did spy on him for the whole week. "Good," Allister said. "We will talk after we eat." He turned to the house servants, "bring the food." """Yes, sir,""" all of the servants of the mansion said in unison and left for the kitchen. Soon enough, a bunch of maids came out from the kitchen carrying trays. They surrounded the dining table, to each member in the table, and placed the contents one by one in front of them. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. CLAM-CAP "Careful now," Joshua said. Ronald turned to see that his friend had caught his tray as the maid, who looked frail, had carried the tray with both hands tried to hold it with one to have the other put the tray''s contents to the table almost dropped it due to being too heavy for her. "I''ll put it down myself," Joshua continued as he gently nudged the maid to let the tray go. He then placed it on his part of the dining table and slowly took the dishes on the tray to the table one by one. "Ah, forgive her," Allister immediately said. "Willow always had a weak body." "I''m so terribly sorry sir!" the maid, Willow, frantically bowed at Joshua. "It''s alright," Joshua replied as he put the last thing on the tray, a glass of water. "Everythings fine." Her name reminds me of... Yeah... Even her hair color''s the same, just paler. (Joshua) "I-Is there something wrong, sir?" the pale-blue haired maid questioned meekly, no doubt she had seen Joshua''s look of melancholy. "No, just an inner thought," Joshua replied, banishing such expression. "Don''t mind it." "Right," Willow bowed again. "Sorry again for making you put the food yourself, sir!" And promptly left with the empty tray she took from the table after Joshua handed it over to her. We ought to check on her after this. (Joshua) Indeed. Sighing, as Ronald too had felt what Joshua felt moments ago, he looked over his lunch, er... breakfast. Ah, classic medieval food. (Joshua) Yes, the stuff we never eat. And we''re gonna need to eat in a restaurant again after this. (Joshua) Yep, Ronald finished the [Telepathy] as he picked up the slab of bread with his fork. And surprisingly, people here don''t eat fish. Did Aquarius ban fishing or something? (Joshua)
"I heard that each establishment have a bell attached to the door frame so that it would chime whenever someone enters, is that true?" Irene asked. "I have never been to one of their establishments before." She totally should go out more often. (Joshua) "Yes," the manager answered. "As the bell is in our crest, it is only appropriate to have such a thing." "But the main Bell Branch building seemed to not have it according to the messenger I sent," Allister interjected. Come to think of it, when we entered the Bell Branch, why didn''t the bell ring? Yeah, what happened to one of the only things you guys splurged on? (Joshua) "Ah," the manager quipped. "It broke. A brutish associate of young master Ronald was in a sense of euphoria and violently swung the door which somehow snapped it. That was the last spare." Oh, that guy. (Joshua) Hm, I ought to make him replace those broken bells. Yeah, especially when even that bell''s a cheap toy. You guys don''t even try to get the same model, just the shoddiest version on the market at the time which you only bought a dozen and dump''em all on the manager. (Joshua) Your right, maybe we should build a factory to manufacture cheaper bells. Hah... I give up. (Joshua)
"I do hope that the food satisfied you, honored guests," Allister said as the maids picked up the dirty dishes. "Yes," the manager nodded. "It is quite excellent. As expected of a duke family." "Hm, yes, it''s good," Ronald said. Joshua nodded at the same time. Yeah right, it''s tasteless. And bread''s hard too. (Joshua) Don''t say that. We simply have a more advanced palate. (Ronald) Well, that''s rich coming from you. Pun fully intended. Oh right, you didn''t cut back on food budget, chubby boy. (Joshua) Don''t remind me that. "Wonderful," Allister said. "We shall proceed with our talks over tea." On cue, a butler came in with a teapot surrounded by teacups with stacks of saucers on a tray in his hand. He circled around the dining table, filling each cup, and laid it on the table one by one. Ronald lifted the cup, gazing at the nice color of the tea, and also the watery aesthetics of the porcelain, gently blowing it before taking a sip. It''s bitter. (Joshua) Of course it is. It''s tea. "Sugar, sir?" the butler offered Joshua, showing the jar of sugar cubes. No doubt he''d seen his expression. "Yes." Joshua lifted his cup to the butler. "Three drops." "Very well." With a tweezer, the butler dropped three sugar cubes into Joshua''s drink. SPLISH SPLASH SPLISH Joshua took another sip. "Much better," he said. "Your welcome, sir," the butler said before Joshua could even thank him. He took a bow and proceeded with his work. "Alright then, mister Bell," Allister said. "May I begin first?" "Sure," Ronald replied. "Right." The duke began, "currently, this kingdom is in a succession struggle as the aging king suffered an illness that will eventually claim his life. And this illness left him unconscious for most of the time so he could not name his successor, causing the crisis. "There are two factions: the first prince Albert''s faction, my faction, and the second prince Van''s faction." "And you''re the only one on prince Albert''s faction," Ronald continued for him. "Yes, I did my homework before coming here." The duke was silent at first, but kept his calm and continued, "Yes. At first, both sides were of equal match. But, as time went on, I became the sole supporter of prince Albert and it was because of my status that this faction remains standing." "So what happened to your allies?" Ronald asked, not that he needed to, but hey. "The second prince, I admit, was a shrewd individual, not to mention the king favored him. So one by one, the other nobles were lured into him, by bribery, blackmail, or both. Otherwise, they would be eliminated." The duke explained in a somber tone. Prince Albert wore a similar expression. Typical. (Joshua) "Then what makes you?" Ronald asked, his chin resting on his hands. "What made you stick to prince Albert?" "Because prince Van unfit for the throne," Allister simply said. "I have seen him with my own eyes, despite his intellect, he will drive this kingdom to ruin, especially when he seeks to invade the Fichs empire and I, being the one to repel them when they invaded, know that it is a foolish endeavor. "Prince Albert on the other hand has s good head over his shoulder, I believe that he can lead this kingdom better. Furthermore, his highness is engaged to my youngest daughter." With the duke''s casual utterance, the first prince Albert and the youngest daughter Elaine both flushed at the same time, not saying a word. Lovebirds. (Joshua) "I see," Ronald nodded, it was just about as he expected. Regardless, he''s still going to play along. "Then what has it got to do with the Conglomerate?" "Because as I am the only supporter of prince Albert, prince Van will undoubtedly be after me next. And your Conglomerate is the most successful in my territory, so I would like your support." "So it''s not just nobles he''s got?" Ronald inquired. Tensing up, the duke answered. "Yes, he even coaxed outside merchants to stop trading in my territory." "I see, mister Arnald did boast that his Branch''s kept this city afloat," Ronald commented. "Indeed," the manager nodded. "If I may, I did receive a letter from the second prince a while back. And the letter contained good offers from him." "Ah," the duke muttered. The others began to worry as well. "I''ve burned it just as you asked, young master Bell," the manager continued. "..." And this unexpected development left the duke party speechless. "But you already did your end to ensure prince Van didn''t learn about it?" the manager continued. "Yeah, we did," Joshua answered. "Um, what is this all about?" In the midst of all of this, Irene, the eldest daughter, spoke up for the first time. "Us pledging our support to you," Ronald answered. "...What?" After all of that, Allister now raised his eyebrow. Clearly, he was thrown out of the loop, as well as the others. "Right, it does seem like you guys will have to convince me not to join prince Van instead, seeing as you guys are the losing faction," Ronald smirked. "Don''t worry, we already intend to help you hoist prince Albert to the throne from the start." "May I ask why?" Ronald looked at the manager, who rolled his eyes, then to Joshua who looked back at him with a grin. "Because, duke Illyer, prince Albert." Ronald looked back to the duke and said, "we have another surprise. I believe the intermediate water spirit boy and the just-became greater spirit candidate girl cowering behind you and miss Irene should know." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 3.3: Meeting a Duke - Confusion "Wait, so you can make yourself visible to me, but not to someone else even if we are both looking?" Irene inquired. "Yep," Layla said, floating lazily in the air. "Right now, me and Neptune only let ourselves be seen by your family and the servants. Oh, and the prince too, quite an honor for him." "Yes, I recall neither princes ever named a spirit." "Yeah, they can chant spirit arts and the spirits around will perform it, but they''re never gonna let themselves be seen by them willy nilly." "Then why reveal yourself to me?" Irene asked. "Or any spirit revealing themselves in general." "Well." Layla hovered to the window, looking out to the vast lake of Kirash. "To us, it is the greatest honor to be named by a human. In fact, we even reserved our first reveal to the human whom we seek to be named from." "Ah," Irene noticed. "Now that you said it, I recall only named spirits were normally seen." "Yep," Layla nodded. "After we''re named, we''ll be less reserved to hide ourselves just like how I and Neptune were now." "Does it strengthen you in any way?" "Nope," Layla shook her head. "If it did, every spirit would''ve been named already." "Then why is it so important, then?" "Because," Layla looked back at her namer. "When you''re born, you have your parents to name you. But we spirits never have someone to name us, lady Aquarius didn''t. When we''re born as a lesser spirit, it''s just... ourselves. "And we saw how you humans-" But the spirit was stopped by Irene''s finger to her lips. "I believe I understand," Irene said, gently rubbing Layla''s cheek. "The naming is just a formality, what you really wanted, what all spirits wanted, is a relationship. Having a friend, be in a family, or simply to be with someone, right?" "Yeah, even though we spirits are together, we never felt any sort of kinship," Layla uttered, holding Irene''s hand caressing her so that she would not let go. "In the days when I''m just a lesser spirit following a bigger one along with a dozen others, it never... clicked. "Even when I became the spirit and having lesser spirit following me around, I had no feelings for them. And eventually, those lesser spirits promoted and splintered off. "Then, as an intermediate, I often watch humans going about with their lives together, smiling, laughing, being in each other''s company. I also watched the spirits I knew with their namers, they looked happy. And I wonder if I will never have that joy. "I really thought that would be my fate as I became a worthy candidate to succeed lady Aquarius until I met you. "And that''s why," Layla declared, letting go of Irene''s hand. "Even if it''s just a name to be with you, lady Irene, I''m still keeping it. Even if I were to succeed lady Aquarius and inherit her name, I''m still keeping Layla - I''ll just be called Layla Aquarius." "I see," Irene said. "And I guess you would not want to be in a bad relationship either, correct?" "Yeah," Layla nodded. "We''ve seen our brethren in that spot. It''s a good thing lady Aquarius herself told them to just leave them. And from their experience, we learned not to pick randomly. But admittedly, since we want to keep our first reveal, we had to judge character from just looking." "Then why choose me?" Irene asked. "Is it because lady Aquarius favored our family?" "No!" the spirit denied. "Lady Aquarius'' liking to you only encourage us to answer your chants and not the other if you were to fight another water spirit arts user. "But..." Layla went silent, then continued, "I do admit hovering around your household for a couple of generations. But all the heads seemed to get the fact that they''re blessed over their heads, my instincts tell me not to mingle with them. Ever." "Ah yes, I do recall that we had not named a spirit for a couple of generations. And our family''s power was gradually diminished as people thought the greater water spirit no longer favored us," Irene said. "But that changed when father named Neptune. Together, they led the charge and pushed back the Fichs, singlehandedly regained our former glory." "Uh-huh, there''s a reason lady Aquarius liked your family to begin with, and your father finally reflected that quality she saw in the first head." "But that does not explain why you wanted me to name you." "Because I saw you just like me. Even though you''re in a loving family, living in comfort as a rich girl, you looked like you never enjoy it. Especially with your former fiancee, prince Albert." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Both of us felt we were never meant to be together." Irene shrugged. "And we both know how he had feelings for my younger sister instead, so it was easy." "I still can''t believe you can say that so casually," Layla shooked her head slowly in resignation. "But regardless, that made you even more alone. And you don''t even go out and make friends, or what you nobles call connections, with other girls your age. You don''t even go out of the city, no doubt thanks to that Van." "Yes, father even insulted prince Van in public and told prince Albert to just come to the manor," Irene added. "And my interactions with the people of this city, whenever I strolled in the city, was mostly formal, that of between a duke''s daughter and commoners. "Yes, I do feel lonely too. The only time I ever interacted with my family Father was too occupied with the succession war, mother only has time to teach me and nothing more - she needed to support father -, and Elaine, well..." "Yeah, best to leave the lovey-dovey couple be," Layla muttered wryly, remembering prince Albert and her namer''s sister, Elaine, acting like they were already married. Irene chuckled. "I guess so," she said. "Anyway, I too thought I would live like this forever, at least until I got a new spouse and prince Albert becomes king, but that seems unlikely. Father tried to downplay it, but I can tell that we seem to be losing. "I really thought that will be my life until you suddenly appeared in front of that very window." Irene pointed to the arching window, where Layla previously stared outside from it. "Hm, I remembered it like it was yesterday. At the time, I had just become worthy to be a candidate for lady Aquarius'' title. I saw you staring at this window and after years of floating outside the mansion, I thought, this was it. I don''t know why, but my gut feeling told me that it was the right time to show myself to you." "And on that day, I gained a friend for the first time in my life. Layla," Irene faced the spirit. "Thanks for letting me name you." "Your welcome, lady Irene." And the human and the spirit felt each other''s embrace.
"I believe the intermediate water spirit boy and the just-became greater spirit candidate girl cowering behind you and miss Irene should know," Ronald said. "Eek!" "Aah!" Upon Ronald''s words, the water spirits Layla and Neptune simultaneously dug deeper behind their namers. "And by your whispers, duke Illyer, lady Irene," Ronald continued. "They were named Neptune and Layla with the former owning large eyes and the latter a long hair, correct?" He can see them? Irene thought. "Don''t forget the boy''s bald too," Joshua added. Even Ruze? "How can you see them?" Allister asked in a grave tone. "They revealed themselves to us, the servants, and the prince only." Her father was right. Layla and Neptune had only made themselves visible to the people of this household only and no one else. There was no way Ronald and Joshua could''ve seen them. And yet, these young men were able to tell the spirits'' outward gender and physical features. "Did one of us told you about them?" Allister inquired, tensing the workers of this house. "No, you were able to tell that Neptune and Layla were hiding behind me and Irene respectively. "Does it have to do with why they were so afraid of you?" "Yes," Ronald answered without hesitation. "Though for our part, we don''t know why they''re so afraid of us." "Then who, what are you?" Allister asked. His tone was not his usual, it was grim. And the rest shared this atmosphere. "Well, it''s got something to do with the symbol on our cloaks over there," Ronald pointed back, where Joshua already stood up and went towards the hanged cloaks. SWISH Pulling it wide, Joshua took his cloak off the hanger and held it high so everyone can see. When Ronald and Joshua came into the room, Irene couldn''t see what''s on the back of their cloaks, and she couldn''t identify it properly when it was hunged. And admittedly, she didn''t pay much attention to it, she was more interested in the attire underneath it. But now, she could clearly see a faint snowflake taking up most of the cloak and the bronze lining on the edges. The more emphasized part was the crest in the middle of the cloak, it looked like a shield with a spear diagonally across it and a contrasting colored scale in the middle of it. "This," Ronald began. "Is the symbol of our organization, the Otherworldly Court. Me and Joshua are its members, called Court Wizards." "The Otherworldly Court?" Allister muttered confusingly. He looked at the manager, which Irene also did, to find him rolling his eyes and calmly sipping his tea. It seemed he was not planning to interject into his future superior''s bizarre statement. "Right, it''ll be faster if we show you this." Ronald lifted his right hand above the table and... WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE Fire burst out of his hand, which then twirled around doing a bunch of tricks. SHIMMER At the same time, Joshua materialized a chunk of ice from his bare hands which he then threw it into the air. SHATTER It then dispersed into countless nodes of light-blue. It was a sight to behold as it disappeared before it could touch the table. "How is that possible?" Allister uttered, dumbfounded. "There are no fire and ice spirits in this mansion, lady Aquarius would not allow it."
"Really? You are sure there are only water spirits in this place?" Irene inquired. "Yep," Layla nodded. "As far as I know, there''s only water spirits hiding in the corners of this mansion and the entire territory." "I see. Well, I heard that it has something to do with lady Aquarius'' blessing." "Yeah. Some of us might wander off to another territory, that''s how you can sometimes request a different spirit art element. But we''ll never trespass the parts where the resident greater spirit pays more attention to like this place. Who knows what they might do to us if we trespass." "Is it that bad?" "Well, no. But still, you can''t be too careful, right?"
"...Was it related to how you were able to do it without requesting?" Allister deduced.
"Oh, water spirits, lend me your strength!" Concentrating on her imagination, Irene felt the link between Layla and the numerous unseen water spirits around her. Then, a sphere of water gradually formed in front of Irene. It rose slowly as its diameter increased, Irene also stepped back. Looking to her right, she saw the greater spirit candidate pointing her arms on the water, concentrating. SPLASH After it grew into an appropriate mass, it shattered into countless droplets in the air. Irene could see a faint rainbow from it. "That was pretty good, lady Irene," Layla praised. "You got the hang of this." "Thank you," Irene said. "I wonder, can you request without verbally saying it?" "Uh, no. ''Cause you have to request out loud so we know you want to cast spirit arts. We can''t constantly probe people''s minds just to know if someone wants to chant them, we''ll only do that after we hear it to know what arts you want to perform." "I see, that would be tiring and a little invasive to tap into our minds every day."
And after a brief moment of silence, Ronald simply said this. "We''re from another world." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 3.4: Meeting a Duke - Agreement "So essentially," Albert, the first prince of Kirash, pinched his nose bridge. "You two belong to an organization from another world with its members, including the both of you, coming from numerous other worlds including the world where your base is." "It still sounded preposterous," Allister, the duke, frowned. "Well, wanna go to our world to find out?" Joshua offered. "It''s in the table if it means to convince you guys we''re for real." "No need," Allister stopped, lifting his hand. "Your demonstration is enough to explain that you are of not this realm. Especially with Neptune and Layla confirming it as well." And speaking of the named spirits, in the entire explanation about Ronald and Joshua, they were still scared stiff, but they had warned the Illyers and prince not to interact with them at the start. But...
"Perhaps this ought to dispel your fears." Ronald rummaged his breast-pocket to pull a pendant of sorts, it has a water-like symbol that glowed in blue. And in just a glance, the named spirits widened their eyes. "...T-This is lady Aquarius'' seal!" Layla gasped. And it caused an uproar. "L-Layla, what does this mean?" Irene demanded. "Well," the greater spirit candidate examined the seal carefully. "The message in this seal says lady Aquarius approves this meeting and me and Neptune shouldn''t be wary of them." Afterwards, the spirits stopped hiding behind their namers gave their cooperation, confirming every word Ronald said, albeit still with stiff hands.
"Additionally," Allister continued. "You also proved your apparent ability to perceive every spirit in this room despite them hiding themselves." "Yep," Joshua interjected. "We don''t follow the rule saying spirits can be invisible to humans, the perks of being a Court Wizard." After the somewhat cooperation from the two named spirits, Ronald and Joshua took the time to point out every water spirits hiding in the corners of the dining room as well as their appearances with said named spirits confirming it, all to prove their claim as beings of another world. Naturally, each hidden spirit gave a fright when exposed, according to the young men and named spirits. "Ah yes, you called yourselves Court Wizards?" Albert inquired. "That''s correct," Ronald nodded. "Huh," the prince uttered. "It is certainly foreign to my ears, but I cannot help but feel that it is... generic when I say it." "Because it is," Joshua interjected. "And why call yourselves that then?" Albert asked. "Because our group''s called the Otherworldly Court," Joshua explained. "Gotta go with the theme." "I see, I will not pry further into that." Albert continued, "moving on, your organization, the Otherworldly Court''s mission is to ''ensure the balance of worlds.'' Then what does it have to do with helping me ascend to the throne?" "Because to us," Joshua said. "If the world is ruled by one tyrant and the people live like crap, it''s dead to us." "And it''s better to have multiple kingdoms in good relations than united as one where the ruler could become corrupt in power," Ronald finished. "That is... interesting," the prince muttered. "To elaborate further," Ronald added. "We aim to prevent the war the second prince wanted so badly with the Fichs empire. And considering how powerful this kingdom has become, he would probably try to conquer more, which would become as Joshua said. "Sure it''s probably just the entire greater water spirit territory, but that''s no excuse not to do something just because it doesn''t concern this entire world. Besides, a united territory with a warmonger as the leader could be the grounds for an inter-territory war." "I see, that is a probable reasoning," the duke uttered. "And I suppose I am partially to blame with my overwhelming victory against the empire. "Many countries made diplomatic ties to our kingdom after that, bringing trade and tourists that enriched our nation. Not to mention the surge of spirit arts users as of late." "Well, there is no use brooding over it, duke Illyer. So in conclusion," Albert faced the Court Wizards. "You want to support my cause to prevent my half-brother from becoming king and invade other countries, yes?" "Correct, and one of the next phases of the plan was to have this meeting with you," Ronald said bluntly. "But it''ll be less fruitful if we simply show up in your mansion out of the blue, so we decided to wait until you sent the invitation to mister Arnald." "Indeed," the manager nodded. "And speaking of the Bell Branch manager, one of the methods to achieve your goals is the Bell Branches acting to gather information," the prince iterated. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "It was my father''s idea to put the Conglomerate into the effort," Ronald confessed. "And I still do not like the fact that a wealthy merchant in my city was spying on us for an organization from another world, even if their intentions were pure," Allister complained. Well, who wouldn''t be displeased with the fact that a mercantile company was making a huge profit off of their land while spying on them at the same time? "Don''t worry," Ronald assured him. "They won''t pry into your darkest secrets, we do that ourselves." "And that would explain why some items in my office were shifted last week." Allister deadpanned. "It was our friend who did that," Ronald defended, but also confessing to the crime at the same time. "Both of us don''t have the expertise to break into houses unseen." "But your group still infiltrated my mansion," Allister narrowed his eyes. "Forgive them," the manager interjected. "They, the Court Wizards, held great distrust against the nobility, so they wanted to know your integrity beforehand. They even spent the entire day finding someone who held a grudge against you, which they didn''t." "Hm, I can see where you are coming from," Allister sighed, clearly speaking from his experience with his former allies jumping ship to Van''s faction when the prince bribed or blackmailed them to his side. "And none of this mansion''s possessions were stolen anyway, so I will let this slide considering your apparent support and the approval from lady Aquarius." "The approval''s only for this meeting and alliance, nothing less nothing more," Ronald reminded. "The greater water spirit wished to remain neutral, though she did wish you good luck." "As expected of lady Aquarius. Now, as to the former, what can you offer?" Allister inquired. "Despite all the lengths you went through before this meeting, we never heard of your organization until now - though lady Aquarius seemed to know -, that means you have limits in acting here." "You are correct, we tend to make ''ripples'' to achieve the change if we can." Ronald began, "but as to what we can do to help you, you might want to sit down." "And the tea''s getting cold, by the way," Joshua added, sipping the said drink. To be fair, one would forget the nice beverage they have when engrossed in such an exchange.
Looking out to the window from the living quarters, Irene watched as the Court Wizards and Bell Branch manager leave the gate. "Well, I certainly did not expect that coming," Albert mused, scratching his chin. "Right, Elaine?" "True," the prince''s fiancee, Elaine, nodded. "To think that other worlds exist and there were a group of people who would use their ability to travel between them for good. It certainly aroused my tiredness." "But I still find it hard to believe." Irene''s mother, Marisa, cupped her cheek in disbelief. "Indeed," Allister added. "And there I was contemplating whether to add our favor from lady Aquarius into the table, but it appears that she has somewhat already done it for us." "Still scary people...!" Neptune, who was dangling off of his namers back, cried. "Now, now, you will be fine, Neptune." Allister gently patted the spirit he named, and for some reason, the intermediate spirit dozed off. Sighing, the duke gently laid him on the couch. Seeing this, Irene turned beside her, where Layla was clasping her hand tightly. "Uuh..." the spirit murmured. "All you alright, Layla?" Irene said. Honestly, she had never seen the happy-go-lucky spirit this frightened since naming her. "Yesh... I''m good..." Though the tone Layla gave wasn''t promising. Irene could only sigh. "What makes them so frightening to you anyway?" "Well, if you''ve been living comfortably for centuries knowing that humans can''t see you unless you want to and then those Court Wizards showed up from a rainbow light immediately spotting you," Layla narrated, trembling in her words. "That flips your worldview upside down. Especially when I looked at their soul and see it all fractured yet complete at the same time, I don''t know a word to describe that nor do I wanna know how that works!" "Huh? What do you mean?" Irene asked. Layla''s rambling was so fast that she couldn''t keep up. And Layla ignored her question. "And it''s all the more frightening when those Court Wizards appeared for the first time, lady Aquarius herself came down to confront them!" the spirit continued. "Getting into a scuffle where the Court Wizards stood toe-to-toe with lady Aquarius before one of them convinced her to calm down!" "Really!?" Irene gasped, forgetting her initial inquiry. The greater water spirit actually went down and came into conflict with the Court Wizards and they gave her some trouble? Everyone else shifted their gaze to the spirit in reaction. "I''ll have you know I witnessed the whole thing myself!" Layla huffed, crossing her arms. "And come to think of it, one of them looks like Ronald, but younger. That was thirty-six years ago." "Could it be Alan Bell in his younger days?" Allister speculated, rubbing his chin. "Whatever. My point still stands!" the spirit scowled. "But even so," Allister said. "Their intention are good, lady Aquarius would not have a truce with them otherwise. And what they offered to us was very promising too and with what you have said, Layla, I am inclined to trust that they could uphold it." "Ergh..." Layla grunted, realizing if the Court Wizards survived encountering the greater water spirit who assumed hostility, then they must be competent. "But it still seems too good to be true," Marisa mooted as she caressed the sleeping intermediate spirit. "What they give us as support far exceeds what people would be willing to do." "True," Allister agreed with her wife. "They did mention that they still have their lives in their homeworld which, by their rules, takes priority. Though they had promised to send other Court Wizards in their stead when they could not. "But, I had primarily hoped for their financial support in exchange for privileges after it was done, but it ended with a better deal in our favor." "Too bad they ain''t assassinating Van!" Layla interjected, having regained her composure. "Layla, please do not say something so sinister," Irene politely scolded the spirit. "Yes," Elaine added. "Even if prince Van is a horrible man, I would not want him assassinated." "And it is best that it does not come to that," Albert interjected. "It could be seen as me murdering my own half-brother for the throne. All the nobles at his side will certainly use that propaganda in an attempt to take me down and seize power for themselves." "And I do not want to be bothered thinking of such ramifications if it comes to that," Allister added. "Even if it was disguised as an accident." "Right," Marisa sighed. "So, all in all, the Court Wizards are the best chance we have to win this succession war?" "Yes, we have to put our faith in them." Allister sighed, palming his forehead. "The war with Fichs decades ago was much easier than this." "Is that so, father?" Irene chuckled. "Quite," Allister huffed, facing his eldest daughter. "And on another note, what do you think about them, Irene? I did not exactly give you many opportunities for input, given the development, so I would like to know your thoughts." "What do I think about them?" Irene mumbled. "Well..." "Because to us, if a world is ruled by a tyrant and the people live like crap, it''s dead to us." Despite Joshua''s crude words, it did show that the Otherworldly Court has heart. "And it''s better to have multiple kingdoms in good relations than united as one where the ruler could become corrupt in power." That statement aside, when Ronald said it, it felt like it spoke from experience when she heard it. Can''t say if it''s right or not. And so, this was her conclusion. "I believe they are good people," she smiled.
"Now that I said it," Allister murmured. "The name Court Wizard does sound... common." "Right?" Albert smirked. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 3 Interlude: During Breakfast and After "Where are you from, mister Bell?" Irene asked while slicing bread. "A faraway land," Ronald swiftly replied. It has been the textbook phrase for Court Wizards whenever someone asked them of their place of origin. "And where is it, exactly?" Irene inquired further. "A faraway land," the Bell heir repeated. "And what faraway land is it?" Irene inquired again, with her tone getting annoyed. She''s not buying it. Well, we''re gonna reveal ourselves anyway. Why not tell her? (Joshua) It''s way too early to tell, they say that people are more willing to listen more open-mindedly after a good meal. Although the Illyers were the ones who needed the support, what they wanted was the Bell Conglomerate, not the Otherworldly Court Ronald and Joshua were offering. Though the Illyers were certainly desperate for help, anything offensive or bad impressions to the Illyers beforehand could hurt their chances for cooperation given the nature of the Otherworldly Court. Specifically, whether they will believe the Otherworldly Court with its altruistic goals and the existence of other worlds. "Remember, boys. Given your track record, any foolish acts could make you a sorry excuse of con-men and jeopardize the entire operation, do not make any slight of weakness. Is that clear?" And Fire Guardian Gertrude made sure to drill it to the boys'' heads. Hence the business suits from Kaomagi Earth to provide a bit more legitimacy of what they will reveal to the Illyers and prince. Right, but you gotta give her something to be satisfied with, for now. (Joshua) "Is something wrong?" Irene asked for all she saw was Ronald spacing out. "Nothing wrong, just in my thoughts," Ronald quickly replied. Literally. "Are you unwilling to divulge due to you, or rather your father''s image?" Allister deduced. "We will keep it to ourselves if that comforts you." "And my curiosity certainly will not leak outside," the prince, Albert, interjected. Great, they want to know now too. Should we spout some random territory? (Joshua) And then turn around saying we lied? That''ll make us less believable. Yeah, let''s not do that. (Joshua) Ronald looked at the Illyers and prince, awaiting an answer. Anymore dallying would be rude. So, with more brain-racking, this was all he could say, "In due time, duke Illyer. In due time." "...I see," Allister nodded. "I will be patient." "Sure," Albert relented. "As long as you tell us." That worked!? (Joshua) Well, they''re the ones who needed allies. So they''re also trying not to offend us.
CHOP SLICE CHOP "Your table manners are good," Irene praised as she watched Ronald gracefully cut his breakfast with his eating utensils. "You too, mister Ruze," she further praised, looking over to the tall young man. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "As my daughter said, though both of you are traveling, you maintain a fine cutlery skill," Allister noted. "Impressive." "We practiced," Ronald shrugged. And by practice, a week-long spartan training in eating food ''properly.'' I do not want to go through it again. (Joshua) Who knew Rose could be so strict and forceful when it comes to using a knife and fork.
"Tell me," Allister spoke. "Are you unmarried, mister Bell?" "Yes," Ronald responded without much thought. "Why''d you ask?" "I am simply wondering," Allister replied. "With the succession war, I admittedly kept my daughters sheltered. And so, they have passed their marriageable age," he explained while his eldest daughter, Irene, rolled her eyes. "Though my youngest daughter, Elaine, is engaged to his highness." "But we decided to be wed after the situation is sorted," Albert added, putting his arm behind his fiancee, Elaine, who blushed. How lovely. (Joshua) "His highness is engaged to your youngest daughter?" Ronald inquired regarding the two. "Not the eldest?" "Yes," Allister nodded. "Initially, his highness was engaged to Irene," he said, eyeing his eldest daughter. On cue, "But we both know we were never meant together," Irene finished bluntly. "His highness and younger sister fell in love with each other instead." Oof. (Joshua) "And I wanted for the best for my daughters, so I had no reason not to transfer the engagement," the duke continued, looking at the young couple. Whoa, marrying for love in high society? It''s gotta have some drama at least. Might make a good show. (Joshua) Quite, and it''s most likely possible due to being in the same family. "I see. It must be quite the tale for it to happen," Ronald revealed what was in his mental conversation with Joshua. "Yes, and it has left Irene with no partner right now," Allister concluded in a somber tone. He''s probably trying to hook you up with his daughter. (Joshua) As if, I''m just the son of a ''humble merchant'' who''s, albeit, pretty successful and she is the daughter of a duke. There is still a huge social gap, she''ll marry another nobleman who might be way younger than her. Sure... If what you''re staring at has anything to go by. (Joshua) I hate you. You''re welcome. ''sides, she''s kinda a loner by what her overprotective dad said. (Joshua) Well, at least we know he''s a good father.
CREEK Uncharacteristically plopping into her bed, Irene gave a huge yawn as she stretched her limbs, having already taken off her dress for something more casual. Just before, she overheard the maids gossiping over the recent events. "Poor Willow," Layla, who was hovering above her namer, grieved. "She can''t seem to get enough of it. The maids teasing her over tall prince charming." The weak-bodied maid Willow was particularly being in the center of it, due to her mishap with the Court Wizard Joshua Ruze. In any case, the maids seemed to fawn over the young men. "Well, are you okay now, Layla?" Irene asked the spirit, seeing that her demeanor has become normal after her and Neptune''s excessive fright over the Court Wizards. "Eh... No," Layla denied. "I still don''t think you should get involved with them." "Really? They seem to be good people with integrity," Irene concurred, looking up at the greater spirit candidate. "They are also philosophical too, what they mentioned at breakfast was one of their Three Philosophies. "It was what made their third rule of their Rules of Engagement, choose for the betterment of the world. It appears to be broadly termed to allow them to help us." "Hmm, I don''t know," Layla shrugged. "But Rules of Engagement and Three Philosophies sounds uncreative." "That, I have to agree," the duke''s daughter sighed. "Also, they''re probably not gonna be here all the time, they got their private lives in their world too," Layla said. "As they put it bluntly on their sixth rule to just save their skin if this world''s kaput, they might abandon us if it gets too tough." "Yes," Irene nodded, with her head still resting on the pillow. "And it seemed contradictory too. Apparently, the other half of their Rules are for their own protection." "Makes sense, you can''t protect other worlds if you died on one of ''em," the spirit bluntly stated. "Let us not speak something so grim, something else." Irene tried to change the subject, which she knew what to change into. "How about the outfits the Court Wizards wore. It looked very nice." "Um, it''s just a cloak," Layla said, confused over her namer''s fashion sense. "I meant what was underneath their cloaks, their suits as they called it." Irene deadpanned.
Walking out of the gate of the Illyer mansion, Joshua stretched his arms. "That went well," he said. "Indeed," Ralph Arnald, the Bell Branch manager of the Illyer''s city, nodded. "A fine job you did, mister Bell." "Thank you." Ronald readjusted his tie once again. "Honestly, the extra pairs of eyes unnerved me." "Yeah," Joshua agreed. "Dozens of maids and butlers lining up against the wall staring at us eating is just plain creepy." "Is that so?" the manager chuckled. "Well, in any case. Can you recommend a good restaurant in these parts, mister Arnald?" Ronald asked the manager. "Huh?" the manager raised his eyebrows. "But we just ate." "About that," Joshua interjected. "It''s noon right now back in our world, that breakfast was our lunch. And it ain''t enough." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "We are still famished." "Oh dear..." the manager furrowed. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 3 : For the Good of the World 1 Nameless World Under the Ground Year 1357 Year 1395 in Manegia With flashlights in each of their hands, the trio of Court Wizards navigated through the large underground network that the Fire Guardian Gertrude called home. Fortunately, the ceiling was more than tall enough to accommodate Joshua''s height. "Damn," Joshua cursed, shining the flashlight on the ground so he and his group wouldn''t trip. "This place is pitch black." "Of course it is, it''s a cave world." Ronald deadpanned as he carefully watched his step in the limited light there was. "I do wonder how people could even live here," Emilia uttered, traversing through the cave better than the boys, she was not even focusing on her flashlight. "Relying solely on pieces of rock that glow occasionally in the ceiling. ''Brightrock,'' they call it, they could''ve come up with something better, to be honest." Brightrock was the world''s ''natural'' lighting. It made up the rocky ceiling which allowed the unique flora to grow that in turn, allowed life to thrive in this world without a sun by substituting for it. The way it lighted on and off throughout the world strangely worked on a 24-hour basis. "I don''t know." Joshua shrugged. "But they sure would be helpful to us right now." And currently, the Brightrocks in these parts were off, so the ordinary contraption of the modern era was needed. "Well anyway, is it really fine to use these?" Emilia asked, shaking her flashlight for emphasis. "Even though we''re not near any civilization." "Yeah it''s fine, we''re not breaking the fourth Rule anyway," Joshua answered. "Besides, there''s a chance light Catalysts will run out of juice. And Light Wizards will eventually knock themselves out if they keep ordering [Shine]." "Not that there are Light Court Wizards with us," Emilia smiled wryly. "And the closest we have is Ronald over there," Joshua pointed at the other male in the group. "Except the flashlight''s better. "Although he could keep us warm. But then again, he could set us on fire instead," he smirked. "I am confident my Orders will not burn anyone if I don''t want to," Ronald sterned. "And I''m not a walking heater." Incidentally, Brightrocks also warm the area when it''s on, so it''s stupid cold on top of being completely dark right now, hence the Court Wizards'' thick clothing. "Oh please, your Maneg Soul prevents you from feeling cold, as fake as it is," Joshua pointed out. "Unlike us." It was true that Ronald''s Maneg Soul still inhibited his senses to feel cold, even after the merging. Though the scale was lowered down and his body still physically feel the drop in temperature during and after the merging, even though he doesn''t feel it despite his brain technically does. But the opposite was true for these two Ice Court Wizards. However, they technically don''t feel cold because they always feel ''cold.'' It was the same for Ronald; his hands were ''warm'' all the time, putting them in fire will not faze him as the temperature was already ''normal''. "And you have all that extra fat under your skin to keep you warm too," he teased. "Oi!" Ronald exclaimed, annoyed. He almost misplaced his step much to the older Court Wizards'' amusement. "I''m not fat anymore!" he continued, recovering himself. "Sure thing, kid. Sure," Joshua lazily waved off her free hand. "Anyway, we''re only transferred near the objective. Those two options ain''t viable considering how well we''re finding that nest right now." "No sweat," Ronald muttered, wondering if they''ll ever find it. "...Right, the nest..." Emilia, however, changes her mood suddenly. Reminded what they were here for. The other two noticed her expression, but thought nothing of it, as always. They believed they felt the same and understood her predicament with the ever-demanding missions they went through recently. They believe she''ll get used to it in due time - they certainly did. "You alright, Emilia?" But, Joshua couldn''t help but voice out his concern. Over the years, they all have gotten close together, always going on adventures together and all, but Ronald noticed that Joshua and Emilia were particularly closer. "...Y-Yes, I''m fine, Joshua." Emilia stuttered, not expecting it. "Why do you ask?" "U-Uh, just asking," Joshua made a fake coughed. "That''s all." Although it looked like them getting into awkward predicaments which ended with the two pulling away from each other, Ronald could tell that wasn''t entirely the case.
"There it is." From Emilia''s flashlight, its light revealed a tunnel without Brightrock - think of it as a cave in any other world with a sun, which in this nameless underground world translated to a cave within a cave, however, that made sense. GRROARR With the light delving deeper into the tunnel, numerous figures on four legs growled being basked in it. Various earthly minerals covered its fur, encasing it like a shell. They have the snout and paws of a hound but the ears and eyes of a feline, making them some sort of cat and dog hybrid. WHIMPURR If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. And behind these beasts with rock-hard skin were their young. Smaller and with smooth skin, not matured yet to gain the armor their parents have by however they obtain it. As how young living beings tend to behave, these pup-kittens looked scared with the sudden light invading their abode and the adults taking an aggressive stance to protect them. And one of these adults lifted its upper body and send itself pounding the floor. GRUMBLE GRUMBLE And suddenly, the world shook. But the Court Wizards had expected this as they had already taken a balanced stance to ensure they wouldn''t fumble over. "What were the locals called them again?" Ronald asked the other two, his hand holding against an uneven wall. "Right, they don''t even know they exist. The Guardians dubbed them ''rocked-skinned half-cat half-dog,'' I remember." "Well, they collectively called the wildlife here ''Cave Monsters''," Joshua explained. "Maybe our predecessors or a Wanderer coined the term, I don''t see people living here all their lives calling their cave world a cave." "Come on," Emilia interrupted softly, materializing her dual dagger Cherished Armaments. "Let''s get this over with..." ""...Right."" These Cave Monsters were newly discovered, but not by the natives of this underground world, but by Court Wizards - so they were never named. With the capability to cause earthquakes whenever they struck the ground, these Cave Monster could very well collapse the entire world. But they could be a peaceful species, only using their power for self-defense. Not much was known about their wildlife, after all. They also seem to hide away from other inhabitants, meaning they would not use their terrible ability frequently. So it seemed to be the case However, these are creatures ruled by instinct and they will eventually encounter the people of this world as their numbers grow. Whatever interactions could happen, the Court Wizards were not willing to take that risk. And so, the Otherworldly Court has decided to contain the potential threat. Extinction. Ronald and Joshua did speak out of the prospect of causing the genocide of an entire species, but the decision was final. Emilia seemed to agree to it as necessary despite what it was. All for the good of the world Gertrude called home.
"You know," Joshua started. "The Cave Monsters here can get very absurd. But there aren''t any bat Cave Monsters or anything close to it at all." "Perhaps that makes it the most absurd of them all," Ronald mused. "Well, I do appreciate you trying to lighten up the mood after what we just did, Joshua." Was all Emilia said, as they all stood between the bloody carcasses of the slain Cave Monsters, young and mature. None were spared. ""...""
Earth Base Year 2320 Year 1395 in Manegia In the world the First Guardians decided to use as the standard for categorizing worlds, which has now become a post-modern world, Ronald and Joshua always had to contain their excitement whenever they stepped foot in this kind of world they''ve only seen in fiction. Especially where and what they''re going to do here now. Emilia wasn''t excited either as they looked at the camouflaged complex entrenched in the middle of a rainforest of one of the largest islands of an archipelago nation in the modern era that has managed to keep its natural visage mostly intact after centuries of human advancement to the post-modern era. The Court Wizards themselves were hidden behind the foliage as two guards were carrying futuristic rifles in the front entrance. "So this is the place, Ben?" Ronald whispered the fourth Court Wizard with them. "Yep, here''s the place, kids," the Court Wizard known as Ben, short of Benjamin, confirmed. Under his robe, he was an aging man with a greying crew cut hair, though regularly shaved, standing about twenty centimeters shorter than Joshua. Despite his time catching up to him, Ronald saw his cool neon white futuristic jacket over a normal black shirt and white trousers attached to the brim with what was assumed to be his gadgets. "Another research facility with illegal human experimentations by those parasites festering my homeland," Ben scowled, conveying his expression with every word. "And this time, inside the rainforest the government''s desperately trying to conserve from those greedy corporations and others, the gall they have!" Somehow, Ronald felt attacked, though he swore his father nor his late grandfather, whose funeral was a very complicated manner, ever engaged in shady practices and he was certainly taught to be a good boy. Well, perhaps they did circumvent a few laws here and there, but that was to keep the otherworldly secret, literally. "Well, kids." Ben calmed down. "Do you still remember the layout of the place from your briefing?" "Yeah, we do," Joshua answered, looking at the other two who nodded in unison. "Right." Afterwards, rummaging inside his robe, Ben pulled out a white futuristic-looking gun which resembled a P90. WHIIRRR Bluish lines lit up throughout the weapon''s body. "As planned, you kids cover me while I do the deed," Ben instructed, readying his firearm. "...You know that''s what you''re in for, right?" "...Yes," Emilia answered as if that question was for her. Hah... Of all times we showed up for work. We just committed genocide against a possibly peaceful cat-dog hybrid species, how troublesome, Ronald internally sighed as the group marched forward with Benjamin forming white electricity in his hand. CRACKLE
Maintain the flow of the natural order, the fifth Rule of Engagement. In this case, it''s to commence this operation with little supernatural means in this world of advanced science as much as possible. ZANGZANG ZANGZANG With two bursts, four superheated lead that turned the surrounding air to hot plasma came out of Ben''s rifle, it was impressive that it didn''t overheat too quickly. The plasma bullets lit up the dark room which the electrical failure was courtesy to Ben''s lightning Order, the communication lines of the facility also shut down completely, isolating the underground building from the outside world. "Argh!" "Guargh!" And two of each hit the back of a man in a white coat and the torso of a guard who didn''t fire his gun in time respectively. Both fell helplessly to the ground, whirring in the pain of the plasma bullets burning them before dying. All scientists and guards killed. Emotion suppression off. Ronald and Joshua turned away at the sight of the multitude of charred corpses in the room, despite the lights being down. Eighties slasher films weren''t even close to being accurate to the real thing. Emilia seemed to be used to it though, not being from their world and could stomach a bit of gore. Instead, they looked what''s behind the glass to see the room of dozen people kidnapped from the country of this facility''s location of various age, race, and gender strapped in operating tables with deactivated operating machines above them. They looked asleep, but the Court Wizards could tell they were suffering from their limbs and some, almost their whole body replaced with machinery. It looked halfway done and with the facility sabotaged, it''s not going to be finished anytime soon. "Right," Ben groaned, examining the would-be cyborgs. "There''s still no saving them now," he said as he lifted his rifle up, signaling what he''s about to do. "Really?" Ronald approached the older man. "Can you still reconsider?" "No, we can''t let anyone else salvage anything from this place, not the government, nor the corporations especially. That includes them, being the product of it," Ben explained, rolling his eyes. "Besides, by the looks of it, I''ve shut down the power during their operation, if we take them off the table they won''t survive, even if we transfer them as fast as we can. "Damn them," he cursed again, clenching his fist. "Why do these bastards turn technology supposed to be used to aid people with disabilities into producing cyborg soldiers." "I see," Ronald uttered. "..." Joshua said nothing either. "..." Nor did Emilia as she looked towards two particular operating tables, a boy, with metal for eyes and torso, and a girl, whose limbs were in the process of being replaced. They''re barely clinging to life. SHRRIDE With no more words, Ben forcefully opened the shutter, which was halfway opened, leading to the operating room. Standing there for a second, he pointed his rifle. Everyone else looked away. ZANGZANGZANGZANGZANGZANG 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 4.1: Protecting the Duke from Assassins - Thoughts "I just remembered, Layla," Irene called while laying on her bed, catching the greater spirit candidate''s attention. "I heard that the greater spirits fought with other spirits at their side, is that true?" "Yeah," Layla, floating about lazily, answered. "We lend lady Aquarius our assistance in her battles, much like how your spirit art can be answered by multiple spirits, increasing its power. Except, lady Aquarius can call us from great distances to gather around her whereas you humans are stuck with whoever''s nearby. "She also blacklists the meanies so we know we shouldn''t answer their spirit arts at all. And obviously, we would never answer spirit arts meant to hurt her, thus making her ''immune'' to water spirit arts. Other spirit elements wouldn''t dare attack her either, or it''s war! "And that''s what makes her the greater water spirit!" As she explained this, she slowly rested her hands to her waist, describing the greater water spirit''s dominion with pride. "I see, so when lady Aquarius had the skirmish with the first Court Wizards coming to this world as you witnessed before, you fought with her as well?" Irene asked. And with a pause, Layla''s expression turned into a frown, realizing exactly what her namer was asking. "Yes, I did lend lady Aquarius my assistance in that skirmish." "How was it then?" Irene asked next, curious about the whole affair that she got up from her bed. "You said that they were able to stand against lady Aquarius, but how was your experience?" "Well, I guess you would wanna know how good they are, seeing those guys are helping your family and all," Layla sighed, her glowing blue body resigning from this development. "For starters, I think they''re holding back." "So they''re much stronger than lady Aquarius!?" Irene exclaimed, connecting Layla''s statement to the previous. "Oh, but lady Aquarius'' holding back too," Layla quickly explained. "She didn''t gather all of us to fight them from the start, after all. "When I said we went toe-to-toe, lady Aquarius gathered more of us bit by bit as the Court Wizards upped their game in response. That puts us in a stalemate until one of them explained themselves." "I see... Is there anything else?" "Well, on a personal note, I found the whole fight revulsive." Suddenly, Layla''s tone became sour. "Like, it feels they''re ripping their own souls to fuel their spirit arts, it''s disgusting." "Huh? What do you mean?" Irene raised her eyebrow, not getting what the greater spirit candidate said. "It''s best that you don''t understand," Layla said in a flat tone. "And forget I said it, that''s just me grumbling."
Spiri Raia Year 904 Year 1397 in Manegia In his office, Allister, the duke of Illyer, was doing some paperwork concerning his territory as he has the events of the breakfast a few hours ago in mind. Everyone else has retreated to their usual routine. The revelation was quite the shock, it was something out of a dream that he had to pinch himself to confirm that it wasn''t, and only now he got the time to calm down and think about it. "But it still seems too good to be true..." Recalling the conversation after the meeting, his wife was right that the whole ordeal sounded from a fantasy, and the sentiment was shared in the household.
"We can provide you protection from whatever Van throws at you and even sabotages to his schemes if the opportunity arises," Ronald explained.
After all, he had essentially been offered security from prince Van''s attempt to take him down by people calling themselves Court Wizards (who looked human enough) claiming to be from a group from another world called the Otherworldly Court and even some assistance in getting prince Albert crowned king by their end on the grounds of preventing a war. So Allister has the right to be skeptical of the whole claim. "Hm? What is the matter, Neptune?" "Scary...!" "Eek!" "Aah!" WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE SHIMMER But their demonstration, and poor Neptune and Layla''s irrational fright, and the latter''s encounter with another group of Court Wizards held the bizarre revelations ground. Speaking of the named spirits, "Are you alright now, Neptune?" Allister spoke softly, caressing Neptune''s bald head as spirit rested it and his arms on the duke''s right side of the desk. Although the intermediate spirit has lived for centuries, Neptune''s form as a child still gave him the mentality of one, and he specifically can be frightened easily. Not a good partner to have a sophisticated discussion with. "Yes... I''m fine, Al." The kid spirit was still shaken, but otherwise recovered enough to ask, "you know, can they really help us? They said they got limits or something."
"Even if we have limited action here we can still do that much, and we are allowed to break a few of our rules here and there if we have to." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Well," Allister darted his eyes elsewhere. "Ronald assured me that their restrictions will not hold them back." And he recalled Ronald did say that they were allowed to break their self-imposed rules if necessary. So their help was guaranteed to be adequate. "Okay..." Neptune brooded. "If you say so..." "However, I still can''t believe they pledged their services to us for little to no return," Allister uttered. Yes, and all of that, aside from reaching their goal of preventing the war prince Van desired, was given by the Court Wizards for free. "What about those tax reduction thing?" Neptune asked.
"Oh, but do you mind a little bit if you give Bell Conglomerate some tax reduction?" Ronald casually said. "Dude." Joshua deadpanned at his partner, unimpressed by his nonchalant-ness.
"Ah yes, Ronald did ask for that ''small'' demand as he claims it," the duke chuckled at the memory. "Probably from his own volition if his tall friend''s reaction was anything to go by. That boy was still a merchant at heart." As for the tax reduction, in the end, they settled for a thirty percent cut. To be fair, he already added that exchange to the table, to begin with. Anyway, it at least helped him give a sense that he was giving something to Ronald''s group in return for their seemingly completely voluntary service. And Allister''s mind wandered to the offerer himself. "But hmm... Ronald Bell, huh?" he muttered his name. "He''s still scary," Neptune huffed. Again, the duke still does not understand what made Ronald and his associate Joshua so terrifying to the two named spirits or all spirits barring the greater in that manner. What he knew of the heir to Bell Conglomerate from the meeting was that he was young, around his eldest daughter''s age, that much was obvious. But the duke saw no naivety in the young man''s eyes, but he still has a bit of green in him. Well, kids do need to grow up anyway, he thought. Ronald must have been sent here to have experience as he was just old enough to inherit his father''s company - the duke was in the same boat as him except he had to lead an army. He tried to do the same for his daughter Irene though he ended up not giving his daughter a chance to speak during the negotiations. Now, thinking about it, the notion of sending a fresh young man for the alliance talks so that it doubled as his training when the other party was an experienced duke does seem like this Otherworldly Court was making light of the situation despite their aim to prevent a war. "But we still need all the help we can get, Neptune." Allister sighed at the spirit he named. In the end, he was still in a pinch in the succession war with all of his colleagues leaving his faction. No matter how absurd these Court Wizards were, he needed every new ally he can get. Hah... He sighed again, internally. He was not suited for politics at all. CHATTER CHATTER "Huh?" Neptune raised his eyebrow as they overheard the maids talking near the office door. "What are the maids talking about?" "Must be about Ronald and Joshua," Allister guessed. "They could not get enough of it." Now, in such important talks, it may not be wise to let the servants know about it, but he had initially thought it would be fine seeing as Van would know about his alliance with Bell Conglomerate sooner or later. But with how it actually went, it may have been a mistake after all. "At the very least I told them to keep this between themselves," he continued. "I would like to conceal them from the second prince as long as possible." And in inclusion, to never mention the Otherworldly Court in their letters to their relatives. And as he knew each and every servant personally for years, he was sure that none of them would betray him. After a while, the sounds of gossip died down and with his paperwork done, Allister stretched his arms and stood up. "Shall we go, Neptune?" he said as he went for the door. Neptune followed suit. CREEK "Hm?"
CLINK SLICE CLINK "You know, I hope that my explanation about us is alright," Ronald said in concern as he put the last piece of meat to his mouth. After searching high and low, well... not really, the Bell Branch manager found a restaurant, a relatively new experimental one which was managed by him, that could serve lunch in the morning. It was semi-fancy but not a diner for upper-class citizens, rather it was for the common folk to have a taste of what it''s like to eat in high standards - there''s a huge sign in the front entrance saying they can dine here. Of course, the menu was still pricy compared to other restaurants to cover the upkeep which was not much to Ronald''s liking. But again, this was the only restaurant they could eat in at this time and the Bell heir already suggested eating in Spiri Raia and he''s not taking it back nor will he force Arnald to pay for it when he''s just sitting there with a glass of water as they eat, that''s just scummy. "I mean," Ronald continued. "Court stuff''s your specialty, I''m only good with the Conglomerate." Usually, being the Bell Conglomerate heir, Ronald mostly studied subjects related to it. The Otherworldly Court and Maneg System were relegated to Joshua when explaining the two to outsiders. So taking the rein of both during the talks was a new experience for the dark-red haired boy. "Eh, pretty sure they get it." Joshua shrugged and drank his glass of water. "Yes, mister Bell," the manager added. "I''m sure the duke understood your intentions."
CREEK "Thank you, we hope you come again another time!" Coming out of the front entrance, Joshua patted his belly saying, "Alright, I''m stuffed. Let''s head back, Ronald." "Yes," Ronald nodded. "The mission has gone smoothly." "I see," the manager said, coming out the last. "Safe travels, you-" But the next word never came as both young Court Wizards, who were just joyful for a moment ago, suddenly lost all expressions and jerked their heads in all directions as if in a trance, stopping the manager to a stupor. Above you. (Joshua) Ronald then turned his head up to see a black-garbed figure dropping directly above them, brandishing daggers in both hands. But with his suppression kicked in, the Bell heir calmly sidestepped backward just before the mysterious assailant land. THUD And with the figure stabbing the ground, Joshua jumped in, wasting no time putting his knee to their temple with a BASH. The assailant was knocked to the ground, unconscious as Ronald felt his emotions returning. "Mister Bell!" the manager exclaimed, having broken out of his shock. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I''m fine," Ronald assured him. "Who the hell is this guy!?" Joshua put his foot on the attacker. But the bodyguards approached him, offering to restrain the figure in his stead to which Joshua allowed them, releasing his foot. "...Well, there''s only one plausible explanation." Ronald narrowed his eyes, looking at his assailant. "Van sent me this assassin to take me out." "But how did he know we''re here?" Joshua wondered. Unless..." he widened his eyes. "The duke is in danger!" the manager concluded, opening the bodyguards'' mouths agape. "Joshua, head back to the mansion as fast as you can," Ronald quickly told his partner. "I''ll catch up once we deal with this fool!" "Got it." Lowering his center of gravity, Joshua lept off the ground in a dash. TZANGTZANG TZANGTZANG On the surface of his footwear, ice blue dust of maneg burst, propelling Joshua forward in inhuman speed. It was an advanced technique of [Eject] where maneg was ejected from each foot alternatingly to keep it as inconspicuous as possible, something, Ronald was not able to do this which was why Joshua went first.
"Hm? Willow?" Allister uttered at the frail maid who was in front of his office. "What are you doing here?" He did not recall ordering a maid to his office, but here she was standing unannounced. Adding to his confusion, the duke looked at her in the eye to observe the maid''s mixed expression of guilt, fear, and desperation. Why does she look so- "...I-I''m sorry!" Suddenly, the maid revealed a knife she hid behind her uniform and lunged it forward, not giving her duke a chance to react. STAB 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 4.2: Protecting the Duke from Assassins - Attempt "...I-I''m sorry!" With her eyes closed, the frail maid Willow thrust the knife forward to the duke. STAB CHINK However, no blood came out to soil her hands nor does she feel the knife puncturing the soft flesh of the duke but rather something hard. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes. "..!" And to her surprise, there was a thick square... shield of ice-blue crystal right in front of her, it had blocked her strike against the duke she was just about to murder who was standing across this structure equally agape. SHATTER And all of the sudden, the arched window behind the desk broke into thousands of pieces as a tall light-blue cloaked figure literally crashed through it, uncaring of the shards that could injure them. Landing on one knee just shaving the front of the desk, the figure immediately stood up slowly. "M-Mister Ruze!?" the duke, Allister al Illyer, exclaimed when he looked at the figure behind him revealing to be the Court Wizard Joshua Ruze, the friend of Ronald Bell. However, what''s more surprising was his face devoid of all expressions he was so full of on that faithful breakfast.
TZANGTZANG TZANGTZANG Dashing through the crowd, hoping they would ask no further as to how he was able to move so fast, Joshua rushed to the Illyer mansion as fast as he could. Damn it! Right after we eat! he groaned internally. He and Ronald knew this alliance would catch the second prince Van''s ear, but they didn''t expect a response so soon. By his guess, a spy must''ve spotted the Illyer''s invitation to the Bell Branch manager. And since the manager has been burning the second prince''s offers, literally, Van probably thought to assassinate both the duke and the manager to kill two birds with one stone. Wait, that assassin targeted Ronald... Joshua realized, just grazing past a fruit stall. Then there must be a mole inside! There were way too many servants for the assassin to stealthily maneuver inside the mansion, and no water spirits would want to aid the uninvited guest. So contrary to the report, one of the Illyer''s staff must''ve fed the information to the assassin outside. And that assassin was loyal to their master enough to take the initiative to assassinate Ronald, the heir of the company that refused to bend to their liege''s will, instead. Or maybe taking him hostage in broad daylight ''cause whatever that chump''s doing was badly improvised if his emotion suppression kicked in early when it''s usually almost too late in good ambushes. But that may have been the result of the shock of the information of him and Ronald giving Orders and revealing the duke the Otherworldly Court. So the assassin probably thought rashly and tried to take both of them out in an ambush to remove the bigger threat. That fool, Joshua mocked the assassin. If you did pull that off, you''ll just invite your boss the entire Court''s wrath. Of course, it could have just been a coincidence that the assassination attempt on the duke was this very day which would explain the poor attempt to kill Ronald as an added objective. But regardless, the Otherworldly Court has been exposed to the second prince and the duke''s in danger, both of which detrimental to the operation and needed to the salvaged from further losses. He assumed Ronald had come to the same conclusion with the interrogation of the assassin and contacted the Transporter Room to send a Court Wizard and a [December rone] to find and intercept any form of messengers the assassin sent, be it another assassin, a messenger bird, or another mole. Joshua sir, the duke is in his office and I found a maid carrying a knife coming to that location. I repeat, the duke is in his office and I found a maid carrying a knife coming to that location. (Operator) And right on time. Got it, Joshua replied to the Transporter Room operator. TZANGTZANG TZANGTZANG Joshua went full speed ahead as the gates to the manor was in full view. The gate guards he passed by twice was a man and a woman now that he got a good look at them, they noticed his sudden arrival and motioned him to halt from dashing closer. But he ignored them and prepared a big [Eject] diagonally upward. TZANG "What!?" "Stop!" The guards widened their eyes as Joshua released a significant amount of maneg to vault over the gate, leaving them to dust. TZANG With another burst, Joshua flew towards the part of the mansion where the duke''s office would be, according to the layout Daisuke Fujiwara obtained, the east part of the mansion. There he is. In the air, Joshua saw the arched window with its curtains pulled, allowing Joshua to see the duke, alongside the intermediate water spirit, inside. He was in front of the door, with his hand holding it open, just standing there not getting out of his office. The maid assassin''s already there! he concluded. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. In full concentration, Joshua gave his Order, [Barrier 1] 5 cm front of blue outfit old man. Then, a square of ice maneg appeared before the duke, it was thrice wider than him. While he doesn''t see it, the Ice Court Wizard could tell it had served its purpose, viva Memorized Orders and the totally accurate description of the duke''s appearance.
"[Barrier 1] 1 meter my front," Joshua ordered and the wide barrier of ice shimmered to existence. "You can even make a Memorized Order with the parameters set," he turned to Ronald and Emilia. "So I only need to say the position." "Well that''s useful," Emilia commented. "The more time we can shave off chanting our Orders the better." "And don''t forget you can cut off a few articles as long as the context''s still clear for our Maneg Souls even though it''ll upset language teachers," Joshua reminded. "Got any questions?" "Why are we using metric system?" Ronald asked. "We both don''t use it in school." "As do I," Emilia added. "I don''t even know how to measure things," she witted. "Because, even though we can give a little bit vaguer Orders, like describing the target''s appearance, our founders apparently insisted that we don''t since it''s not so reliable and to just estimate the distance by our gut feeling." Joshua smiled wryly. "And to be fair, it''ll be awkward using appearances to aim when most of our enemies wear matching attire." "That has nothing to do with my question." Ronald deadpanned. "Like why use metric system of all things?" "I''m getting to that." Joshua narrowed his eyes. "So the folks at the first generation, already using Earth Base as a gold standard decided to double down and somehow taught the Mother Souls SI units. "And so it was, every Court Wizard forced to use meters instead of whatever they''re more comfortable of, even though their Maneg Souls automatically know how they measure things in their world. "Believe me, even I''m forced to use it. Now I keep getting confused over meters and feet every time I sit on an exam." "I see, and it makes me wonder why our country insists on their own measuring system," Ronald mulled. "At least people like me know how long my daggers are," Emilia smiled.
Putting aside the precious memories that he will never come by in the future, Joshua tilted his body so that his legs point towards the window. The Court Wizard saw the water spirit Neptune being the first to look back to see him and gave a fright. Ignoring the cowardly body-less soul (the universal name for their kind used by the Otherworldly Court), Joshua willed his maneg to gather to his shoulders. TZANG And he was launched straight at the window, positioning himself to a superhero kick. SHATTER As if time slowed down, Joshua watched as the intermediate spirit made a huge gasp and the duke turning his body around as he barely scraped the desk, his cloak protecting him from the shards of his recklessness around him, and land flawlessly with his head down so none of the occupants could see his face sans Neptune who already did. I always wanted to do that, he mused as he lifted his face. Even under the suppression of emotions, that''s not gonna stop him from doing that as long as he put an effort to break it just for that instance. "M-Mister Ruze!?" duke Illyer exclaimed, recognizing Joshua almost immediately. Yeah, he kinda stood out here. End active Orders. SHATTER Ignoring his cries, Joshua had wordlessly expired his [Barrier] prematurely as lept towards the duke, shoving him aside with his right from harm''s way. "Oof!" the duke groaned as his back phased through the scared mute spirit he named and hit the wall. Then, Joshua reflexively grabbed both wrists of the maid who tried to murder her lord with his left, pulling her hands holding the knife high up to ironically the duke''s direction due to his motion he can no longer stop. But in an instant, Joshua saw a blue paler than his eyes. ''We ought to check on her after this.'' ''Indeed.'' This was how he checked back on her.
"Aah...!" Willow cried weakly as the tall man''s tight grip on both of her hands made her drop the clean knife. CLIN-CL-CLI-K-INK-NK Not only that, the maid looked terrified with Ruze''s imposing hold on her. Allister can see why, he was about to call out to him but was taken aback by the boy''s expression, or the lack of thereof. Gone were his aloof demeanor as his friend made an important alliance and the forgiving kindness he showed to the very maid he restrained right now when she almost spilled his breakfast. All the duke could see were his cold eyes staring emotionlessly on the frail maid, it was so unnerving that he almost forgot that the maid had just tried to murder him. "Your arms are weak," Joshua said. Like his gaze, his voice was as devoid of emotion, verbally attacking the poor maid who tearfully shut her eyes in a cold observation. "And you seem way too amateurish, I doubt your frailty was not genuine. There''s no way you''re a trained assassin if I restrained you so easily." And Allister did not want to believe that she was an assassin. Willow was hired long before the succession war began - it was the safest job for her weak body -, there''s no way Van would think that far to send an infiltrator at that time. And admittedly, he had refrain to hire more house workers when the succession war started for fear of a mole by Van unless he was sure of their character such as his daughter''s personal maid Mia''s sister, Tia. Furthermore, Willow was not the type to accept bribes. Allister knew her background, as with every other servant, coming from an orphanage of a small village in his territory she decided to work as a maid to support the orphanage back home. However, she did this to repay the kindness the orphanage gave to her, Allister knew that the orphanage was well-funded and he has regular inspections of all the orphanages in his territory for corruption. So there was no reason for her to accept bribes. Along with her frail body, there was no reason for Willow to risk assassinate him yet she did. There has to be a reason for her actions. "...I-I''m sorry!" Has it to do with how desperate she was? Allister thought, recalling what she cried before driving the knife to his stomach. Could it be!? "And yet, I still feel a threat," Joshua stated, interrupting the duke''s motion of thought. What does he mean? Allister wondered. Is he saying there is still- "Got it." Suddenly, Joshua let go of Willow''s hands and immediately turned around, the words he uttered was as if someone coordinated him... SHIMMER ...as he summoned the same shield of crystal... CHINK ...that blocked a knife thrown into the room, coming from the broken window where there was a black-garbed figure, the true assassin, crouching on a tree branch with their eyes uncovered by their disguise opened wide. SHATTER CL-CLIN-CLI-INK-K-NK Then, like the same as before, the shield shattered into nodes of light-blue just before the throwing knife fell to the floor. TZANG Then, Joshua, in the words the duke could only describe, flew in inhuman speed, out of the window he broke with his fist curled up, towards the assassin. In such a motion, the assassin had no time to react to it. BASH And so, a powerful hook was delivered and the assassin was knocked out of the tree branch and fell from view as Joshua skillfully landed on the same spot. "..." Wordlessly, Allister slowly approached the young man standing on the tree, minding the glass shards on the floor but ignoring the maid behind him when she had just tried to kill him. He was about to say something when Joshua turned around. "So, would you like to tell us your story, miss?" he said to Willow with a gentle smile, completely contradicting his previous expression. "...Huh?" And Allister could only stare at him confusingly. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 4.3: Protecting the Duke from Assassins - Story "So, would you like to tell us your story, miss?" Joshua said, trying to break out a comforting smile to the scared maid. Under the suppression of his, he went a tad bit too far. Ignoring the "Huh?" from duke Allister, Joshua saw that the maid was still scared stiff, much like the kid spirit who might as well pee his little toga right now. Feeling no progress and the fact crouching on the tree branch will tire him, he jumped to the broken window, landing one foot on the stool, minding the shards, and- Me and the reinforcements have rounded up all of the assassin''s cronies, how''s your end, Joshua? (Ronald) "Aah!" And with the sudden [Telepathy], Joshua lost his footing and ended up falling backward. [Eject] my shoulder blades 0.01 percent! TZANG But fortunately, Joshua quickly released maneg behind him to tilt himself back up, grabbing the outer sides, not the part with shattered glass, of the window. With a sigh of relief and the mild annoyance that the suppression didn''t kick in meaning his Maneg Soul didn''t think he''s in any danger, Joshua looked at the duke and others'' bewildered faces. "M-Mister Ruze," Allister spoke up. "Are you alright?" "I''m fine," Joshua responded. Joshua? Are you there? Joshua? Joshua!? (Ronald) Ironically crouching again on the window, Joshua hurried up slapping two fingers behind his ear, targeting Ronald''s Maneg Soul signature he''s familiar with, and gave his response. The duke is safe and sound and I caught another assassin on a tree, tried to throw a knife at me or the duke either to kill me or just a distraction to escape but I still knocked him out. Joshua decided to put his ''knocking out'' aside, for now. And the assassin within Illyer''s staff? (Ronald) Disabled her too, and uh... she''s the maid we were going to check back later. ...Seriously? Did we trigger what our future descendants called a flag or something? (Ronald) Maybe, but the maid looks like she''s forced to do it, she actually tried a surprise stab in the duke''s gut with that frail body of hers. Unless she can morph into an Amazon, she''s definitely not secret assassin material, especially when she''s standing right in front of me frightened like the intermediate spirit as we speak. Well, I can certainly imagine that. Right, I''ll come over now. I''ll bring the assassins we captured to the mansion as well, let me tell my backup they can go home now. Also, do best in whatever situation you''re in right now. (Ronald) With that, Ronald cut off the connection, leaving Joshua back to the duke, spirit, and maid looking at him doing nothing but squatting on the broken window with his hand behind his ear. The telepathic conversation was long after all. "Mister Ruze," the duke spoke up. "You almost fell and then went silent for a while. Are you fine?" "Yes, just talking to Ronald through our minds," Joshua replied, also prepared for what the duke would say next. "...What?" was Allister''s expected reaction. "I''ll explain later," was Joshua''s prepared answer as he finally hopped into the office. TA-TAP-P T-TA-A-P-P TAPTAP TA-T-P-AP T-T-A-AP-P T-TAP-AP "''Cause the others are coming," he continued as they heard multiple footsteps coming. "Dear!" It was the shout of Marisa, Allister''s wife. "I heard noises, is everything alright!? ...And what are you doing here, Willow?" "A-Aah..." The maid, Willow, who was still at the other side of the door, in the corridor, whimpered as she clutched her hands to her chest as she turned to lady Illyer, and most likely the rest of the family''s direction. "I suggest we quickly explain ourselves what''s going on here before they jump to conclusions," Joshua told the duke as calmly as possible. "Also, we ought to go somewhere more comfortable for Willow''s explanation, bring out some tea or something as well. Oh, and Ronald''s coming over too." The duke, seeing the developing situation that could deteriorate quite quickly, agreed. "Right."
"I see," Marisa sighed as she cupped her cheek. "An assassin had coerced poor Willow to assassinate you when Ruze intervened and subdued said assassin that tried to kill you instead when she failed," she summarized to which her husband nodded. She turned to Joshua, "meanwhile, another assassin attacked you and Bell in broad daylight." "That''s correct," Joshua confirmed, sitting on a couch, arms crossed. In the end, they were able to calm things down as the duke quickly explained to his family and prince what happened without things going south. Apparently, for aristocrats, they weren''t as narrow-minded as Joshua thought they would be. Then, after the "Are you alright, dear"s, "Thank you for protecting the duke, mister Ruze"s, the "M-My deepest apologies!", and throwing the assassin to the dungeon, they went to the common room where they all sat down with the spirits hiding behind their namers, they''re still not used to Joshua and probably wouldn''t make so much as a squeak since they have no purpose in this conversation, and Willow in the center looking like she was going to be executed. And she isn''t going to be, Joshua mused internally. That confirms the duke''s kindness at least. Other nobles would''ve thrown her to their darkest dungeon to be tortured or just hang her then and there. As for an although, Joshua eyed the exits to see a couple of maids peeking out like a totem, worried of their co-worker. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Calm down, Willow," lady Illyer, Marisa, softly said to the tear-wrecked maid. "You are a kind girl who came all the way here from your home village to pay back the orphanage that has taken care of you despite your frailty, that is genuine. "You are not one to attempt to murder my husband without a good reason." And by that point, everyone can figure it out. "Or is it because?" But Marisa still gasped in suspected realization. "..." Willow squeezed the white apron of her uniform as she shed some tear hearing her lady''s suspicion. "Yes..." she confessed as she timidly told her story. "I-It was two months ago... when I visited my home village. When I got to my orphanage... there were bandits holding everyone with blades. They said that if they were to be alive... I have to bring their assassins here and... cooperate with them." And what the maid meant by cooperating were pretty obvious to piece together the story. How cliche. (Ronald) You got that right. Incidentally, while Willow told her story, as well as the whole exchange, Joshua relayed it to Ronald via [Telepathy]. The Bell heir was still on his way, and since he can hear everything through Joshua and needed to bring the hoodlums he captured on his end without much attention, he wasn''t in a rush. "And what about the villagers?" Marisa asked. "T-The other villagers were afraid to resist them either." Willow weakly shook her head. "S-So they were just as threatened as the orphans." "I see..." "By the greater spirits," Allister sighed, slumping in his seat. "It was inevitable prince Van would do this. Hah... I am not suited for politics." Hm, according to the report Daisuke gathered, most of the workers in this mansion were born in town. Willow was one of the few coming from the rural countryside and still attached to her birthplace. (Ronald) So Willow''s unfortunately one of the few maids the assassins could force her to cooperate by threatening the orphanage seeing as the rest of the staff wouldn''t take bribes and their families can''t be hostages being under the direct watch of the duke. Yes, and disguising as one of the staff wouldn''t work either since the duke memorized his servants'' faces and made sure all of them know each other. Furthermore, the duke apparently made quite the fanfare whenever he hired someone, probably to make sure the other workers know them. (Ronald) "However, if I may be blunt, despite going through the lengths to threaten you, Willow, their assassination attempt was very poor," Albert, the first prince with his betrothed, Elaine, beside him, iterated in a disappointed tone. "I mean, the assassins made you, with your weak body, to try and stab Allister, a war hero, with a mere knife," Albert explained. Unbeknownst to him, however, said war hero flinched at the prince''s statement. "Meanwhile they went after the Bell heir in public. And all of this, I was left untouched. What sort of thugs did my half-brother hire?" Indeed. They didn''t seem to have a plan. (Ronald) "U-Um... Actually, they told me to slip poison into your breakfast, your highness," Willow confessed, mustering her courage to do so. "Ah, that makes more sense!" The prince soundlessly clapped, with a smile on his face for some reason. "I assume you disposed it?" "Y-Yes, I couldn''t do it, so I threw it away." Damn, he''s so casual about it. Seriously, we could''ve been done in on that breakfast! We certainly don''t get poison immunity unless it''s magic and our suppression kicks in half the time in those situations! (Ronald) "And in retribution and not wanting to cut their losses, they forced you to stab me instead," Allister concluded. "Y-Yes..." Willow''s head was down, the poor girl couldn''t face the duke in guilt. "And seeing the threat of the Otherworldly Court by my side," the prince added. "They most likely thought rashly and decided to take out the potential threat." With every passing word, Willow seemed to get more depressed. Seeing this, Joshua felt a tug in his heartstrings, he couldn''t just sit there and watch when he agreed with Ronald to pay attention to her. However, it looked like the maid will not be out of her self-deprecation anytime soon, no matter what consolation he could give her. Especially when the prince Albert has not finished talking, "Amateurish as they are, the assassins do seem to be very loyal to my half-brother, seeing as they would hastily forge a backup plan on the spot." "Indeed, the second prince is at least... charismatic in a sense," the duke commented. Afterwards, he seemed to be in deep thought, but Joshua didn''t pay mind to it. "Not to mention Van might know about us now," as Joshua decided to give his input instead. "This could be a problem in the future." "Um..." Willow spoke up, catching their attention. With Joshua concluding the exchange, the maid finally has the courage to notify them that, "I-I didn''t tell them about what you and lord Bell really are. Only about lord Bell''s sudden visit." "What?" Joshua blinked. "So you''re saying you didn''t tell the assassin about the Court?" "Y-Yes," the maid nodded. "I didn''t tell them about it." "Hm... unless you see it for yourself which they certainly could not have, I highly doubt the assassins would believe her claim if she told them about it," the prince thought out loud, holding his chin. "Then the assassins may mean to kidnap Ronald Bell being a valuable bargaining chip for their prince or at least grief his father, Alan Bell, with his death to order Arnald to cancel the alliance. Since Alan was notorious to disappear as soon as he steps out of cities, they probably thought his son would too and acted hastily, leaving the assassination of the duke and I poorly managed after the initial attempt failed." He''s right, the dining hall doesn''t have any windows, and all the servants know each other, so the assassins couldn''t see our demonstration, so it made sense that the assassin I knocked out from that tree was surprised by my Orders, Joshua thought. And the assassin falling from the top of the restaurant does seem to be going for a knifepoint and not at the same time. Welp, too bad the sucker didn''t expect our hyper-awareness through our suppression. "Well that''s convenient, ''cause I''m not exactly sure if I got all the bad guys here. And considering their shell-shocked faces, they thought I''m ordinary. Looks like we were worried over nothing." ""Eep!/Aah!"" Both spirits squeaked in unison. So they did speak in this conversation after all. The household turned around, alarmed by the sudden voice to see a red-haired young man. Joshua wasn''t surprised though as he already sensed his signature. "M-Mister Bell!?" the duke exclaimed at his arrival. "When did you arrive?" "Just now, through the door." As he took a seat, Ronald nonchalantly stuck his thumb back to the half-opened door that he didn''t close properly when an out-of-breath butler peeked out of it. "M-My lord," the butler panted, holding the door as support. "Lord Bell has arrived." "Right, you are dismissed," duke Illyer said before the butler gave a bow and leave. Then, Allister turned to Ronald, "So-" "No need," Ronald interrupted, gesturing his hand to Allister. "I heard everything from Joshua." "Hm?" The prince raised his eyebrow. "How do you know?" Ronald simply looked at Joshua and vice versa. ""We''ll explain it later,"" both said in unison, leaving the others in the dark. "Anyway," Ronald continued. "We caught all the assassins in your city and got all the information from them, I''ll send it to you soon." "Ah," the duke uttered, snapping out of his stupor. "I see, and what did you do to the assassins?" "I brought them here, they''re in the front yard with your guards." Ronald shrugged. "Again, we got all we want from them, so do what you want with them, it''s your territory." "I see, very well," Allister nodded before looking at a servant. "Inform the guards to put them in the dungeon." "Right away, sir." That servant gave a bow and promptly left. "Also," the duke turned back to Ronald. "Thank you for capturing those assassins, mister Bell." "No problem, but..." Ronald''s tone shifted, his eyes pointing towards the frail maid. "With the assassins sent here more or less rounded up, their friends back at Willow''s village won''t receive the news of their successful assassination or only receive a few stragglers we missed bearing news of their failure. So..." "They will execute the captives," Allister concluded with his eyes narrowed. "..!" And Willow was the first to react in horror, clasping her mouth with an inaudible gasp and fear dreading her eyes as the color of her face drained away. "Well, let''s go save them," Joshua interjected. "Indeed," Ronald nodded. And the room fell silent. "...What?" Before Willow murmured in confusion. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 4.4: Protecting the Duke from Assassins - Want "Well, let''s go save them." "Indeed." "...What?" Willow murmured in confusion. After all, Joshua, who had previously prevented the maid from killing the duke coldly and frighteningly, just casually stated that they save her orphanage from its captivity, the reason she tried to do it in the first place. "What do you mean?" Allister, the duke, asked. By his tone, it''s as if he''s trying to confirm it. We''re are telling them that we''re saving Willow''s orphanage, right? Why are they confused? (Ronald) Well, it was sudden. We should repeat it to them. "Exactly as Joshua says, we will help you save the orphanage," Ronald repeated Joshua''s statement. "You are going to send your troops to deal with the bandits running around your land, right?" "Well, yes," Allister nodded. "I will send my own men to liberate the village, though it will take time to organize them and march to Willow''s village." "But by that time, the captives will be killed," Joshua pointed out. "Ah!" Willow gasped, reminded of the crisis that would befall her home. "Yes... that will be unfortunate," the duke somber, further despairing the maid. "Which is why we will help you with that," Ronald iterated. "Along with us, we will use our transfer, how we are able to come to this world, to instantly transport your men to Willow''s village. So get your men ready." "Truly?" Then, the prince widened his eyes in realization. "Wait, you mean for us to commence the rescue now?" "Of course," Joshua retorted. "We can catch the bandits by surprise, the sooner the better." "But why would you go that far?" The duke asked as if he never expected something to come out from Ronald. "The orphanage, whether the captives survive or not has nothing to do with your mission, right? I will have my head guard lead the charge, I will not participate myself if that assures you." "Y-Yes..." Willow, much to the Court Wizards'' surprise, agreed with the duke. "Y-You don''t have to be concerned over something so little as my orphanage..." The duke''s rather heartless words aside, looking at the others, they seemed to agree with the duke, much to the Court Wizards'' stupefaction. While the Illyers will rescue Willow''s non-blood-related family, they seem to deem it... trivial for the Court Wizards to share the burden, even Willow agreed and it was her orphanage that''s being threatened! It was as if they thought this was something... beneath us. (Ronald) Hearing Ronald''s message through [Telepathy], Joshua noticed the last two words he said and... "Right, it''ll be faster if we show you..." "...your organization, the Otherworldly Court''s mission is to ''ensure the balance of worlds''..." "...proved your apparent ability to perceive every spirit in this room..." "We''re from another world." ...realized it. I think it has to do with their impression of us, Court Wizards. What do you... Ah, I get it. I guess I did gave them the wrong impression. (Ronald) It was because they were Court Wizards of the Otherworldly Court, beings from another world wielding great unknown powers with the altruistic purpose of keeping the survival of worlds, that was true. In that context, the Illyers must have seen them more in the lines of deities, like their greater spirits, especially after that demonstration, who, while benevolent, watched from above, only stepping in when a world crisis that mere mortals couldn''t handle on their own appear. And when they do, all they do to fix the crisis were only means to an end, which in this case, revealing themselves and their operation to the Illyers, to prevent a destructive war by a tyrant dead set to unite the water territory and perhaps even more because, in their eyes, a world under the yoke of tyranny was no better than destroyed. So the notion of the same Court Wizards offering to help the rescue of some orphanage and even offering to use their sacred art of world travel as an instant teleporter was ludicrous to the Illyers. The orphanage was under hostage to force Willow into betraying her lord, but that was no more, so the orphanage''s survival was no longer be relevant to the Court Wizard''s mission to prevent Van''s war. In other words, there''s no reason for Joshua and Ronald to save the orphanage. So the Illyers and even the maid, who perhaps even thought it was a fitting punishment (which was not, dragging innocence to it and all), felt the aid was on a whim and unnatural. After all, the Court Wizards should only care about the world as a whole, the masses instead of a few individuals which was ironic for the Illyers who received favor from the greater water spirit. And Ronald and Joshua knew how to counter that. After all, that wasn''t entirely true for Court Wizards, because they never followed the example of the First Guardians - even they couldn''t keep up their rules in the end. Heck, both boys can even sum it up to four words. ""Because we wanted to."" Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. And it was delivered with a serene smile, at least they think it was based on the Illyers'' reaction. Then Ronald quickly explain it further, "Tell me, duke Illyer, why did the greater water spirit take favor of your family, specifically the first Illyer who received it?" "Hm?" The duke raised his eyebrow and pondered. "Because he was a humble and virtuous man that lady Aquarius decided to give him her blessings that brought this kingdom to greatness," he answered like reading it off of a textbook. "And there are a lot more people like him, so why didn''t she give them her favor too?" Ronald then asked. "Having more favored people would surely make the kingdom greater unless the people of Spiri Raia were that corrupt." "Of course not," Allister retorted. "But... I suppose lady Aquarius does not want to give too many favored individuals to a kingdom." "Then does the greater water spirit favor one family in every nation in her domain?" Ronald then asked. "To at least balance out the powers?" "...Actually, no." The duke gave the look of realization on his face. "It is just us..." "Then why is that?" Ronald pressed. "Better yet, why did she even choose to like you guys," Joshua interjected. "Greater spirits are supposed to be impartial, right?" Like how you think we are supposed to be. And judging by the Illyers'' silent expressions, he was right. Waiting for an answer, the entire household couldn''t come up with one, however. Internally sighing, after spending a full minute, Joshua glanced at Ronald, nudging him to just spell it out to them. But... "I think, it is because lady Aquarius wished to." Finally. Indeed. (Ronald) And the person who answered it was none other than Irene, the eldest daughter of Allister al Illyer, who became the center of the attention. "Elaborate," Ronald said so that she can knock some sense to her family, especially since her father had named a spirit like her. "Well," Irene looked behind her, at the greater spirit candidate Layla cowering behind her. She gently pulled the spirit, while struggling, and eventually got Layla to the front. "Layla told me the reason spirits wanted to be named was not because they want to have names, but rather the person who named them, to have a familial bond together. "I wonder, does lady Aquarius, who did not receive her name from a human but has always existed within her ever since she and the other greater spirits created this world wished for that sort of relationship as well, just like her subordinates?" she continued as she stroked Layla''s blue hair with the spirit resting her head on Irene''s lap. "I see... Well praise the greater spirits," Allister muttered before looking back to the spirit he named Neptune. "I suppose you too as well," he softly said to Neptune with the spirit wordlessly taking his namer''s rub on his bald head with a smile. "The favor to the Illyers was the best lady Aquarius could make with her status as the greater water spirit," the prince assumed. "And her analogy can be applied to you Court Wizards, though not necessarily her restrictive position. Is that what you are telling us?" "Exactly," Ronald huffed, considering the time wasted to get it to their heads. "Then it was not a part of a grand plan we could not fathom nor to cause a ripple that which corrects the balance of tomorrow, but because you wished to do it. Nothing less, nothing more," Albert concluded before chuckling. "You are both just as human as we are." "Of course we are," Joshua groaned. Seriously, considering spirits, being the only other sapient race in Spiri Raia, are clearly different than humans, the Illyers really ought to know a human when they see one. "And as to whether we''re breaking our rules," Ronald continued. "We did say we can, just think of this as one of them. Our leaders will understand we are trying to save innocents." "Noted," the prince nodded. "So you see, Willow." Getting off his seat, Joshua turned to the maid, who was agape with the sudden drama that dragged Aquarius into it, and slowly approached her as he spoke. "We don''t care if you just tried to stab the duke we''re supposed to protect, that''s water under the bridge. We''re saving your orphanage because we want to and we''ll be damn if we do nothing about it when we can. So I..." "...so no one will..." "...you will submit to Van''s bidding no more, Willow," Joshua finished, putting his hands on her shoulders with a smile. "I-I..." This time, his hold on her was gentler than previously. With tears falling, Willow softly cried, "thank you...!" And such was the second meeting with the Illyers. "They are truly good people." Among the crowd, Irene murmured with a smile.
"By the way, I was hopping from the tree branch, where I knocked the assassin standing on it, and to the window when you started the [Telepathy]. I almost fell, you know," Joshua coldly stated. "Oh, my bad," was all Ronald said along with a shrug. "Grr, I''ll get you for this someday," the brushed aside victim grumbled.
In the countryside of the Kirash kingdom, there was a village, far from the great pond where the capital resided but not near to the border with the Fichs empire. Despite being in the crossfire during the Kirash-Fichs war decades ago, it was a peaceful village if not for the dozens of so bandits occupying the place. One bandit, dressed in leather armor and carrying various weapons related to his real job as a mercenary though his current job made him a brigand, came out from an orphanage and approached his leader, a middle-aged man, staring to the great pond over the distance with his arm crossed on a fence. "His highness'' lapdogs ought to come back soon, right boss?" the bandit asked as he put his arm on the fence. "It''s about time they should," the leader gruffed. "Finally!" the bandit huffed in relief. "We''re stuck here for two months already and it''s getting boring here! The booze tastes like crap and there ain''t anyone to have fun with, just a bunch of snotty brats and an old geezer." "A job''s a job. And as we are right now, we''re pretty much holding up the entire village, not just the orphanage," the leader remarked, eyeing his other men loitering around the village with its inhabitants locked up in their houses. "That prince is very generous for us to just hold up some kids, while his men assassinate duke Illyer." "I know," the bandit mooted. "But it''s still unbelievable that we''re assisting the duke''s assassination, he''s a war hero! ...Our client didn''t tell us he wants him killed, right?" "Yeah," the leader nodded. "But with the whole succession war those posh people are waging, it''s pretty obvious the second prince''s our client with what those fanatics are doing in the duke''s city, especially when they said the threat to the little lady in front of us as we held the kids up." "Speaking of those fanatics," the bandit continued. "Don''t you think they''re a bit too loyal to their boss? They can''t stop raving about how great their liege is, it''s annoying." "Aye, something to do with ''we wouldn''t be where we are today if it weren''t for him'' kind of thing among all their preaching. Pretty loose-lipped for assassins, if you ask me," the leader rolled his eyes, not exactly wanting to recall the rest. "Well, if his highness is king, we''ll get more jobs seeing as he wants to invade Fichs." "You got that right, boss," the bandit chuckled. "But still, the brats are annoying, whining and crying all the time." "Yeah," the leader cringed. "If it weren''t for the old man shutting them up, we might shut of them up ourselves... for good, which could blow the job." "Hah... too bad that wench is way too cooperative," the bandit sighed. "We''re only ordered to make ''warnings'' if she doesn''t." "Speaking of that wench, she-" "Boss! Boss!" Suddenly, another bandit rushed to the bandit leader, interrupting him. "It''s an emergency!" "What is it?" the leader turned to the other bandit. "It''s the duke!" the other bandit exclaimed. "The duke''s knights are attacking us!" "What!?" the leader cried, alarmed by the unexpected report. "Why are they here!?" "''Cause we are here," a flat voice said. The three bandits jerked their heads to the source of the voice to see a tall figure in a light-blue cloak and a mask to cover their face, right in front of the orphanage. "W-Who in the greater spirits are you!?" the leader screamed, as he and his men brandished their weapons and pointed them at the figure. CREME~ CREME~ But the figure did not answer as the sound of ice spirit arts filled one''s hearing with an elegant ice-blue dagger manifested in the figure''s hand. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 4.5: Protecting the Duke from Assassins - Remember PIING Spiri Raia Year 904 Year 1397 in Manegia "Is that your village over there, Willow?" Joshua asked the maid as he pointed towards a settlement over the distance as they got around the small hill where they transferred behind it to mask the kaleidoscope. "Y-Yes, it''s there," Willow confirmed. "By the greater spirits, we really are near miss Willow''s village!" a knight, about a dozen and half years younger than his lord, beside them exclaimed, the other knights, shared his sentiment. His armor was different from the other knights the Court Wizards transferred, marking him the leader. "We told you we would, sir Oswald," Ronald said to the head knight named Oswald. "Right," Oswald nodded. "And miss Willow''s orphanage should be there."
"While we wait for your troops to assemble," Ronald said. "I wonder, why is there an orphanage in a rural village? Does it have to do with the war against Fichs decades ago?" "Yes," the duke, Allister, nodded. "We were still outnumbered, so casualties were significant. Furthermore, Willow''s village is near Fichs, it did get in the crossfire, so I built an orphanage there. But I believe there would be few orphans left as the ones orphaned from the war have grown up." "Y-Yes, that is true," Willow confirmed. "I was the only orphan of my age when I was little. The orphanage was mostly me and the director until I''m older. The director was very kind and treated me like his daughter." "And we can assume the villagers there were mostly former orphans," Joshua deduced. "So they''re also attached to the orphanage, especially the director who took care of them before. I assume he was the same director as yours, correct, Willow?" "Y-Yes," Willow confirmed again. "And so by proxy, the villagers dared not to stand up against the bandits as well," Ronald concluded. "Though based on what you said, Willow, the number of bandits would have put them all in captivity anyway."
"You seem very determined, sir Oswald," Ronald commented, looking at the head knight. "I was an orphan too," Oswald replied. "My mom died when I was young, then my dad, a knight under the duke, died valiantly in the war." "Ah," Ronald uttered. "My condolences." "It''s fine," Oswald shrugged. "The duke made sure we who lost our parents have somewhere to go to instead of being left defenseless, so seeing the orphanage being threatened like that makes my blood boil." "So is that why you became a knight?" Ronald asked. "To protect the defenseless?" "That," the head knight answered, waggling his index finger, "and going after my dad''s footsteps, I decided to lend my sword to duke Illyer when I''ve grown to an adult to give my gratitude to him as well, especially when I can request spirit arts though I have yet to name a spirit. Then after a decade of service, I was suddenly the leader of my lord''s knight order." "I see, so we''re quite similar in regards to taking after our dads," Ronald commented which Oswald did not deny. "And with your ability to cast spirit arts, you''re called a Spirit Knight, correct?" "Yes, that''s the term," Oswald nodded. "Right then, time to take out the cohorts of the assassins taking advantage of you, Willow." With the small chatter finished, Joshua punched his fist to his other hand before looking at Willow. "Stay here with the knights hanging back, we''ll clear out these scum real soon." "Okay, thank you..." Willow smiled.
"You know, how did the assassins get in here, anyway?" Joshua wondered. "Even if Willow guided them, the guards should check them before letting them in, right?" "Indeed," Ronald nodded. "We were stopped by the guards before coming into your city." "Hah..." the duke sighed as if he had made a blunder. "Shamefully to admit it, I told the guards to let my servants after coming out of the city back in without fuss. That includes any entourages they bring." "Y-Yes, I told the guards that the assassins were with me and they let them in," the maid confessed with her head down. "I see, so that''s why they needed to coerce Willow," Ronald said before turning to the duke. "You need to check everyone coming in now, duke." "Yes," Allister sighed again, rolling his eyes. "I suppose I do."
We got visual, there are two bandits including the leader just outside the orphanage. The building and every house have no bandits inside, just all the villagers. The other bandits are at these locations, thirty in total. (Operator) Got it. (Ronald & Joshua) Emotion suppression on. "Alright, we just got the positions of the bandits," Ronald declared in monotone. "I''ll guide you where they are." "How do you know?" Oswald asked as he looked at Ronald only to be unnerved by his lack of emotion. "And I''ll go ahead to secure the orphanage," Joshua added in a similar tone, ignoring the Spirit Knight''s question since it''s to Ronald as he bent over and let his maneg boost him... TZANG ...as he lept. Hopefully, Willow doesn''t have PTSD of my suppression, Joshua thought, considering the maid''s first run-in with it. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
TZANG With his last [Eject], Joshua looked over the village still in the distance - the Order was still loud and only air maneg can absorb it. There were bandits on the perimeter, but like where most of the bandits were, playing cards and getting drunk while the sun was up, these lookouts were lazing about not doing their jobs properly. After all, they wouldn''t think that the knights will come all the way here, some rural village in the countryside and straight if the knights did, it''ll take too long for them to arrive. So it was easy for Joshua to slip past the bandits, especially when he got the Transporter Room operators guiding him as he still carefully navigated through the bandit-infested village and came upon the back of the orphanage. "You got that right, boss. But still, the brats are annoying, whining and crying all the time." "Yeah, if it weren''t for the old man shutting them up, we might shut of them up ourselves... for good, which could blow the job." Overhearing the two bandits by the shadowy side of the orphanage, with one of them being the leader, talking, the orphans seemed to be safe. Good, Joshua thought as the bandits then talked about Willow, calling her a wench when another bandit ran to the other two from the other side, so Joshua''s wasn''t spotted yet. "Boss! Boss! It''s an emergency!" that bandit exclaimed. "What is it?" the bandit leader asked. "It''s the duke!" the bandit exclaimed. "The duke''s knights are attacking us!" "What!?" the leader cried, surprised as expected. "Why are they here!?" Joshua, we''re beginning our assault. (Ronald) Got it, I''m moving in. With the confirmation from Ronald, stepping out from the dark, Joshua stood in front of the door to the orphanage and said to the bandits, catching their attention, "''Cause we are here," in a flat tone though it did take some effort to stress ''we'' under the suppression. With the bandits turning their backs to see the Ice Court Wizard, the bandit leader screamed, "W-Who in the greater spirits are you!?" as he and his cronies brandished their blades. CREME~ CREME~ Observing these bandits overall, their equipment were too good for their occupation. So they might be mercenaries, but their currently acting as bandits so Joshua will still refer to them as such as he willed his Cherished Armament, [Emilia''s Right Dagger], Emilia''s favorite blade with its icy-blue ornaments in its glory. He couldn''t figure a better name for the Armament than the fact Emilia always held this blade with her dominant hand, as with Ronald''s. I order you, coat lower left limb 50cm thick, thus is my Order, [Gauntlet]. [Eject] TZANG Bending over, Joshua launched himself towards the leading bandit as ice maneg materialized around his left arm. He hasn''t memorized [Gauntlet] yet as it was a new Order he''s trying since inheriting Emilia''s Armament... Besides, traditional ordering for flexibility was supposed to be the norm, not making multiple memorized versions of the same Order just because he and Ronald mostly modify the first steps of Orders in missions. Though [Eject] was a different story. By default, [Eject] can be given with its name only, it''ll launch the Court Wizard to the direction they are looking at and the maneg expelled all at once from their lower back, their center of gravity specifically. CHINK "So fast!" the bandit leader exclaimed as Joshua swung his ice-coated limb first, batting away the sword the bandit leader held diagonally across his torso. The leader was surprisingly almost as tall as Joshua, so the taller man imagined the bandits unperturbed by an even taller human. Not letting up, Joshua pulled back his dagger and... BASH "Argh!" ...thrust it''s bottom to the tall bandit''s left temple. Joshua doesn''t kill, like any other modern era ''Earth'' Court Wizard and so simply knocked the bandit leader to the fence unconscious. 1 bandit subdued, 29 remain. ""Boss!"" the other two bandits screamed as their leader was taken down ever so suddenly. I order you, form sphere 30 cm diameter 5 cm above my head, travel to head of messy hair man with sword, Order break, repeat first step of first Sub-Order, travel to head of lanky man with sword, thus is my Order, [Iceball]. CREME~ But Joshua will not give them any time to avenge their leader as a ball of ice maneg formed above his head that then shot itself to the forehead of the bandit to his left in frightening speed. BASH "Gah!" the bandit who could use a haircut groaned as he was met face first with the [Iceball], sprawling to the ground. CREME~ Then, the second [Iceball] came, targeting the bandit to Joshua''s right, who looked ill-fit to be a fighter. BASH "..!" and the lanky bandit with a sword didn''t make much of a reaction with how fast it was. 3 bandits subdued, 27 remain. SHATTER Standing over the unconscious brigands, Joshua dismissed his Cherished Armament as his [Gauntlet] expired soon after. Then, he looked in the direction where the lanky bandit came from, to see the Illyer''s knights plus Ronald engaging the bandits caught off guard and without their leader. I''ve secured the orphanage. Right, I''ll inform Oswald to hurry up on our end. Guard the place. (Ronald) Got it.
"Sir Oswald," Ronald called out in a flat voice with his Cherished Armament, [Emilia''s Left Dagger], a red patterned dagger with splotches of ice blue in his hand. "Joshua had secured the orphanage, he''ll be standing guard there." "Truly?" Oswald raised his eyebrow, stunned but still unnerved by how Ronald said it without color in his eyes. "Then we must make haste. Everyone, their leader has been defeated, charge!" """Uoh~!""" Upon Oswald''s rallying cry, the knights rushed in, their swords and shields clashing with the bandits''. Though their adversaries were experienced mercenaries, they were wholly unprepared for the properly trained knights'' assault, especially when some of the bandits were mildly drunk and the demoralizing declaration that their leader was beaten. "W-What!? No way!" "He''s lying! The boss is invincible!" "But where''s the boss!? He should be here, right?" "Oh, water spirits." Ignoring the cries of the shaken bandits, Oswald made his request as he pointed his sword at the bandits, "lend me your power and precision!" BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST BLAST And Ronald saw the numerous water spirits dancing in the braving themselves in his presence, seeing as the Court Wizard was on the requester''s side, and shot out beams of high-pressured water systematically targeting the bandits.
"""Big sis! You''re alright!""" A bunch of kids tackled Willow''s poor body to the ground right in front of the orphanage door. The orphans were too excited to see her. "Yes, I''m alright, Ricky, Marco, Sophie, Abby," Willow softly cried as she hugged them back as she got herself back up, though sitting on the floor with the children. "I''m alright." "Welcome back, Willow." Within the orphanage, an elderly man with a cane approached the orphans with a gentle smile. "Thank the spirits you are safe." "Director! I-" "It''s not your fault, Willow," the director cut her off, patting her head. "What matters is that you are all safe and sound." Joshua and Ronald stood by the fence, coincidentally the part where Joshua beat down the bandit leader, who, with his minions were rounded up by the Illyer''s knights, and watched the warm reunion as they felt a familiar remembrance with this scene. "Yes, the Beast is gone, so no one will get hurt anymore." "Ah, that''s what we want to see," Joshua murmured. "...Yes," Ronald nodded. "Indeed." "Big sis." One of the girls rummaged her pocket to pull out a flowery trinket, which Joshua couldn''t make out the details but the color fitted Willow''s hair and gave it to Willow. "Here, this is for you!" "Oh?" Willow raised her eyebrow as she received the gift with her two hands. "What''s this, Abby?" "It''s a brooch we all made together!" the girl, Abby, explained. "We wanted to give it to you when you visited, but then those bad men came," she pouted. "I see..." Willow pressed the brooch to her chest. "It''s lovely, thank you." """You''re welcome!""" And thus was the first day, the start of the ''Open First Prince Faction Support Operation.'' From a peaceful alliance to saving the family of a young maiden, the unlikely first step to wrest the war-maniac second prince Van of the throne. "Hello, tall mister." Suddenly, Joshua glanced down as he heard a voice down below, it was Sophie. Joshua looked back at the orphans to see them dumbfounded and looked back at the little girl who just approached him and nonchalantly said, "are you big sis'' boyfriend?" with an innocent smile. That was twenty-four years ago. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 4.1: For the Good of the World 2 - Bad Timing Kaomagi Earth Year 1993 Year 1396 in Manegia CLINK CHOP CLINK "Dad? Has the Otherworldly Court''s administration always been that bad?" Ronald asked as he ate his potatoes. It was another evening after Ronald completed yet another mission. Usually, he would talk with his father, Alan, about how it went over dinner, just the two of them in the dining hall, alone. Like, Bell senior and Bell Junior were the only occupants of this mansion. Ronald''s grandparents, with his grandfather being Bell Conglomerate founder and the first Bell Court Wizard, Thomas Bell, had long since retired to the mountain villa which its acquisition was interesting, to say the least.
"Father? Why did you buy a villa?" Alan asked as he, his son Ronald, and his father Thomas, grandfather, father, and son stood in front of a large house built on a mountain, putting their hands below their stomach. "No, I did not, son. I won it," Thomas looked at Alan and shook. "A friend of mine, from the Otherworldly Court, dared me, at our age, to a buy a ticket from a house raffle, and that ticket happened to be the winning one. This villa." the oldest Bell gestured his hand towards the villa. "I wouldn''t dare to waste a dollar on the minuscule chance of winning it otherwise," he looked back at his son. "Huh," Ronald uttered. "Well, that''s interesting, grandpa."
His mother? Well... "The administration?" Alan perked his ear. "Ronald, we have talked about how poor it is before, right?"
Kaomagi Earth Year 1989 Year 1392 in Manegia "Hey dad, I''ve been to one of the Guardian''s discussions but why are there only half of the Guardians there?" young Ronald asked. "Is that normal?" "...Yes, it is," Alan slowly nodded, darting his gaze away. "The Guardians, after all, still have private lives in their world. "To make matters even worse, Mother Souls tend to choose people with high political positions in their world like a leader of a country for example. Perhaps it sought the advantage of that political power which did indeed benefit us, but that also made them very busy, too busy to attend every discussion. Around half of the Guardians are such people in every generation. A trend if you will. "As they cannot be demanded to stay in the Court all the time, yet having the important status as Guardian, a compromise was made where at least half of them must be present in the Court. It was easy enough since around a quarter of the Guardians usually take permanent residence in the chambers, the latter quarter is arranged in an agreed rotation. "That at least keeps the Court functioning." "Then what about everyone else?" Ronald then asked. "Oh, the rest of us can show up whenever we feel like it," Alan casually shrugged. "Eh?" Ronald blinked. "Yes, I''m serious," Alan continued. "We are paid per commission, every mission which is all that matters to our ideals. Like I said before, there are always Court Wizards living in Manegia, so they''re always on standby for missions that don''t appear every day other than the routine ones. "Otherwise, we still have the conscience to visit the Court with the powers we''ve been bestowed, usually once or twice a week, once every two weeks at most." "Like me coming to the Court every weekend to receive missions?" Ronald guessed. "Precisely," Alan nodded. "And anyone longer than that is usually taking a break. "Moving on," Alan continued. "As you said before, son, this model means that there are always Court Wizards to take the mission, missions handed out to whoever''s present in the Otherworldy Court at the time..."
"Yeah," Ronald said. "But I still don''t like how the Guardians just hand out missions to whoever shows up. We already hired people from the Four Nations to operate the facilities for us, can''t we just properly choose who should take missions?" "Hah... That''s actually pointed out multiple times," Alan sighed. "But as long as the mission doesn''t require a specialized Court Wizard, there is no need for that. Missions are similar to the Hunting Guild''s bounties, if the hunter can do it, they''ll take it. "The difference is that we have to take whatever the mission is for the day since we already can choose which day we want to show up to the Court. That includes New Wizards to double as training since they would be tagged with their mentors, so they would be safe." "In other words, it''s of all the times we showed up for work," Ronald concluded, massaging his temple. "Hm? Did something happen with your mission today? You did come home later than usual," Alan asked, putting the pieces together with what his son was getting at. Then, recalling when Ronald came back to Kaomagi Earth, "ah, you have promoted to Grand Wizard judging by the new cloak you brought home. So something did happen in your mission." "Yeah, it is, dad," Ronald admitted, cutting to the real part of his mulling. "It''s about the mission me and my friends went through, in Geron Yor." This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Azhure: I decided against italicizing the rest of this Memory despite happening in the past relative to the previous sections just this once. Geron Yor Year 1309 Year 1396 in Manegia "Welp, here we are," Joshua said as they stood outside the walls of yet another aristocratic mansion, in the middle of the night in these parts of Geron Yor - it should be noon in Ronald and Joshua''s place in Kaomagi Earth. "Right then, time to take out another noble," Ronald remarked, but it lacked enthusiasm. Facing down on Ronald''s expression, "Well, the noble and the entire family might still be Spawns in disguise," Joshua consoled. "It ain''t farfetched the Green Deity could make one since it''s even more unlikely for the noble to work with him when the big green guy wants to kill all the humans, him included in the end." "But even so, we still have to massacre them ourselves, different than luring the champion who was supposed to confront them," Ronald mooted. "This is all because every attempt to tip off that champion of a traitor has failed thus far." "The idea of betrayal wouldn''t cross the Yellow Deity''s army''s minds after all," Joshua said. "Since it''s about the survival of their race." "And we just had about enough letting unknown enemy hurting the chances of the champion winning," Ronald finished. "To be fair, we still don''t know everything about this noble, but we know he has caused many Beacons to fall in the short span of a decade. We can''t waste any more time investigating this guy." "Come on, you two, let''s go already," Emilia interrupted them as she materialized her Cherished Armaments. "Besides, it''s not like you boys are going to do the deed since you don''t have the guts to murder. You''re just knocking out interlopers while I do the killing, I am from an assassin clan, after all." ""...Right."" CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ They didn''t talk afterwards as Joshua ordered multiple [Platform]s, forming horizontal slabs of ice maneg to act as stairs to climb over the wall quietly.
"Apologies," Emilia whispered... BASH ...as she smacked the butt of her dagger to a maid''s back of her head, knocking her unconscious. Recalling her daggers, Emilia quickly wrapped her right arm around the maid''s stomach to stop her fall and grabbed the arc of the bucket filled with water the maid was carrying so it wouldn''t spill. THUD THUD As Emilia slowly put the bucket to the grass and laid the unconscious maid beside it, under the new moon which reflected the state of the world, the green overtaking the yellow by a few inches when seen from below, though it couldn''t be seen right now, Ronald and Joshua wordlessly dropped from the wall with little noise, going in after Emilia went in first and knocked out the poor servant who was just doing her work, even though it was their job to do so. "Just as the [Drone] reported, there aren''t many servants here and all the soldiers are with the champion since this place is between the Green Line and a Beacon," Joshua commented, no need for [Telepathy] since no one else was in the vicinity, aside from the maid. "And our lack of suppression should confirm the lack of armed forces, at least for now," Ronald added. "Well, follow my lead," Emilia said quietly. "The noble should be in his usual place, we''ll sneak in as plan. Subdue any servants in the way." The Court Wizards entered through the back door of the mansion, where the maid came from, unaware of the carvings hidden beneath the blade of grass between where they landed and the wall that the Transporter Room operators wouldn''t and couldn''t check. If the Court Wizards had dropped in closer to the wall, they would have stomped it.
Isn''t that the noble''s son? Yeah, it''s him alright. (Joshua) As it turned out, going through the backdoor led them to the servants expecting the water bucket maid''s return, not a big deal after knocking them out. Afterwards, the Court Wizards navigated through the hallway, with the route established from previous [Drone] scouting, and came upon the noble''s son, a young man older than them coming from the front entrance, approaching a maid, who seemed surprised by his presence, in a full lustrous yellow armor set sans helmet and a sword strapped to his waist. No matter what, the yellow color of the Yellow Deity''s army is very gaudy. Even if it''s supposed to protect them from Spawn acid, though for some reason it only works in Geron Yor. (Joshua) Indeed. When your enemy''s blood can melt your own face, and the general and mage versions of that enemy able to shoot them, you''d obviously want protection. In this case, the Yellow Deity bestowed his subjects ''blessed'' metal aptly named ''Yellow Steel'' that''s immune to acid corrosion to be forged as armor and weapons, this allowed his army to not die after getting sprayed by the blood of the Spawn they hack away as well as to not damage their weapons in the process. Of course, the acid can still seep through the cracks so dead bodies still have skin parts dissolved, especially when they lost a limb or two. And as Joshua said, when Well, there''s our other target. Convenient. (Emilia) ... (Ronald & Joshua) Emilia''s rather sarcastic last word aside, how could Ronald forget? When the mission was to assassinate an aristocrat, it was always the entire family, for the father always taught the son to become the father - the unwritten finish that contradicted the first of the Three Philosophies (Azhure: first mentioned in Alicia Chapter 13.6). As much as he wanted to deny it, the risk of the noble''s son continuing his father''s damaging work cannot be afforded and therefore must die too. The only saving grace was that Emilia, who grew up in an assassin clan, will perform the necessary action, not Ronald nor Joshua. "Where is my father?" the noble''s son demanded to the maid in a frown. "T-The count is in his study," the maid answered, unnerved by the young master''s expression. "But-" "Right," the noble''s son huffed upon hearing the maid''s answer and zipped past her. "S-Sir!" the maid exclaimed as she turned around to reach out to the noble''s son, flustered. "The count said he does not want to be intruded by anyone!" "Whatever," the noble''s son stated coldly, not once looking back. Watching the entire exchange, Joshua, hiding behind the corner along with the others, gave his thoughts. Well, that''s interesting. (Joshua) I think I recognize the guy from the photographs, doesn''t he stick around the current champion the most? He is. That guy has helped the champion kill a bunch of Spawn generals and a couple himself too, and I believe he fended off Gra too. (Joshua) That''s impressive, surviving against the champion killer is no small feat. (Emilia) And he''s that noble''s son? How come we didn''t get the memo? (Joshua) It''s hard to get information from the front lines, Joshua. We don''t have collaborators within their ranks and the Bell Branch can only provide chatters from the common folk which was pretty much all about the champion, never him even though we''ve seen him fighting alongside the champion every time. Then the noble''s son is most likely a hidden shadow supporting the champion. A selfless man giving all the credit to the champion even though he''s half the reason for the champion''s triumph, that''s probably why we didn''t get much info on him. The age gap means we can''t tell how similar he is to his father enough for us to conclude that they''re father and son unless we know they share the same family name which we don''t since we''ve only heard his first name from the distance. (Emilia) Seems farfetched, but it looks like he''s caught on to his dad''s machinations and is confronting him for all the Beacons lost, so you''re probably right, Emilia. Welp, guess we''re not assassinating him. I mean, I don''t think the Green Deity''s willing to kill off many of his generals just for his spy to get close to the champion. (Joshua) Indeed. And the Spawn in disguise theory is out of the window too, unless the son''s adopted. Never mind that, what are we waiting for? Let''s follow him instead of loitering around. And knock that chasing maid out too. (Emilia) Right. (Ronald & Joshua) Looking at Emilia''s expression as they went, Ronald noticed that she had a sigh of relief. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 4.2: For the Good of the World 2 - Argue Silently subduing the chasing maid behind the steadfast noble''s son, the Court Wizards followed him all the way to the room his father was in. Of course, they had to keep their distance and be mindful of the other servants the noble''s son passed by, so a considerable time has passed between the son entering the room and the Court Wizards crouched to the door to eavesdrop. "Wh-" Joshua immediately closed his mouth, realizing the occupants behind the door might hear and put two fingers behind his ear, switching to [Telepathy]. The other two did the same. Why are we crouching? (Joshua) I don''t know, we just did. And you''re still not making any difference standing or crouching, Joshua. Try not to doze off while you''re at it. (Emilia) Emilia''s usual snark aside, which seemed to lessen after the years gone by as the other two Court Wizards noticed which was still none of their business, Joshua''s height, even when he''s on his knees did indeed had his head still over the doorknob. He had to duck down a little passing through some of the doorways of this mansion. No one will see us like this, right? That maid did say that the noble doesn''t want to be disturbed, and this hallway is pretty isolated from this floor and looked recently cleaned too. I don''t think any maid would want to come here, so we''re safe. (Emilia) "If you really are my father and not a doppelganger, why would you aid him, father!?" Suddenly, even with the door shut, the son''s shout was heard by the Court Wizards from the outside. "We have lost so many Beacons and brother-in-arms to the Green Deity who killed my mother and sister! Your wife and daughter! Our family!" Huh, looks like we''re on time. (Joshua) Joshua, their family is dead! (Emilia) Indeed. Sorry, that was insensitive of me. (Joshua) However, Emilia only sighed as she gritted her teeth. Ronald too, though he didn''t do the latter that she did, considering his family. Well, the father should be giving his reasoning as to why he colluded with the Spawns right after this, given that the son has concluded that his father wasn''t murdered and replaced by a Spawn. Even still, the Court WIzards didn''t throw the possibility of the noble being a Spawn in disguise out of the window completely, until now. "Yes, the Spawns did indeed kill our family." Though faint, the father''s stern voice was still audible. "When they invaded this land for that damn Beacon. Thrashing this mansion, killing everyone inside, leaving us the only survivors." And we can definitely see that. (Joshua) Even though it has been more than a decade since the Beacon in this area, around the north center, and a little bit to the east, of the world map of Geron Yor, was retaken, according to archives, the Court Wizards could see the mansion was still damaged. The noble does not seem to prioritize his money to fix it. Yes... There are still blade marks on the wall. The maids probably hid even more behind the paintings which seem to be not enough to cover them all. (Emilia) And the carpet doesn''t do a good job hiding the holes made by Spawn acid, it literally sunk into it. (Joshua) We had to watch our step because of that. And the paintings we passed by don''t even have the noble''s family in it, just their ancestors and random art. It would be really helpful if there is some for whatever photographs Daisuke even took. (Joshua) After the brief silence, allowing the Court Wizards to mind chat, "And where were the Yellow Deity''s most loyal followers, who forced us to live here just because we were the great protectors against the Spawn for generations?" the father continued, seemingly increasing his volume for every word. "Having a deity-damned party to indulge the champion''s skirt-chasing fantasy!" Ah, I recall one of the things the Bell Branches could gather, other than his family name which is almost useless since we don''t even know its members except the head until now, though it''s too late to be any useful, is that this noble''s family had great military records that they were assigned to defend this area''s Beacon. That''ll be good to remind ourselves of before going in nearly blind. But from the sound of it, the entire family was forced to be here. The noble doesn''t seem to be even allowed to at least send his civilian family to the east where it''s safer while he fights the Spawn causing them to be killed when the Beacon fell. (Emilia) I smell the rest of the nobility''s trying to curb this noble family''s influence since they''re really good at killing Spawns by sending them so close to the Green Wall. I mean, he''s still a count, you''d think he''d be higher than that with all of his family''s achievements and it''s pretty strange that his territory is all the way here. (Joshua) Yes, the nobility made this family very obscure that it took the Bell Branches significant effort to gather information on them. Heck, it even took us a while to find him out as he crippled the Yellow Deity''s forces that the Guardians decided to take him out without knowing what will happen. How horrible, all because they were jealous of this family''s triumphs that the noble now turned against humanity. (Emilia) Well, it''s just as you expect of the ''nobility,'' a bunch of self-serving corrupt politicians. We even have a general idea of why this noble betrayed humanity now thanks to them. "No wonder the bloke tried to woo a female general Spawn and got his throat slit for it," the father spat. "The Green Deity even started to create more female generals after that! The champion of the Yellow Deity!" Ugh, don''t remind me about it. (Joshua) Yes, it feels... insulting every time we take that mission, knowing the context behind it. (Emilia) I believe the word you are looking for is called ''cringey'' - apparently, this word should already appear on our ''Earth'' a few years ago. Ever since that perverted champion fell to lust, the Green Deity started to birth more female generals, making them more beautiful even, to replicate the same results. Rather than running the risk of it happening again, the Guardians opted to assassinate female Spawns whenever it''s possible. It was a frequent mission they took which they did not like knowing how this repeated mission came to be. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "But the champion had still retaken the Beacon, right?" the son argued, not even denying that particular dead champion''s perverse behavior. "Just as he promised to me!" "The same promise when I was a child like you! By the slothful champion no less who let my parents and siblings die!" the father spat. "But once I have grown older, I saw just how shallow that promise was, he doesn''t even look serious giving me that shameless excuse to hide his own laziness! Even if he had kept it!" My goodness! He also lost his family when he was a child too!? (Emilia) Hm, losing your family twice may have put the noble to the extreme. "I have fought so hard to fend off the Spawns from killing us all, as every generation of our family did," the father continued. "But look back to the east, what do you see?" "...The people happily living their lives in peace and hope." After a brief silence, the son answered, "singing praises to the champions who kept the Spawns from them and eventually defeating the Green Deity once and for all." "And because of that the people, from the kings to peasants, remained aloof for centuries," the father growled. Oof, that''s a pessimistic way to put it. (Joshua) "Yes, they may have shown the yearning to vanquish the Green Deity" the father continued, "but they are making light of it, for the war never touched their comfortable home! "They never committed to the cause! The corrupt kings and aristocrats squabble amongst themselves, scrambling for the most glory and the champion''s favor like a shiny new toy, all while the soldiers in the frontlines die the most gruesome deaths! "And the common folk are no better! Picking up arms not to defeat the great enemy, but for the thrill and allure to fight alongside the champion against the Spawns, treating it like some sort of ''great adventure'' until they realized it was nothing like what the ''epic stories'' they heard upon acid in their armor! "And the champion. Yes, the champion..." Then, it went silent, the father was probably taking a deep breath. "Just where did the Yellow Deity summon those wet-eared brats anyway!?" he shouted. "The Yellow Deity does not have to summon a formidable warrior," the father continued in an annoyed tone. "Even a scholar would do - their knowledge can do more than taking up arms against hordes Spawns. But no~, it has to be some immature kid! "Sure, they were an enthusiastic bunch and willingly risk their lives out of their volition hearing our plea, but they are just like the peasants, in the end. Only they are the ''hero'' of this ''great adventure'' just because they were blessed by the Yellow Deity. "And you are not helping either! Giving your credit for each kill of the Spawn generals to the champion may seem honorable of you, but what you are doing is piling unrealistic expectations and an inflated ego to him! Especially when he contributed so little compared to the previous champions!" He''s definitely pointing his finger at his son right now. (Joshua) Well, no kidding. (Emilia) "I admit that the current champion is a bit cocky even though he did not take as many Beacons compared to the previous champions up until now, though that is thanks to you, and I had to save him multiple times. But the people need to feel hope and security in the champion now so he needed all the glory he can get," the son responded. "However, as you said, we have defeated many Spawn generals together, and even surviving against Gra, though all of that may be your doing as well. But that makes me sure that he will become a great champion in due time, I know this as his close ally since the start of his journey. " "If you are really a close ally to the current champion, then you should know the strange things the champion says, correct?" the father suddenly asked, with the question seemingly disconnecting from the current flow. "Huh?" And the son was equally confused. "Well... I guess he does say things I do not understand like the Spawns being something out of a ''zom-bee game'' when he faced them for the first time, sometimes referring the common folk as ''en-pee-sees,'' the Beacons as ''control points'' with the Green Wall showing the progress, and that the Yellow Steel armor was ''oh-pee'' being immune to Spawn blood. "Oh, he also said that we were supposed to lose against Gra but survive the assault as we were attacked by a ''super-strong boss'' like the Champions'' Rival early on who should have appeared ''just before the final boss.'' I think said that to console us with all of our comrades who fell to the champion killer and losing a Beacon in the process." You know, I''m pretty sure I heard Gra being called the ''champion killer'' by the Yellow Deity''s forces in the frontline. Not just by the noble''s son we hear now. Yeah, that''s his unofficial title which is an open secret among the soldiers. Champions'' Rival is the official one to keep the morale of the civilians. (Joshua) Well, I guess it would cause unease for the people to hear of a single Spawn general dubbed as the ''champion killer''. (Emilia) "And he is not the only champion who preached such nonsense, many summoned champions I have met spouted such words. Sure, it was confusing at first, but after hearing it enough times, I understood," the father said in a strangely calm tone. Then, he exclaimed, "they think of this world as a chessboard! Our war a game to them! They do not even think of us as living people! We are but mere puppets meant only to serve them in their ''quest''! "The local champions from the far-flung villages are at least better than that! Even if they are the same as the rest of the peasants and get cocky being chosen as the champion, they know the stakes once they have tasted their first battle!" He''s got a point, you know. Summoning some kid from the twenty-first century ain''t champion material, they always see the whole mission they''re summoned for as a game. (Joshua) And I am quite thankful that my world''s deity chose local heroes to fight against demon lords instead of summoning them. (Emilia) If I''m not wrong, for centuries, it has always been a modern ''Earth'' teen that''s summoned, correct? According to our lost records, yeah. We haven''t discovered Geron Yor Earth yet, so the time flow between the two worlds is still different by who knows how many centuries faster for Geron Yor compared to the other. (Joshua) "You can give your encouragements to the other dead champions as much as you wish, especially to the immoral champion you so admire! But you cannot deny it, son!" the father exclaimed. "Humanity is a lost cause! Trapped in a perpetual state of taking and losing Beacons for centuries as those in charge bicker amongst themselves while the ignorant masses put their hope on the champions who see our conflict as a big game! I can see why the Green Deity wishes to destroy us, and he had noticed that same feeling within me." I wouldn''t put it like that. People are always under the yoke of corruption and self-interest. Just because the Yellow Deity''s followers couldn''t put their act together doesn''t mean they''re doomed. (Emilia) Whatever it is, we got an insane guy who thinks humanity should die. (Joshua) "You are insane, father," the son growled. See? (Joshua) "Bah! Say what you want! You cannot stop me!" the father spat. "In fact, you should even join me, son. Especially when I shall do this!" Wait, what is he doing? (Joshua) SHIING "You will not!" With the sound of a sword being drawn, the son shouted, "I will stop you from impairing us right here, right now!" "Just try!" the father taunted. Alright, enough idling around. Move in! (Emilia) GUBRAK A loud noise masked the swing of the door as the Court Wizards saw the noble''s son lept and plunged his sword to his father''s heart, toppling over the desk between them. The middle-aged noble himself had a green glow in his hands as he crashed to the floor with his son. Spawn magic. Did we even need to intervene? "It is over now, father." After spending a few seconds in that position, the noble''s son got up and pulled his sword before turning around to see the masked robed and cloaked figures of the Court Wizard. "And who are- Urk!" "What the!?" Joshua exclaimed. The noble''s son was interrupted by a crude, yet sharp greenish spear protruding out of his torso, piercing through the Yellow Steel armor meant to protect him. Eyes widened, the noble''s son wordlessly looked back to see a rotten green armored humanoid figure, literally halfway coming out of a green circle on the floor. It gradually rose from the floor, holding the spear which struck the young aristocrat while pressing down on the dying elder noble who was smirking with its other green hand. By the Otherworldly Court''s term, it was a green-skinned acidic human. To the people of Geron Yor, a Spawn. "Heh," the noble chuckled, spouting blood, having the last laugh. "I told you... c-can not stop me, son." And the noble closed his eyes, breathing his last. SHAMBLE SHAMBLE That wasn''t the only one. Green circles formed around them one by one, with the same rotten faces of the Spawns coming out of them. As the Court Wizards looked out to the balcony behind the dying son, there was an aurora of green, seemingly surrounding the entire mansion. "This is bad," Joshua muttered as he went into combat stance. "Understatement of the year," Emilia replied sarcastically as she materialized her Cherished Armaments. "Just focus or we''ll all die," Ronald sterned as he faced the nearest Spawn whose head''s only out, curling his hands as he prepared his family''s signature Order, [Burning Fist]. Emotion suppression on. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 4.3: For the Good of the World 2 - Aftermath Kaomagi Earth Year 1993 Year 1396 in Manegia "Either the noble managed to finish the spell in time or he rigged it into a dead man''s switch as backup, we were suddenly surrounded by Spawns," Ronald finished, cutting his vegetables. "Turns out, there were runes circling all around the inner wall, turning the mansion grounds into a transfer point. If we landed just closer to the inner wall, we could''ve smudged it with our shoes." "And so you three ended fighting all of them by yourselves!?" Ronald''s father, Alan, widened his eyes in concern, putting his knife and fork down. "You didn''t call reinforcements?" "We did," Ronald replied, flailing his hand back and forth lazily. "But they were at a discussion and the operators don''t want to disturb them." "Hm, I''ll need to have a word with them later." Alan''s narrowing eyes unnerving his son aside, he asked, "you weren''t hurt, are you? I know the Life Wizards can heal acid wounds without scars, but being burned by acid can still leave a traumatic experience." "No, no," Ronald denied, waving his hand in a stopping gesture. "We made sure to stick to ranged Orders after we dealt with the Spawns near us." "I see." Alan rolled his eyes, picking his eating utensils up. "And afterwards, after the display of valor of the three of you, you were all promoted to Grand Wizard." "Yes, that''s correct. Though I believe Master Gertrude only gave me the Grand as a pat on my back for making us put up with it," Ronald commented grudgingly. "Well, at the very least, you have attained the rank with little casualties. After all, you three did prevent the Green Deity from trapping the champion''s army from both sides, it would have been a disaster," Alan consoled his son. "So congratulations are in order." "But still," Ronald sighed, slacking his arms on the table. "We could''ve handled it better. If only we had more info on the noble before going with the mission, or at least find out those runes placed by the Green Deity. Then maybe we could have saved the noble''s son... and the house servants too."
BLAST 165 Spawns eliminated, ??? remain. Blowing away another group of Spawns standing in a T intersection in the hallway below the floor where the son killed the father with [Fire Burst], Ronald and company marched forward, trying to get out of the Spawn-infested mansion. So far, they were able to conserve their maneg usage just fine, taking turns to shoot Orders while being mindful not to create an ice and fire Maneg Beast which would complicate things even further. However, before moving forward, they took a glance below the arching window and found an ugly sight: the maid Willow knocked out when they climbed over the wall hacked to pieces wearing a face of horrifying agony as her blood stained the grass she laid down upon for the blade of the Spawns was the first thing she woke up to.
"The Green Deity always has new tricks on his non-existent sleeve, you have done the best you can do, Ronald," Alan said to his son. "After all, the nobility has obscured the achievements of the noble... Hm, do you know the family name of that noble? You seem to only refer to him as ''the noble.'' It could get confusing when pairing with other nobles." "Uh..." Ronald stared at his father awkwardly. "His family name was hard to pronounce, so we just call him ''the noble.'' Also... I forgot." "Well, we never try to remember aristocrat names across worlds if we don''t have to anyway," Alan mused. "Though this could be troublesome... Ah, I recall you said the noble is a count, let''s call him ''the count'' then?" "...Sure," Ronald nodded slowly. "That sounds good." "Alright then, as I was saying." Alan continued where he left off, "The rest of the nobility obscured the count''s achievements and forced him into a remote territory prone to getting invaded, finding information about him was difficult, to begin with. That is something out of your hand. And it doesn''t help that whatever record we may actually have on the count''s lineage is lost in the 1246 Incident." "That bad?" Ronald frowned. "I thought Daisuke not being able to find even a single family portrait of them was as bad as it could get." "Hm, based on what you said, the count may have been one of the very rare good nobles who upheld their noblesse oblige," Alan theorized. "With the Green Line so close to his domain, the count wouldn''t waste time and resource just to have a simple family painting, much to my old friend''s frustration. Perhaps after the Line was pushed back much further he might, but alas his was family killed sans his son." "You might be right, dad," Ronald said, contemplating what his father said. "Now that I think about it." "Well, people do say we Court Wizards give nobles a rather hard time," Alan chuckled. "It''s quite a shame that such a good count was disillusioned to the point where he would collude with the Green Deity." "Yeah, losing your family twice will change you a lot," Ronald added. And it''s something we both know very well. "For the count, it made him insane." "And in that insanity, he has lost sight of the original reason for his actions," Alan finished. "Hm?" Ronald raised his eyebrow, confused by his father''s statement. "How so?" "Remember the last things the count said," Alan calmly responded. "You told me yourself, after all." "Humanity is a lost cause! Trapped in a perpetual state of taking and losing Beacons for centuries as those in charge bicker amongst themselves while the ignorant masses put their hope on the champions who see our conflict as a big game!" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Ah, do you mean that?" Ronald recalled. "Yes, the count focuses only on the hubris of Geron Yor''s mankind and the broken crutch that is the summoned champions, and perhaps the local champions as well, which caused the pointless cycle of capturing and losing Beacons, killing countless lives," Alan explained. "But never did the count tie his deceased family into it despite being the catalyst for his betrayal, the catalyst his son brought which started their argument." "...You''re right," Ronald snapped in realization. "Right after talking about how the nobility, the skirt-chasing champion, and the lazy champion let the counts family die, it was never brought up again. Especially when the count ranted the most." "Precisely," Alan nodded. "Even though his son reminded his father about it, the count still shoved it aside. That''s why I said he has lost sight of the reasoning for his actions." "I see," Ronald muttered. "I will stop you from impairing us right here, right now!" "Just try!" "And I guess even the count''s son lost sight of it too," Ronald mused, recalling the moment where the son proceeded to thrust his sword to his own father. "When he killed his own father instead of arresting him." "Indeed," Alan furrowed. "To think the count''s son would react so violently to his own father. I suppose that happens when the son does not see eye-to-eye with his father to such an extreme degree. Not having that deep of trauma compared to his father and still believes in the summoned champions the count badmouthed..." "..." "..." "..." "...Hey, dad?" Ronald spoke up, breaking the silence that formed afterwards. "Do you think... we would end up like them? You know, since..." "No, I don''t believe so," Alan cut him off. "We may argue a bit, but that is normal and fine." "I see..." Ronald muttered, his arms slackened. "..." Looking at his son, Alan spoke, "Was it that bad?" "...Pretty much," Ronald confessed. Even behind the door, he could imagine just how much emotion flying around the heated confrontation. "Especially when our suppression is off the entire time. Though it''ll probably be worse if it did, with all the baggage coming out at once."
"Hey, dad? Is the Green Deity even aware of us?" Ronald asked. "I know he can''t observe through every Spawn he makes but he should at least saw us a couple of times, so how come he never recognize us Court Wizards? Geron Yor was a world ravaged by the Eleven-Century War, so the Green Deity should know us from our predecessors and deal with us accordingly, right?" "It is most likely because the Green Deity couldn''t confirm us," the elder Bell answered. "After all, we are nothing like our predecessors, the Maneg Users. For one, we have our robes hiding any otherworldly attire or features." Though Joshua insists on wearing the cloak instead, Ronald mused internally. Much to Rose''s frustration. "Two," Alan continued. "Our Orders are similar to magic used by humans in Geron Yor. So for all the Green Deity knew, we were a secret squad of magic users foiling his plans in the shadows. And to confirm his wrong suspicion, we always operate with more than one Element in our group." "Because Maneg Users of Elements never get along," Ronald finished. "Precisely," Alan nodded. "According to legends in Geron Yor, which unfortunately didn''t tell how many years ago, Light and Dark Maneg Users were the first to invade Geron Yor, fighting both sides and each other in a battle royale. "And apparently, they also recorded the two Maneg Users group creating Maneg Beasts, describing them as ''monsters of light and shadow'' that appear whenever the two groups'' ''magic'' clashed. Other Mother Souls of Elements joined the fray after they left. "While it is a mere legend for the humans, the Green Deity ought to remember them as true, the Maneg Users did a number on him. So the sight of us rivaling ''Maneg Users of Elements'' working together should throw him off." "Then what about the Yellow Deity?" Ronald then asked. "He doesn''t seem to mind, apparently." Alan shrugged. "Probably in the same boat as his enemy and opted to observe us Court Wizards of Elements from above until he decided to leave us be since we''re helping him fighting his adversary which is his primary concern. It is the most ideal outcome, certainly much better than mine in Spiri Raia." "Ah, right." Ronald perked up. "Your group got into a fight with the local deity of the place. A greater water spirit, right?" "Yes," Alan nodded with a sigh. "And if it weren''t for Daisuke convincing the greater spirit that we mean no harm, the opposite in fact, and lowering our hoods as a sign of goodwill, it could''ve gone much worse. And Spiri Raia was not even affected by the Eleven-Century War! We must be unlucky to receive such a bad welcome. "That''s why we always send a large party when we explore a newly discovered world. Fitting, as we are Voyagers," Alan continued. "Who knows what sort of deity or watching entity we disturb upon our arrival. And with worlds like Geron Yor, some were actually rediscovered." "Can we tell that it is?" Ronald asked. "The Transporter Room can vaguely determine when the Maneg System has been applied to a world, but it''s more reliable to search evidence of the Eleven-Century War of that world," Alan answered. "Which is why the party of Court Wizards must be of different Elements, the more the better, to pause the enraged deity trying to stop the ''returning invaders,'' knowing that we normally wouldn''t be together, to at least hear our story. "But you know all of that, don''t you?" "...Yes, I do." "Your expression tells me otherwise." Alan deadpanned. "Hm, I may need to talk with your mentor as well, Ronald." Somewhere in the city, Joshua suddenly woke up from his sleep, sweating bullets as he hyperventilated.
"You know, the Yellow Deity''s army used the unofficial nickname ''champion killer'' to Gra. But when the commanders write it on their report, it''s not in capital yet the official moniker, the ''Champions'' Rival,'' is," Ronald pointed out. "And why do we also write it like that even though we informally write phrases like Maneg Geyser Maneg Pillar with capital?" "Probably because it is an unofficial title to them - it was supposed to be taboo anyway," Alan guessed. "And we usually follow how a world writes their words and phrases when we write a report or archive regarding their world." "Okay then, then how about our words and phrases?" Ronald then asked. "Joshua doesn''t find it important enough to tell us about it." "I suppose it is," Alan mused. "In Manegia, only ''maneg'' is normally not written with a capital letter, unless it''s the first word of a sentence." "Right," Ronald nodded. "Because it''s a ''normal'' word for us." "But when it''s used in a term, like Maneg Soul, it is," Alan added. "Formal or not." "Hm, like Maneg User instead of that name," Ronald commented, receiving a silent nod from his father. "Maneg Pillar for us, and Maneg Geyser for the Four Nations." "Actually, both should be separate entities," Alan corrected. "''Maneg Geyser'' when it''s formed, bursting upwards like a geyser. Then, it''s called a ''Maneg Pillar'' as we sense its pillar shape as it moves around. "Only the former is a known term by the Four Nations as the maneg is visible when it bursts out and then disappear from their sights when it becomes the latter. This is probably why we Court Wizards still consider Maneg Pillar an informal term and even interchange between the two phrases as if they were synonymous." "But we all use Maneg Beast when multiple Elements of them collide," Ronald interjected. "Of course," Alan chuckled. "Maneg Amalgamation is a mouthful after all."
"What about our emotion suppression and discussions in the courtroom?" "We never even have a formal term for those."
"Well now, we have talked for hours that we didn''t realize our food has gone cold as we eat," Alan said, looking at the old grandfather clock. "I''ll clean the dishes. Go to sleep now, you had a long day." "Right," Ronald got up from his seat. "Good night, dad." "Good night, Ronald." Leaving the dining room, Ronald could only sigh. All because he and his friends picked a bad time to show up to work, as wrong as it sounded. With or without the emotion suppression, the mission had left a bad taste in his mouth, to all of them. And it was right after we shared that photo, Ronald internally frowned. Well, it shouldn''t get any worse now. One bad mission is enough for a year.
Manegia Year 1396 BAM "What do you mean destroying my entire clan!?" Emilia shouted, banging the stand in front of her. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.1: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Thoughts "You know, I still can''t help but ask, what''s with ''master'' and ''Master'' without and with capital letters? We don''t even write capital letters on prince, princess, nor any other honorifics and such!" Ronald ranted. "Heck not even empire and kingdom!" "Eh, I don''t know." Joshua shrugged. "Maybe the First Guardians abusing their power again? They did insist the whole ''Master'' thing."
Spiri Raia Year 904 Year 1397 in Manegia CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP A month after that fateful breakfast, a carriage, bearing the Illyer crest, strolled across the countryside with the view of the great pond of Kirash to the side. The middle-aged coachman dutifully steered the horses pulling it while a dozen knights in light armor and on horseback encircled the carriage. "My lord." The carriage driver looked back to the passengers. "We will arrive at the city in about two hours." "Thank you, Liam," the duke of Illyer, Allister, said. "I hope this travel hasn''t been weary for you, my friend." "Think nothing of it, my lord. My bones are still strong, I can see myself driving for your future grandchildren too." "I see," Allister chuckled at the driver''s response. "I will look forward to it." "Go, Liam, go." Beside him, Neptune, the bald little blue child that was the intermediate spirit Allister named, softly cheered for the old driver, pumping his little fist. Looking back into the carriage, the duke focused his attention on the only other passenger. Wearing a plain, but beautiful blue dress with a white sunhat resting on her lap, his eldest daughter, Irene, inherited the beauty of his wife, her mother, Marisa. In fact, getting a good look at her, his daughter was the spitting image of her during their younger days. "Are you alright, Irene?" he spoke to his daughter. "This is your first time traveling, I hope it hasn''t left you weary." Ever since that breakfast, Allister thought that he really needed to let his daughters out. Succession war or not, he has isolated them for far too long. However, because of the succession war with himself being the only obstacle in prince Van''s path, his daughters will naturally be targeted without relent. And so...
"You need to know what it means to be a duchess by knowing the people you will rule over in your land," Allister said. "Furthermore, Layla is with you. With Neptune as well, we will be safe even if we are attacked."
That was his excuse to give his eldest daughter her first visit to a nearby town under the pretense of learning how to interact with her subjects as the future duchess of Illyer. This excuse, of course, doesn''t extend to his youngest daughter, especially when she''s prince Albert''s fiancee and has not named a spirit, making her more of a target. "No, father," Irene responded. "In fact, I feel quite exhilarated. The air is refreshing and the townspeople are very kind. I never knew the countryside can be so nice." "And it''s getting stuffy cooped up in the mansion anyway!" Sitting beside Irene was Layla, the greater spirit candidate Irene named, who lazily stretched out her petite arms with the bottom of her hair touching the seat. "I see," Allister smiled softly. "That is a relief." "Although, to be honest, I feel like something bad is about to happen." Irene looked out to the window, where their knights on horseback vigilantly guarding them against any threats. "But we are coming home pretty soon, so I am sure it is just my feeling." She wasn''t wrong to have her worries. Again, since Allister was the only one left to stand in prince Van''s way, and the second prince really does can''t go around him, the second prince allocated all of his resources to remove him, something the duke doesn''t want to tell outright to his daughter. So even though this outing was kept secret, which the duke was confident that it was, and rather unannounced, it wouldn''t be out of place for prince Van to station his men to attack him at every opportunity - which again was something Irene shouldn''t be burden with by knowing, though she may already have an inkling about it. "I do hope so," and so, this was the duke''s only response. "Well, we have our alliance with Ronald Bell and the Court Wizards, they said that they will keep us safe." "Oh?" Irene perked up, catching interest in what her father said. "Y-Yeah... I''mma go out on a stroll," Layla stuttered as she basically phased out of the carriage. "Ah, ah... M-Me too!" Neptune flustered, following after the thirteen-year-old looking spirit. Even after that breakfast where the greater water spirit herself approved it, the two named spirits were still uncomfortable at the mention of the Court Wizards. Decades of fear don''t wash away easily they supposed. Resigning to that fact, the two namers moved on and Irene said, "Well, speaking of Court Wizards, we have not seen mister Bell and mister Ruze since that breakfast. Did they not promise to protect us, or at least their colleagues in their place?" If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Well, I did inform them through Arnald that we are traveling," Allister noted. "I believe they do not want to be seen guarding us and did so from the distance. That is probably why our ride has been smooth thus far." After all, for all the second prince knew, Allister''s only ally was the Bell Conglomerate, some wealthy merchant in his city which gave him nothing more than financial support and it would be best to keep it that way. Besides, the Otherworldly Court, the organization the Bell and Conglomerate was under, preferred to operate in the background according to Ronald. However, it would mean that Ronald, Joshua, and more of their Court Wizards must be disposing of every goon sent by prince Van as they speak in the most swift and efficient manner - he''s certainly not going to tell that to his daughter. "I see." And thank the spirits his daughter did not pry further. "They are quite interesting, mister Bell, mister Ruze, and the Court Wizards. I am curious of their spirit arts, or I guess just their arts." "Yes, their arts does seem to come from themselves without the need of a request," Allister mused. "Or maybe they spoke it in their mind?" "Oh, that is right! Beyond what mister Bell and mister Ruze shown in that breakfast, mister Ruze did save you from the assassin. How was it?" Irene asked. "Ah... unfortunately, it happened so fast, I did not grasp a good look of him in action," Allister quickly said. "Oh, that is too bad," Irene relented. It was a lie, however, as Allister did have a firsthand account from his discussion with the head of his knights, Oswald, who was leading his security detail in front of Liam right now, as the Spirit Knight had fought alongside Ronald Bell during the rescue of the orphanage and village of Willow, the maid who was forced to cooperate with the assassins. A discussion he does not want to share with his daughter.
"I would say how they fight looked deceptively and underwhelmingly powerful," Oswald said. "Whilst their... lack of intent unnerved me, my lord." "Hm?" Allister raised an eyebrow "How so?" "For one, lord Bell seems to lose all of his emotions the moment we start the clash with those vagrants," the Spirit Knight said for starters. "A far cry from how they casually interacted with us and the people in front of those water illusion arts when we briefly ventured to their world to transit to miss Willow''s village." "Yes, I am aware of that when Ruze saved me from the assassin," Allister nodded, shuddering at that thought. "They do feel like lifeless dolls with the sole purpose of completing the command they were given when they turned to that stance." "I see." Oswald continued, "well when I say they were deceptively and underwhelming powerful, I meant how they use their... arts." "Their... arts?" "Throughout the battle, lord Bell had mostly used small fireball arts while knocking enemies who got close to him with the rear of his dagger," Oswald said. "The only time he used a different art was against a group of three where he unleashed a small breath of fire like that of a cursed fire dragon the greater fire spirit fought. "Lord Bell''s arts may look weak to the average observer, which I fell for at first glance. But, as we fought, I soon realize that his arts were more with efficiency in mind. Other than the fire breath in order to take out multiple enemies, he only shoots when he knows he will not miss. And while each the fireball were smaller than we would with our spirit arts, it was because it does not need to be any larger to incapacitate the adversary in the right spot." "In other words, Ronald made sure no arts were wasted nor used more than necessary to defeat the enemy," Allister concluded, living up to his reputation as a war hero. "And you imply that he did so to near perfection?" "Yes, frighteningly so for a young man such as him," Oswald grimaced. "However, lord Bell''s dagger proficiency was really amateurish, especially when he tries to subdue instead of killing. He likely picked it up only recently but that''s not important." "Rather, it''s his fire breath art which proves that he can perform stronger arts yet he chose to use weaker arts as it was ''enough,''" Allister narrowed his eyes. "Which means that he was holding back and is much stronger than he leads to be." "With that high level of control, I believe he has every right to be," Oswald remarked. "I shudder to think how powerful he really is." ''Well, Layla claimed his peers had fought almost equally with the greater water spirit,'' Allister thought which was not a can of worms to open to the head knight at the moment. "And we can assume the same for his colleagues like Ruze," he said instead. "I have seen it firsthand, after all," referring to Joshua Ruze saving his life from the assassin although it happened really fast. However, the duke was not a war hero for nothing. "Yes," Oswald nodded. "And not to mention how the very few spirit art users among the vagrants found their spirit art requests denied with lord Bell''s presence." ''Because the spirits were irrationally frightened of him, the Court Wizards,'' Allister thought, another thing he was not willing to discuss with his head knight right now. "I know this because other brigands we fought had their requests granted, so it was not your favor extending to his mere vassals unless you are with us, lord Illyer," the Spirit Knight continued. "While my spirit arts felt weaker as if the spirits knew that lord Bell was on our side yet they still trembled while performing my arts."
"Anyway," Irene said, changing the subject. "I heard Clint and Alexa are dating, is that true?" she asked, referring to the two knights who have shifts in guarding the front gates to the Illyer mansion. Allister simply looked outside the carriage window to see those two knights riding on horses, with Clint in front of Alexa as the latter fidgeted between looking out for brigands and staring at the former''s back while hiding her fluster. "...Hm, I suppose they-" "Lord Allister! Lord Allister! There''s danger!" Allister, however, was interrupted by an intermediate spirit Neptune phasing into the carriage at such speed that he almost tackled the duke. Then, the greater spirit candidate Layla followed in with sheer panic on her face as she wrapped her blue arms to Irene''s neck. "Layla!? What is hap-" "Bandits!" Layla cried, cutting her namer off. "Lot''s of them carrying fire!" BOOM NEIGH NEIGH Suddenly, there was a sound of an explosion which grind the carriage to a sudden halt, shaking the passengers inside along while the knights outside rein in their spooked horses untrained to be unfazed at such noise. "A-Are you alright, Irene?" Allister hunched towards his daughter, grabbing her hand she nearly fell forward. "Y-Yes, I am," his daughter replied, letting go of her father''s hand. "And you two!?" he looked at the spirits next. Just as spirits can choose to let themselves be seen or not, they can also choose to be incorporeal or not, but usually, they only do it to go through objects and become corporeal afterwards. "We''re fine!" Layla cried. "But-" "Bad guys!" Neptune screamed. CRACKLE CRACKLE Before inquiring the panicking spirits further, Allister noticed a flickering orange coming from the window as the air around him was getting hotter. "By the spirits..." he gasped as he looked out to the window. A sea of flames engulfed the grassy plains as Oswald shouted orders to his knights in preparation to clash against the figures armed with weapons who lept out of the fire as if they were cursed fire dragons. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.2: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Assault "Hey, Joshua," Ronald called. "I wonder why Spiri Raians don''t write spirit ranks with a capital letter." "Eh?" Joshua turned his head down to his junior. "What do you mean?" "From bottom: lesser spirit, spirit, intermediate spirit, greater spirit candidate, greater spirit heir, and greater spirit. All of them aren''t written with capital yet titles like Spirit Bard and Spirit Knight do." Ronald deadpanned, listing it out to his mentor. "It''s not like spirit art that''s too generic like magic system." "Oh, that," Joshua uttered in understanding. "Well, then I guess it''s like an everyday phrase to them. Like the rank is to describe the maturity of the spirit, like in a ''biological'' sense." "That still doesn''t explain the last three ranks," Ronald shook his head, looking up to his tall friend. "They are titles; being eligible, directly chosen by the current, and being the leader of the spirits respectively. In a ''biological,''" he said the word sarcastically, "perspective, the former two are literally the same thing." "Eh, then maybe it''s just a cultural thing since the spirits seem to be fine with it for centuries." Joshua shrugged. "Kinda like how we never write some terms like regular old maneg with capital, even the Element attachment unless it''s with Guardian while Element itself is in capital letters. The Four Nations seem to do it, though that''s definitely thanks to the First Guardians." "I see," Ronald nodded in a sort of understanding. Then again, things like capital letters shouldn''t be fussed about, much less being a lesson from your mentor... "Hm, I think my dad told me more or less the same thing we''re talking about," he recalled. "Really?" Joshua raised his eyebrow, at least that''s what Ronald thought. "When?" "The night after the mission in Geron Yor last year, where we fought the huge army of Spawns teleporting into the cou- noble''s mansion," Ronald answered. "Oh yeah, We lost count after we killed the two-hundredth Spawn," Joshua recalled. "Might be almost a thousand before we get to the runes. Obviously, the Green Deity watched us and had Spawn generals guard them along with a lot of Spawns." "Now that I think about it, people in Geron Yor only write Spawn with capital letters while whatever role attached to them, like mage, archer, aren''t," Ronald pointed out. "Probably because they''re just to describe each Spawn type." Joshua shrugged, though he seemed slightly annoyed. "I mean, they kinda alternate around where it goes with Spawn, like ''mage Spawn'' or ''Spawn mage.'' Although general should at least be with a capital letter." "Hm, I guess it does," Ronald nodded, though Joshua wouldn''t be able to see it as with all the other head gestures earlier. "I must have forgotten about it with my conversation with dad that night. Oh, there''s also the ''Maneg Contract'' or simply Contract too, and probably even more terms we flip-flop with the capitalization we haven''t listed." "...Ugh, was that when your dad wants to ''talk'' with me afterwards?" Joshua cringed. "''Cause I remember a bit after that mission your dad suddenly broke into my apartment, poured a bucket of water on me while I''m in my bed, then berated me on how poor I mentored you." Joshua shuddered as he said this, probably recalling the sudden visit by Ronald''s father. "So my dad really did it, huh?" Ronald smiled wryly, imagining whatever could happen between his dad and mentor whilst silently apologizing to the latter for the former''s overreaction. And most likely to the rest too while I''m not looking. "Yeah, I can''t even sleep on my bed for a while afterwards," the tall man who loved to sleep complained. "Well, at least we got the Grand title from all of it," Ronald consoled his friend''s loss. "Though that''s mainly because everyone else''s stuck in the discussion about Emilia''s..." he trailed off in which his voice became softer and softer in the last few words until he went silent in the end. "..." "..." The two Court Wizards said no more. The mission in Geron Yor would have been the worst mission they had when it happened, but the next mission afterwads... Readjusting their masks, they ventured onward to the target of their current mission with the huge pond of Kirash on the horizon, this time on their terms.
TZANG TZANG "Dammit!" Joshua cursed, avoiding the trees as they [Eject]ed. "They''re getting to the carriage! We should''ve brought more guys with us!" "Less talking and more to the carriage!" Ronald berated, almost crashing face-first into the rough texture of wood as he did so. "I swear, it feels like I''m the mentor sometimes!" Simply put, the opportunistic nature of prince Van with the ridiculous number of bandits he hired to hide inside the Illyer territory to kill the duke when the chance came had reared its ugly head. Yes, the second prince had men camping in the wild like bandits just to ambush the duke the moment he went out anytime, anywhere. To make sure Illyer''s knights don''t visit their camps, the bandits cannot attack anyone else in the meantime, just the duke, so that they wouldn''t be spotted. And that had bad implications as...
"So what did the letter say?" Joshua asked. Ronald, holding the parchment he received from the Bell Branch manager, look up at his tall friend and said, "The duke wants to give his daughter her first time out of town, and it also says here that he hasn''t gone out since earlier this year." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Okay, and why do I feel like there are bad implications of it?" Joshua cringed. "Like, very bad implications."
Now I know the bad implications Joshua was talking about. That prince must have a lot of money to keep them in line for so long, Ronald snorted internally, as he and Joshua had gotten out of the forest hill and that served as the natural wall keeping the Fichs Empire out. Probably extorted it from his ''friends''. Case in point, the bandits must''ve gotten bored out of their minds staking out for months and do nothing but sweating under the sun because, right now, literally all the bandits decided to go overkill and simultaneously assault the carriage altogether just as the duke was on the way home.
''Uh, sir? We are seeing all the lot of messaging birds flying between camps of bandits, even the ones far away from the duke. It looks like they''re relaying messages.'' (Operator) ''Hm? What are they planning?'' Ronald replied to the operator back at Manegia, reminded of those annoying avians he and his backup had to catch after that breakfast as he and the other Court Wizards stood on the littered bodies of bandits camped near the duke''s carriage traveling to the other town in his territory. ''Probably coordinating the attack. Makes no sense for the camps far away from the duke though.'' (Joshua)
The Court Wizards obviously didn''t think that every bandit would come to dogpile the duke until the Transporter Room operators called them in sheer panic that the bandits were rushing to the duke''s carriage and looked like they would reach him before he and his daughter get back to the safety of their town. Considering the loose bandits, who camped near part of the border occasionally visited by the duke, Ronald and Joshua were chasing, the operators were right, which led them into the predicament Joshua ranted about: they didn''t bring enough Court Wizards for this mission. After all, they figured only the bandits near the duke''s traveling route would attack him, so only that appropriate amount of Court Wizards participated. When that wasn''t the case, the team ended up scrambled, splitting up and rushed to deal with one group of bandits to the next while reinforcements such as Rose Bloodlight and even Master Gertrude transfer to Spiri Raia. Even Benjamin came, and he won''t break the fourth Rule as long as there are no people to be exposed to his futuristic rifle, Ronald internally grimaced. BOOM Suddenly, they heard the sound of an explosion over the distance. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE Then, a circling hellfire over the grassy plains with the great pond of Kirash as its backdrop appeared before their eyes. TZANG TZANG "Looks like they''ve just begun," Ronald observed, him and Joshua intensifying their [Eject]s. No need for [Telepathy] since they''re far away from eavesdroppers. "And Van even got his men equipped with those fire talismans," Joshua added. "We''re gonna need to visit the fire territory after this." "Worry about that after we save the duke once more," Ronald retorted as he willed [Emilia''s Right Dagger] to his hand. "Right." And Joshua manifested [Emilia''s Left Dagger] to his hand. TZANG With no more words, the two Court Wizards synchronized their [Eject]s as they launched themselves towards the nearest bandits who were about to madly jump into the fire they created, either being very brave or that loyal to Van. Or maybe just desperate to finish their job and finally go home, Ronald thought as he pulled his dagger to the back of his head. Emotion suppression activated.
"Oh, intermediate water spirit Neptune, bestow this talisman with your strength!" Holding a long and rectangular piece of paper, Allister put his other hand in front of it at a distance as if to bless it. Of course, it was Neptune beside him who does the actual work, adorably pointing his two hands towards the paper. SHIING With the blue light from the intermediate spirit''s hands fading, the duke moved his hand out of the way to see the intricate blue patterns drawn over the paper, with Neptune''s symbol of water at its center. "Incredible..." His little daughter, Irene, sitting in a chair, swinging her legs, beside him gasped in awe. "Father, this is?" "Yes," Allister nodded warmly, lifting the paper. "This is called a spirit art talisman. If you are liked by the spirits enough or named a spirit yourself, you can request them to bestow a spirit art onto this talisman that you can invoke later. People who cannot request spirit arts can also use these talismans instead."
CRACKLE CRACKLE A fire spirit art talisman? Allister suspected as the fire he observed was the fire that erupted after a single explosion. It can only be from such an item, a powerful one even, for it to instantly surround the carriage in flames. It didn''t directly engulf us though, he noted, prince Van probably couldn''t find the right one. But still, how did prince Van get his hands on them!? Even though the elemental spirits weren''t hostile to each other, their elemental nature still meant that one spirit does not interact well with some of the other elements, hence the elemental territories, and there can be no better example than the water and fire spirits. "Uuh... S-So much fire!" Neptune whimpered, his blue body shaking. "There, there," Allister comforted the intermediate spirit with a hug. "It will be alright." But with this large fire, it will be difficult to chant water spirit arts, he internally groaned, however. With the opposite ends of water and fire, though the greater water and fire spirits'' domain were ironically beside each other, both water and fire spirits become weakened when exposed to elements of the other and... "Are you alright, Layla!?" Irene said to the spirit she named in concern, the more immediate situation than the one outside. "Eurgh!" Layla gave out an unrefined groan, looking lethargic even. "The fire spirit art is choking me!" ...especially if it came from spirit ar- TZANG "What was that!?" Suddenly, among the cries of battle and the burning of fire, Allister heard a foreign, yet familiar sound coming from his right. Moving to his right side of the carriage, he looked out to the window, "...!" and widened his eyes. "F-Father!" Irene gasped, glancing out to the same window. "Who are they!?" "Eek! It''s getting worse!" Layla groaned while Neptune simply looked frightened. Sharing the same reaction as the knights and bandits fighting each other at that side, Allister saw two brown figures, literally flying through the air. Though they were facing the carriage, the duke could not make a face as these figures donned a dull grey mask that covered their entire faces. By all means, Allister should not be able to identify these figures, but he knew who they are for one look at what they are holding on their hands corresponded to one of the most peculiar things he discussed with Oswald: the ornate ice-blue and fiery red, with a tinge of the former, daggers wielded by Joshua Ruze and Ronald Bell respectively. TZANG THUD As Ronald and Joshua were about to land between the knights and the bandits, the latter ''hopped'' mid-air, leaving motes of light-blue from that spot, likely his arts propelling him upward to go to the other side of the carriage. The former landed without issue. Of course, the garbed Ronald would cause wariness to the knights, unless they noticed the dagger, in front of him and so they steeled their swords against him. Ronald, however, did nothing but turned around to face the stunned bandits, expecting the duke to tell his knights that he was here to assist which he fully intended to do so. But before Allister, or anyone, could say anything, Ronald lifted his free hand, pointed it to the bandits who were about to break from their stupor, and... WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE ...burst the frontmost bandit into flames. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.3: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Shock For years it was always the Willow who did the necessary. Now was time for the Ruzic Bell to do the same.
CRACKLE CRACKLE "...Ah? ...Aargh!" It took a good couple of seconds for the frontmost bandit to realize that he had been set ablaze. With his blade sinking into the ground, the burning bandit screamed, stepping back while shaking his body violently in an attempt to douse the fire before falling over. His fellow bandits, naturally, were taken aback, startled by the sight of their comrade rolling his body on the grass in flaming agony. "A-Aah! W-What in the spirits just happened!?" "E-Egor just burst into flames!" "D-Did he do that? He pointed his hand at Egor. Was that a spirit art that bastard used!?" "No! There are no fire spirits here! Besides, we didn''t even hear him say a request. He must be using a talisman!" "But did you even see him use one?" Amid the bandits arguing among themselves, the burning bandit, Egor, realized that he shouldn''t just sprawl on the ground and reached his hand to his comrades. "H-Help... me..." he croaked, catching their attention which broke their bickering. It was the burning bandit''s last cry, however, with none of his comrades moving in to help him in time - much less being able to with the raging fire enveloping him nor say anything else. Ceasing to move, either from the fire or the smoke, the flames vanished into red motes afterwards, leaving behind a charred mess that was Egor over the grass. And the rest of the bandits can do nothing but worldlessly stare in horror. 1 bandit killed, ??? remain as the state of the battle made it impossible for a headcount. "By the greater spirits..." A gasp came from behind. Ronald presumed it was from one of Illyer''s knights who had witnessed the horrifying display in front of them. Taking advantage of the pause on both sides, Ronald took a brief look to his sides while feeling a nudge behind his foot. He found three more bandits dead aside from the one he burned. The knights probably fall back after dealing with these men to regroup and not get separated into the enemy, Ronald thought, rationalizing the distance between the knights and slain bandits. He didn''t start the headcount before the landing since the living bandits were much more important than those defeated by the knights in the battle that has just begun. 3 bandits killed, ??? remain. It''s always a drag to count defeated enemies. "Everyone! These men are here to help us!" Another shout was heard. It was the duke. "Let them assist!" And at his declaration, the bandits'' argument started again. "W-What!? The duke hired a fire spirit art user!? I-Is this what they can do!?" "Dammit! Talismans are nothing compared to the real thing!" "Hey! Didn''t we just agree there are no fire spirits here!" "And we don''t even know if he''s even using a talisman! He might have a named fire spirit with him!" It''s about time, Ronald thought while maintaining the dull face behind his mask, watching the murmurs of confusion from the bandits. By now, the knights behind him should have already regained composure and move to take out the unknown element entering the fray if the duke didn''t shout. "Lord Illyer is right!" A knight shouted. By his voice, Ronald deduced that it came from Oswald, the head knight. "They are here to assist us! Focus defending the duke and young mistress while they strike!" """Yes, sir!""" The rest of the knights shouted in unison. Aside from the gasp of awe and fright, without not even so much of a "Who are you?" the knights didn''t devolve into the chaos that swept the bandits and quickly adapted to allow the ''brown-robed figures'' into their ranks, disciplined to the end. "Sh*t! Forget about it!" a bandit with a black eyepatch yelled, silencing his fellow bandits. "Fire spirit art user or not, there''s only one of him! Just kill him and then kill the duke! So get your asses together!" """R-Right!""" the rest of the bandits shouted and steeled their weapons. And so, Ronald lifted his hand once again, pointing it to that bandit while holding [Emilia''s Right Dagger] in his other hand. He gave his Order. I order you, attach to left foot of man with black eyepatch, form cylinder 20cm diameter 1cm height, sculpt formation height to 180cm upward, oxidize, thus is my Order, [Burn].
WHOOSH While the sounds of the wall of fire drown it out, Joshua could still tell by the startup noise that Ronald has given his second [Burn] Order which would undoubtedly spook the bandits on his side even further. And as he recalled, Ronald has yet to memorize it.
"...[Burn]!" WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Upon Ronald''s Order, the burnt piece of a log of firewood embedded into the ashes of the Training Grounds flared up the enveloping flame once again. Taking a deep breath, as Ronald verbally gave the Order instead of doing it in his mind, he watched the log burn brightly in a fire that was much bigger than it would normally. CRACK Suddenly, a snapping sound was heard as the log, already short and thin after being abused with multiple uses of [Burn], broke into two pieces with the top piece falling to the ground, escaping the fire as the maneg formation was attached to the bottom piece which was still stuck to the ground. "Welp, you''re gonna need to replace that," Joshua remarked, glancing down at the poor timber. "Any signs of memorizing it yet?" "Hm, let me try." Ronald looked at the stump of whatever''s left of the bottom piece of the log and ordered, "[Burn], bottom of log stuck in the ashes I see." And then they waited. "..." "..." And waited. "..." "..." "...And they said ordering out loud makes it easier to memorize the Order," Ronald sighed as nothing happened even after half a minute. "Great, so this makes firewood number what now? Before we go out to get some more." But Joshua''s question might as well be rhetoric as looking around, the two Court Wizards were surrounded by a lot of used firewood. There''s no way to count them all. "Hm, I think I get why grandfather had trouble using [Burn] that he created [Burning Fist]. Memorizing this Order costs too much firewood on top of his Maneg Soul not accepting even the most accurate description," Ronald grimaced. "Yeah, ''cause punching the ground is totally free than describing your Maneg Soul the bottom of everything else," Joshua said sarcastically. "But you can also attach it to the head and have it sculpt downwards," Ronald pointed out. "Seriously, even I''m not that stingy." Joshua deadpanned at Ronald''s witty remark. "But still, memorizing this Order is really hard," the Fire Court Wizard complained. "This has been going on for months already and my Maneg Soul still show no signs of memorizing [Burn]." "But then again, Court Wizards don''t memorize Orders, unless it''s very basic," Joshua explained. "And that''s because..." ""...one, Court Wizards keep modifying Orders, specifically the parameters after the first step or it gets recorded as a new Order. And two, we Court Wizards have high thought process thanks to our Maneg Souls, allowing us to form Orders in our minds faster.""
Anyway, if Joshua didn''t have his suppression, he would have made a snide remark like "Where did all that bravado of yours go?" jumping into the wall of fire and all, and point out that the talisman they used was much more powerful than Ronald''s ''spirit art''. But then again...
"Yes, I get it," Ronald huffed in an annoyed tone. "And besides, even you use Memorized Orders." "Which makes both of us," Joshua smirked, "alongside her as well..." before saying in downcast. "...Yeah,"
...that feeling would come first. With his emotion suppression banishing the thoughts that infiltrated in, Joshua silently looked at his adversaries huddled together. The bandits on his side were completely on guard, training their weapons at him defensively at a distance. "Grr...!" One of the bandits there growled. "Damn you, Ice Spirit Mercenary!" While he wasn''t this ''Ice Spirit Mercenary'' the bandit spoke of, Joshua still performed something similar to one in the field between for them to make that conclusion: the three bandits who went ahead and attacked Joshua all but their heads encased in thick ice and their necks slit from left to right with blood from it trickling down the maneg formation that preserved them holding their swords in a charge. 6 bandits killed, ??? remain.
"Welp, might as well practice my Order," Joshua said before approaching the remnants of the firewood test dummies. "Hm? Is it [Ice Layer]?" Ronald recalled. "The one you surprisingly find not to consume that much maneg." "Yep, after figuring out the right and most efficient wording, I proudly call it the Order I made on my own while you only put a few kinks to your grandpa''s Order," Joshua leered his eyes down at his junior. "Well, I still got the Wizard rank out of it, so it still counts." Ronald shrugged. "Anyway, [Ice Layer]''s the Order that covers enemies in ice, correct?" "Uh-huh, and I can even freeze them while they''re moving. And since it''s a formation, it''s not gonna shift or fall over once it''s made no matter how fast the poor fella''s going - the momentum will just bite them back. If it doesn''t, then that''s what the lock Command''s for," Joshua chuckled. "So once it sticks, it''ll look like they''re playing a twisted version of red light green light - their postures can get hilarious sometimes."
Stepping over the corpse of a bandit slain by the knights before he and Ronald got here, Joshua slowly approached the living bandits, passing by the slit bandit who was encased in ice maneg while still in the air, literally floating - though not a problem for Joshua with his stature. There were three more bandits the knights killed before Joshua got between them. 10 bandits killed, ??? remain. "Gh...!" One of the bandits scowled as he and his colleagues uniformly stepped back as Joshua stepped forward. "Stay back!" Looks like they think I need to get close to them, Joshua thought. They weren''t spirit art users, so they wouldn''t exactly know how it worked except through pure observation. A poor observation. While the display of trapping their comrades in ice then slicing their throats while they couldn''t lift a finger in the middle of the hellfire where, that people do know, ''ice spirit arts'' couldn''t be made didn''t strike much fear into the bandits'' hearts, it did make them stand back warily with no intention on getting the jump at Joshua. And that''s exactly what he wanted. Because...
"You should practice too," Joshua said to Ronald. "Ordering on multiple targets."
With duke Illyer telling off his knights, with the head knight Oswald giving his blessings, and the bandits doing absolutely nothing, no one will interrupt one of his longest Orders yet. With blood still on [Emilia''s Left Dagger], the Cherished Armament he held, Joshua silently chanted, starting with the bandit constantly grunting at him. I Order you, attach to man with pink eyes and man with scar on left cheek and man with...
WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Watching the scene on two sides before him, Allister al Illyer, the duke of Illyer, the war hero of Kirash, a loving husband, and a father to two daughters has his view of the world shattered yet again. But it was to be expected and simply enforced the proof that these young men, Ronald Bell and Joshua Ruze, really were from another world with their own otherworldly powers. After all, Allister of all people should know that fire spirits never wander into Aquarius'' domain and Ronald could never smuggle that many fire talismans into the water territory when they can only be used once, rare as only the most adept spirit art users can make one, and mostly forbidden to carry into other territories of conflicting elements. The duke himself wouldn''t let people carry fire talismans that could weaken water spirits in his territory, and yet Ronald consumed the bandits in flames one by one as if he had many at his disposal. And Joshua? Well, Allister doesn''t need to say anything else if the unmelting ice was anything to go by, much less the ''ice talisman'' being able to be used in the first place - talismans suffer under conflicting elements as much as spirits do; and ice spirits especially hated fire, much more than water spirits. However... "...how they fight looked deceptively and underwhelmingly powerful, whilst their... lack of intent unnerved me..." ...it looked like he still knew nothing of them for what he saw threw everything he had discussed with his head knight out of the window. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.4: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Awe WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE "Eek!" Layla, the greater spirit candidate his daughter, Irene, named shrieked, burying her head into her namer''s chest. "By the greater spirits...!" Irene shared a similar sentiment, covering her mouth with her hands as she looked at the source of Layla''s fright. Allister can see it too. While putting the unconscious Neptune, the intermediate spirit he named''s head on his lap - the poor spirit always had a weak heart -, he looked out at the window to his right to see the eyepatched brigand who vulgarly shouted at his comrades suddenly turned ablaze, and screamed in flaming agony. "My word..." Allister could only mutter lowly at the sight. While his knights remained mostly stoic, focusing on keeping the carriage safe, the attacking bandits were not so when the bandit trying to inspire them burst into flames instead. Suffice to say, they were quite spooked, forming a circle around the burning eyepatched bandit so as to not get caught in the flames. In doing so, the bandits merely watched in horror as the fire disappearing into flickers of red in no more than a minute, leaving behind their burnt comrade. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Then, Allister heard countless shimmers from his left. Turning his head there, he shared the same reaction as his knights guarding that side of the carriage judging by their ever-so-slightly slackened arms he was able to observe - their horses weren''t in the way -, not that he could blame them. "Whoa..." One of the knights, Clint, even gasped in awe at the sight of it. The sight of ice. Ice invading this circling hellfire, trapping all of the bandits on that side of the carriage in it. Nevermind how it does not seem to melt, the ice meticulously covered each part of their bodies, following its shape as it does so, forming some sort of armor of ice that immobilized them instead, even the weapons they''re holding were frozen. Only their heads and necks were spared. "It is like all but their heads were frozen in time!" Was Irene''s gasp when she first saw it. Just before, when Joshua landed to that side of the carriage, it, the ''art,'' had happened to three bandits who took the first charge at him. Allister did not see this directly, but he saw the results. Leaning their bodies forward, right foot in the front and left foot in the back, and blades pointing at Joshua, the ice had effectively made them stuck in that position. It even captured one of them leaping and the ice doesn''t seem to be affected by the world as that bandit''s literally frozen in the air right now! He''s floating in the air! SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER THUD And just as Allister thought of that, those three frozen bandits were unfrozen. The thick ice breaking into light-blue motes, releasing the bandits to fall to the grass, especially the one stuck mid-air. However, they were of no concern anymore, for they were already dead. And the rest of the still-frozen bandits were about the share the same fate as Joshua, under the brown robe and mask, silently approached them, the gleaming ice-blue dagger in his hand still dripping blood of the previous victims. The first bandit Joshua looked down upon contorted his face in fear, or at least that''s what Allister could make out from the distance. "Wait! No-" SLASH Without mercy, Joshua cut him off, literally, as he swiftly slashed the bandit''s neck, left to right, with his dagger, spilling blood from the gash on the icy binds as the bandit slumped his head down. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH Filtering out the cries of pleading, curses, and bargaining, Joshua sliced the rest of the frozen bandits one by one without hesitation. No free bandits will rescue them as they were occupied with the knights guarding the front and back of the carriage and thus, they can only watch as the cold grim reaper inch closer and closer to claim their souls. "Goodness! F-Father, is this what they can do!?" Irene cried, still clasping her mouth.
"Everyone! These men are here to help us!" Allister shouted out to the window. "Let them assist!" "Huh? You know these people, father?" Irene asked in confusion. "Yes," Allister nodded. "Judging by the unique daggers they carry, which seems to be bound to them with how they were summoned to their hands, I suspect they are Ronald Bell and Joshua Ruze." "What? Mister Bell and mister Ruze?" Irene widened her eyes. "And what are those robes they are wearing?" "I think those robes are their battle garb," Allister deduced, looking right and left to examine the two young men''s brown clothing. "Though I have a feeling that Ruze was... forced into it."
"..." Allister however, didn''t answer immediately. "...he was holding back and is much stronger..." But recalling his discussion with Oswald, Allister answered resolutely, "No, I believe they can be much stronger." "Obviously!" Layla turned back to the duke and spat. "We won''t so scared of them if they can only do party tricks!" "I see...." Irene uttered softly. WHOOSH CRA-CR-CRAC-CRACK-CKLE-ACKLE-KLE-LE CRACK-CRAC-CRACKL-CR-LE-KLE-E-ACKLE Then, Allister heard it again. Looking to the right window once again, he now saw multiple bandits being burned alive by Ronald''s ''arts''. "Oh my!" Irene gasped at the sight. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "See!" Layla shrieked. "I told you they''re bad news!" Allister, however, chose to silently observe what he saw. Although Ronald didn''t get all the bandits on his side unlike Joshua who seemed to be the senior by Allister''s observation, the rest of the bandits were still frightened by the same great art that Ronald used to kill his first two bandits... "...how they fight looked deceptively and underwhelmingly powerful..." Wait, Allister halted his mind as he recalled the first thing his head knight. This is unlike what Oswald told me! Observing the burning bandits again, where most of them were falling to the ground, Allister when deep into thought. "...lord Bell had mostly used small fireball arts..." The first was obvious. From what was known, Ronald mostly performed ''measly'' fireball arts against the bandits in Willow''s village, aside from the Cursed Dragon''s breath. "...I soon realize that his arts were more with efficiency in mind..." While it seemed weak, that was because it doesn''t need to be any stronger. From the discussion with Oswald, Allister learned that the Court Wizards (which he noted to have used the phrase for the first time in a while) tend to be unwasteful of their arts, seeking efficiency in their arts and only use it if they''re sure they can hit their foe. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE "Save... me...!" While Allister believed his head knight wouldn''t have any reason to lie nor having the wrong judgment, the art Ronald performed right now was anything but uncostly, even if it did hit the target. While Allister was not an expert in actual fire spirit arts, he can imagine weaker arts that could get the job done than setting the bandits ablaze from head to toe instead. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH On the other side, Allister may not know much about Joshua''s prowess aside from the incident in his office, but freezing the bandits from the neck down and then slicing their throats one by one with a dagger was definitely inefficient even though there were traces of the opposite in how Joshua''s ice followed their body shapes instead of summoning a huge block of it. It is paradoxical, Allister thought. Their arts were too powerful than necessary unlike before. It is as if they were trying to... Ah! Immediately, Allister looked to the side he hasn''t seen: behind. It is as I expected! Ignoring his frightened coachman, Liam (may the greater spirits be gentle with this old soul), Allister observed the bandits fighting his knights at the front side of the carriage. There, he saw the bandits and knights, with Oswald among them, clash, the latter taking minimal casualties as his eyes spied the uneasiness in the former''s nerves. He then turned to his front, ignoring his daughter still comforting the spirit she named, and looked out to the back window of the carriage to see the same manner of the bandits at the posterior side of the carriage. And all of this confirmed his hypothesis. "...whilst their... lack of intent unnerved me..." For showing no fear, or any emotions in battle, they sure strike most of it to their enemies, Allister mused. After all, the horrific sight of bandits bursting into flames by Ronald and the cold execution of Joshua whilst being trapped in ice, unable to do anything but accept their fate, was best viewed from the front and back of the carriage. Most likely, Ronald may not even need to point his hand. Joshua certainly did not, Allister continued his train of thoughts. Even spirit arts don''t need hand gestures to direct it, as long as you relay a clear image to the spirits, direction pointings are unnecessary. Yes, it made sense. While they will try to defeat the enemy as fast as possible, no matter how strong or how many they could topple in a single art, Ronald and Joshua were still just two people. Therefore, they used fear through powerful ''arts'' as a form of crowd control to manage large scores of adversaries, and it certainly lifted a burden off the knights'' backs. They certainly know how to make the best out of their small numbers, Allister thought, silently praising Ronald and Joshua''s horrid yet effective tactic. And yet...
"But, there''s one thing I noticed about lord Bell," Oswald said. "Hm? What is it?" Allister asked. "He has not taken a life before, I''ve seen it in his colorless eyes. As further proof, never once did he killed any of the brigands," Oswald explained. "And you said that lord Bell and his entourage were akin to shadows of worlds, correct? Then I would assume they do not mind their hands sullied in blood." "...Now that I think about it," Allister rubbed his chin, "you have a point there." "Yes," Oswald nodded. "And yet I noticed that the near-perfect control lord Bell has over his ''arts'' was meant to avoid that, even his beginner dagger skills did not draw blood - even lord Ruze was the same with the brigands he''s subdued. "I had assumed their lack of feelings would prevent such pacifistic tendencies, but it seems to suppress the feeling of the ''rush of battle'' so as to not accidentally kill instead."
...there is still much to learn about them. The duke thought as such, glancing at both sides once again, seeing Ronald Bell and Joshua Ruze seemingly wrapping up their sides of the battle. Their seemingly never-ending stream of contradictions.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE PSHH 34 bandits killed, ??? remain. With that, it was the last bandits Ronald had burned to death. Overlooking all the charred corpses littering the green plains inside this circle of fire, he saw no more bandits jumping into it and internally declared to himself that this area has been secured as... Emotion suppression off. "Heh," Ronald scoffed out loud. To test the already proven reason his Maneg Soul lifted the veil over his emotions, he turned left and glared at one of the bandits fighting the knights at the backside of the carriage. "..!" Even with this distance and noise of steel, Ronald could hear the flinch the bandit had crossing eyes with him which cost the bandit dearly as a knight took advantage of the moment of hesitation and struck him. No banishment of his emotions there, Ronald was completely safe in where he stood. 35 bandits killed, ??? remain. But regardless, Ronald wasn''t in a happy mood. And then, he felt foreign maneg probing into his brain. Headcount: twenty-nine from me including the knights''. (Joshua) Putting two fingers behind his ear, Ronald glossed over the scene of carnage to make sure he didn''t miscount. The movies were inaccurate with the real thing. Twenty-four, plus one other guy in the backside I distracted and got cut down by the knights. 54 bandits killed, ??? remain. Then that''s fifty-four. Right then, is yours off too? (Joshua) Knowing what Joshua''s referring to, having just thought about it, Ronald gave his answer. Yes, our Maneg Souls can sure crack a joke. It was sarcastic and Ronald was sure that tone was conveyed into Joshua''s mind. You got that right. Anyway, how do you feel? (Joshua) Glancing around him again, Ronald simply gave his reply. As always, absolutely horrible. Yeah, me too. (Joshua) ... ... (Joshua) And in the prevalent silence, Ronald sent his sigh. Hah... We thought that with all that training over the past few months, we''d be ready to share her burden.
"Which makes both of us," Joshua smirked, "alongside her as well..." before saying in downcast. "...Yeah, and not to mention the irony of what we''re trying to achieve here," Ronald said in melancholy. "To inherit Emilia''s job of killing."
Turns out, we will never be ready for it the moment we took out the first bandit camp. Yeah. Emilia sure made it easy, killing people without feeling bad for it. Granted she''s from an assassin clan and we''re just city folks. (Joshua) But regardless, we have agreed to shoulder that weight, Emilia''s weight, since the start of this operation, so we have to keep moving forward. Then we better get going, our suppressions ain''t coming back on until we do and the knights behind us are definitely scratching their heads with our hold-up right now. You take forward and I''ll take back, see you on the other side. (Joshua) Right. Turning his body to the right, Ronald moved forward, with [Emilia''s Right Dagger] in his hand and the bandits fighting the head of the duke''s knights and company in his sights. As his emotion suppressor''s returning to him, Ronald sent one last message to his partner. Hey Joshua, if we have kids who become Court Wizards, us parents should at least prohibit them from killing. They don''t need to feel the same way as we do. Agreed. (Joshua) Emotion suppression reactivated. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.5: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Formalities In the end, the rest of the bandits, of the front and back sides of the carriage, surrendered after Ronald and Joshua entered those sides respectively and seeing as there won''t be any reinforcements.
WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE "Argh!" Yet another bandit screamed as he was bathed in flames. "Damn it!" Another bandit cursed. "Where are the other guys at? They should be here already!" "They will not come." """...!""" And they all went quiet, including the knights, as Ronald spoke for the first time. It was monotonous yet powerful enough that those behind the carriage can hear it too within the roar of the fire, judging by the fact that they too were silent. "W-What do you mean?" But in the silence, one bandit managed to muster his courage to ask. "Because it''s not just the two of us in the duke''s aid," was Ronald''s simple reply. PSSHHHHHH And as if the world decided to make it worse for the bandits, the fiery circle wall around the battlefield finally came down, revealing their slain comrades of various deaths from slashes and arts outside the black circle, never having the chance to jump into the fire, and it was where Ronald and Joshua came from. However, there was a feeling that those bandits were forgotten until now.
CREEK They immediately laid down their arms after Ronald announced that there are more ''users'' like them to our aid, Allister noted as he stepped off the carriage through the door to his right opened by the coachman Liam followed by his daughter Irene. The named spirits Neptune and Layla did not leave the carriage, however, with the former still sleeping and the latter simply refused to come out. With the effect of the fire spirit art talisman, the flaming circle subsided, Allister took a quick glance around the knights rounding up surrendered bandits and disposing of the dead ones in the aftermath of the rather one-sided and brutal battle. There are over a hundred of these bandits with over half of them defeated, Allister observed. They could have overwhelmed my knights had Ronald and Joshua not come. And speaking of which, the duke came face to face with the figures in brown. Finally taking a good look at their attire, a form-fitting hooded robe that covered from head to below the knees so as to not impair movement and held together by a strap in the abdomen and a button in the neck - quite peculiar. Covering their entire faces was a rather dull-grey mask at first glance, though upon closer inspection it was actually a mask used in masquerade balls attached with the lower half of a motifless one from the nose to chin while the hood covered the forehead. It is quite simple but not so pleasing to the eye, Allister honestly thought. I suppose it was created for the practicality and concealment of the wearer''s identity in mind while maintaining simplicity so it could be produced in large quantities.
"Someone is disliking the robe I made again..." In Manegia, a certain vampire who designed a robe felt someone, somewhere in another world, was stabbing her pride as a fashion designer. She merely sighed in melancholy, knowing exactly why she refrained from revising one of her earliest designs for more than a century and possibly indefinitely.
The figures lowered their hoods and took off their masks, stowing them inside most likely hidden pockets under their robes, revealing who he expected: Ronald Bell and Joshua Ruze. The latter should already be very obvious with his insane height. "Ah, so it is you! Mister Bell, mister Ruze." Regardless, Allister needed to at least give courtesy to them hiding their faces. "Thank you for coming to our aid! We could have been killed if you did not arrive." "Yes," Irene added with a small bow. "Thank you, mister Bell, mister Ruze." "Eh, no sweat." Joshua shrugged, putting his hands behind his head. "As he said, it''s nothing," Ronald stated casually. "Just our job as C-," he stopped, looking at the still alive bandits who might hear what they shouldn''t. "Just what we do," he said instead. "No need to be so humble," Allister chuckled at the Court Wizard''s response, also noting not to say their terms and titles out loud. "But how did you find us so quickly? Have you been following us ever since we set out?" But to his surprise, they... flustered. They sheepishly broke eye contact with him with their heads down as if they were children being confronted by their parents for doing something wrong. "Um... Is something wrong?" Even Irene became nervous. "Yeah..." Joshua was the first to speak up between the two. It was in a guilty tone and Allister had a feeling he will not like what he has to say. "About that, it''s a long story. You might wanna sit down." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
For the next few minutes, Ronald and Joshua alternated between themselves telling how they initially planned to eliminate the bandits around their traveling route instead of simply escorting the carriage in the shadows and fend off incoming bandits that came. However, it had turned for the worse as every bandit in his territory coordinated to attack the carriage together which was unexpected for them. "We had to call in reinforcements to hunt down every last bandit, as we only brought enough of us for the bandits near your route." Ronald continued. "However, it''s still not enough." "See these bandits who just attacked you all." Joshua gestured around their surroundings, where dead bandits were being disposed of and the living arrested by the knights. "They''re the ones who got through. We got here quickly ''cause we were chasing them." "I see..." Allister nodded in understanding. "By the greater spirits..." Irene could only mutter in horror hearing it. It was a scary notion, that these hundred or so bandits were but a handful that Ronald and the... Court Wizards (spirits he stated it so casually at the beginning, what happened now?) had no choice but to let through, as they were too much for them to handle. Ronald''s colleagues, other Court Wizards Allister has yet to meet must be fighting them as they speak. Is this how far prince Van is willing to eliminate me? Allister thought. These bandits were also very desperate too. Was there something that compelled them to do so? "Yeah, we really should''ve planned for that," Joshua uttered in a dejected tone. "Now don''t be," Oswald, the head knight, consoled. He had joined midway through the conversation as his part of the cleanup was finished. "No one would think that all the bandits stationed in the far reaches of lord Illyer''s domain would march to this location. The idea of it is simply absurd." "Yes, I would not even begin to think how they can get here in time," Allister added. Looking at the Court Wizards, "yet, with your... observation methods, you saw that they can, or at the very least coordinate so that we would have to fend off multiple waves of bandits with the current wave buying time for the next." "Oh yeah," Joshua uttered in realization. "They could also have been going for that, not that it changed anything." "Yes, even so," Ronald said in a shameful tone. "We are supposed to have planned for that as well." The Court Wizards were seemingly dejecting themselves further and further with their shortcomings. It''s as if a single failure was the end of everything. And honestly, it reminded Allister of himself.
BRAK "Curses!" In the Illyer war tent, Allister, in his prime, gritted his teeth as he slammed his fist to the table. "Many good soldiers fallen to an ambush!" It was the first phase of the war with the Fichs empire and already even though the empire outnumbered Kirash by threefold they still resorted to an honorless surprise attack. It was only fortunate that Allister, being the commander of that battle, managed to retreat before casualties became too high. "Do not beat yourself over it, son." Patting Allister''s back, it was his father, the overall leader of the Kirash army. "Losses are inevitable in war. No one expects the Fichs to act cowardly when they have the advantage." "Yes," Allister mooted. "But still, we, I should have at least kept an eye out for that." "Maybe you should," his father said. "But even though you did not, this loss has not caused our defeat and the troops'' morale is still high - the war has only started after all. So cheer up, son, we will get them next time."
Otherworldly powers or not, they are still young. Still idealistic in the end, Allister internally sighed. "You cannot plan for everything, mister Bell," he then said. "There will always be the unaccounted. Even I as a general in the war encountered some elements I was unprepared for." Though some unprepared elements can be quite heartwrenching, he thought at the back of his mind as he recalled those memories. "Besides," Allister continued. "Your quick arrival had still saved all of us. My knights did not even suffer so much of a slight wound and I should thank you for that." "Indeed," Oswald added. "We wouldn''t even survive in the first place if it weren''t for you two." "...Yeah, I guess you''re right," Joshua sighed, darting his light-blue eyes off to the sky. "If you say so," Ronald relented. "Good," Allister smiled. "Now cheer up, young men. You have done a..." "He has not taken a life before..." Recalling that thought and discussion, Allister stopped himself from broaching what may be a sensitive subject to these young men when he had just uncursed them from their self-pity. "Um," Ronald muttered. "What were you going to say?" "Ah! I mean, congratulations are in order," Allister quickly responded which only served to confuse the two boys more. "Anyway," he continued to change the subject. "You mentioned that there were more of you, correct?" "Hm?" Ronald raised his eyebrow. "Yes, we do. They should be done with their end of the bandits, so you just need to send your knights to do any formalities that you usually do." "I see," Allister nodded. "I will keep that in mind." ...Now I have nothing else to discuss, he thought. And considering his unnatural pause was fresh in their minds, they will no doubt inquire him about it. "Um, if I may?" And as if she read his mind, Irene entered the conversation. "Sure," Ronald instantly responded. "No one''s stopping you." "Thank you, mister Bell." Irene smiled curtly. "You said that you were fighting the bandits hiding throughout my father''s land, correct?" "Yes," Ronald nodded. "Why?" "Then you must have been-" BAM "What the?" "The heck?" "Eek! What''s happening now!" Suddenly, a bright red light erupted from where the Illyers and Court Wizards stand, interrupting what Irene has to say. HISS~ Then, a cloud of smoke emerged from where the small explosion was set off. It rapidly expanded, enveloping the group in its black mist. "Smoke?" "It must be from a talisman!" "Protect the duke!" CHINK THUD Only two sounds not from human nor spirit were heard in the midst of the panic and shuffling of armor. But soon, the smoke slowly and quietly dispersed. "Aah!" Allister yelped for the first thing he saw after the smoke vanished. Two barrier spirit arts, emitting light of red and light blue manifested beside his flanks. Looking at the red barrier to his right, there was a dagger, a simple one unlike Ronald and Joshua''s, stuck in it. PSHH SHATTER Then, as if it could not hold any longer, both glowing constructs dissipated into tiny wisps of their respective color before vanishing from sight altogether. The dagger soundlessly fell to the grass, the soil dampening the sound. "Phew," Joshua sighed in relief, wiping off his non-existent sweat. "That was a close one." "Indeed," Ronald added. Hearing it, Allister quickly realized that these spirit arts, arts, came from them. "You two have saved me again," he said to them. "You have my thanks again." "Eh, no problem." Joshua shrugged. "Yes," Ronald added. "It''s-" "Lady Irene!" Suddenly, a scream came from the carriage, it was the greater spirit candidate Layla prostrating in four limbs on the seat of the carriage with a desperate look. "Everyone! Where is she!?" A bad feeling sunk into the depths of Allister''s soul. Turning around to the spot where his daughter stood, there was no one. "...M-My daughter!" he screamed uncharacteristically. "She''s gone!" For the first time in his life, Allister felt true horror at the bottom of his heart. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.6: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Rescue Again "...M-My daughter!" Allister, the duke of Illyer, screamed hysterically, dropping his noble speech pattern. "She''s gone!" In the celebratory mood from the triumph over the bandits, smoke suddenly appeared in the midst of it and when it cleared, the eldest daughter of Illyer, Irene, was missing. "The scum who caused this smoke must''ve abducted her!" Oswald deduced before turning to the other knights. "Men!" he struck his hand to the knights in a commanding aura. "To your horses! The kidnapper couldn''t have gone far yet!" """Yes, sir!""" "Well hold your horses!" Joshua shouted, pun definitely not intended. "What''re you all gonna do with these guys then?" he motioned to all the surrendered bandits, "and the duke?" then to Allister. "Hey!" Layla, the spirit Irene named, in turn, shouted. "It''s my lady being kidnapped!" "Which is why we will rescue her," Ronald explained to her. "We have our means of locating her and we can go faster than horses." "Then do it," Allister swiftly said, demanding even as his daughter was on the line. "Bring my daughter back." "Yeah well, we both can''t leave either, the bandits might make a break for it." Joshua turned to Ronald. "So Ronald, you go. I''ll hold down the fort." "Got it." Ronald donned his mask back on before turning his body around and bent over. TZANG Then, hearing the familiar foreign sound, motes of red, similar to the barrier art, burst behind Ronald''s back, launching him into the air.
Damn it! I got to get out of here, fast. In the forest along the great pond Kirash, a black-garbed figure ran amongst the trees while carrying an unconscious noblewoman on his shoulder, cursing internally along the way. The assassination attempt failed again, the figure thought in frustration. Lord Van was even sure of this plan, he will not be pleased by the turn of events when I report to him. After all, prince Van had hired hundreds of those lowlifes with a generous sum and even supplied them hardly-sought talismans to guarantee their stand against the Illyers'' elite knights. To make sure they didn''t compete against each other in killing the duke first, his lord offered an equal reward regardless of who did it high enough to make them behave. My prince even went as far as to draw up every plan of attack regardless of where the duke went! the figure grunted internally. All they have to do is follow it and even the duke''s knights won''t be able to deal with hundreds of bandits in succession, yet they still messed up! Of course, he can''t blame those lowly barbarians for failing spectacularly. After all, he himself was sent by his prince to observe them and knew firsthand just how they failed. To think the duke would hire Spirit Mercenaries... Fire ones even, the figure thought. Well, they say a cornered rat will fight back, he must be very desperate to hire them. When the bandits threw the fire talisman and began attacking the duke, they, fire and ice Spirit Mercenaries showed up out of nowhere and interfered; killing over half of the bandits by combusting them into flames or freezing them neck down then slitting their defenseless throats afterwards. Didn''t know fire and ice spirit arts could do that, the figure noted, recalling that surreal sight. And the time of their arrival is as if they were onto them... "...we were chasing them." ...Right, they did say they were chasing them. Setting aside the context of those mercenaries chasing those bandits, it brought the figure''s mind to the next problem. "...it''s not just the two of us..." They immediately surrendered after hearing it. Cowards, the figure scoffed in his mind. But considering the other bandits never showed up, it''s likely to be true and with how powerful those two are, I''m not taking any chances either. Hence the path the figure was running to the nearest pondside port straight to the capital had no bandit camps nearby, so there was little chance of running into those mercenaries. Then there are the two mercenaries themselves. "...so it is you! Mister Bell, mister Ruze..." While circumstances prevented the figure from knowing the identities of all the Spirit Mercenaries, the duke at least just can''t not give those mercenaries his formal gratitude for saving his hide and blurted out two of their names. But to think the supposed heir of Bell Conglomerate is a fire spirit art user, the figure grimaced, ignoring the other mercenary. There were many mysteries regarding that merchant company that made residence in Illyer''s city, especially where the main branch was and its leader, Alan Bell, not even his prince can uncover them and there he saw one of them unraveled through Alan''s son, Ronald. That would explain the failed attempt using that maid. That merchant company must have a lot of connections to mingle with the water and ice territory, the figure thought, assuming the Conglomerate really came from the fire territory as there was a branch there. And it made a lot more sense. When aristocrats falter in the inter-territory scene, merchants, whose purpose was to search for profit, pick up the slack. That means, the duke didn''t just sign an alliance with some merchant company that thrived off of his city out of desperation, he had signed an alliance with a band of international Spirit Mercenaries with the company as a front! the figure panicked upon that conclusion. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. At any rate, my prince needs to know this, he thought. This merchant company is more than it meets the eye. They are not to be trifled with! Especially that Ronald Bell! With the crucial information to be passed to prince Van determined, the figure silently readjusted the load he was carrying on his shoulder as he was about to drop her. The cleavage of this woman actually made it harder for me to carry her properly! he annoyingly berated. But at least it''s one part of my prince''s plan completed, the figure consoled to himself. And the plan was quite simple, kill the duke and kidnap her daughter for extra leverage against the rest of the Illyers. While he couldn''t finish the former (damn barrier), the figure at least did the latter, throwing out the smoke talisman after he deemed the idle chatter between the duke and Bell yield no more useful information than knocking out and abduct the duke''s daughter in the confusion. My prince always said to strike at every opportunity, the figure mused. Though that also made me stuck in the wilderness watching those barbarians for months on end. At least my prince kept me up to date. And because of that, the figure liked to think of himself as a close ally of his prince - he wouldn''t keep information such as the failed previous assassination attempt from him otherwise. But it also meant he had to put up with some of the more troublesome commands from his prince like what he was doing now. Well, whatever it is, once I get to the boat back to the capital and report to my prince, the figure thought calmly. I need a drink after- TZANG "..!" Interrupting his line of thoughts, the figure heard a sound coming behind his head. It was like a blast of spirit arts yet completely foreign at the same time. However... Don''t tell me who I think it is! ...he knew just where it came from... TZANG
SLASH SLASH "Argh!" "Guark!"
...ever since the Spirit Mercenaries flew into the grassy plains, massacring the bandits who have yet to enter the fiery wall with their daggers and spirit arts. It was a miracle they didn''t spot him hiding on top of a lone tree. Damn it! the figure cursed. How did he find me!? Peering his head back, the figure saw the brown-robed figure, Ronald Bell, soaring above the trees and he does not like it one bit.
TZANG There''s the forest, Ronald observed, looking at the sea(shore? pond side?) of trees over the distance covering the edges of the part of the pond. How did the spy even get here so fast while carrying Irene? Thanks to the Transporter Room operators locating Irene and her kidnapper, Ronald knew where to go. It''s a good thing Joshua contacted the operators after the duke screamed like a girl, Ronald thought. Even the knights were panicking but I guess it''s the first time a member of their house gets kidnapped. TZANG With his eyes on the forest, Ronald noticed something. I don''t remember operators spotting a bandit camp there, so no one else but me is nearby to intercept. And the implications of it were either it''s coincidental, just being the spy''s escape route, or the spy knew no Court Wizards will be there. "...it''s not just the two of us..." "...so it is you! Mister Bell, mister Ruze..." If it''s the latter then the spy must have watched us fight, saw our faces, and heard our names, Ronald thought. It''s already bad enough for the bandits to know, but at least they won''t be able to tell anyone about it. I have to catch the guy before he exposes us to Van! And so, Ronald pressed forward. TZANG But in the meantime, seeing as no enemy could shoot him down while using [Eject], Ronald decided to contemplate about the discussion he had with the duke, namely... "There will always be the unaccounted..." True, no plans survive first contact with the enemy and no amount of planning can cover everything. No matter what, there will always be a problem in every Court Wizards'' mission. And you can''t waste too many resources when you''re an organization watching over many worlds either, Ronald mused. Pretty much the whole point of the second Rule. So really, what the duke tried to console to him and Joshua was that they shouldn''t be too hard on themselves for every setback due to unpreparedness and incompetence since there always be one and every failure does not mean the end. However... Because of our shortcomings, Emilia... And even though they vowed to be better than themselves, from the assassins in the breakfast and this mission, they still haven''t improved. But I can''t blame the duke for not knowing. Had the duke known, he would probably make a different approach to cheer them up, but he didn''t and Ronald can''t fault him for it. And then there''s... "Now cheer up... You have done a..." "...I mean, congratulations are in order." ...Yeah, let''s not. Well, Ronald has a vague idea of what the duke was going to blurt out and he does not want to think about it. Especially when he had reached his target. Emotion suppression on. TZANG Along a convenient road under the shore of trees, Ronald saw a black-garbed figure, the spy/kidnapper, running along it with Irene slumped on their shoulder. TZANG With the second [Eject], the figure turned around with an expression of irritation plastered on his unmasked face. In retaliation, the figure rummaged his cloak to reveal three knives between his fingers and threw them at Ronald. [Barrier]. Of course, it didn''t stop Ronald as he ordered [Barrier] memorized to have the exact flat dimensions of his body with his hand stretching forward for the position. CHINK CHINK CHINK THUD Ronald could follow it up with a dropkick on the spy but said spy was a professional as he unmounted his hostage in front of him and immediately brandished a knife to her neck, forcing Ronald to land a few distances across them. "Don''t come any closer, Ronald Bell!" the spy spat his name, knowing it from the fact that Joshua''s just too tall, gripping the unconscious Irene on her waist tightly while inching the knife closer to her throat. "Try your fire spirit arts and she''ll burn with me!" True, if Ronald simply used the classic [Burn], Irene will get caught in the fire too. However, that will not impede Court Wizards who can modify their Orders to suit the current need, something Ronald and Joshua were apathetic to do. Irony aside, however, Ronald still needed to do something about the knife before anything. I can''t think of anything else, Ronald calmly thought, though what he was thinking betrayed that as he had no other cards to play. I will have to risk it. And either way, the spy has to be eliminated in order to save the hostage, much to Ronald''s displeasure as the spy could be interrogated and that... "Hey!" the spy barked as Ronald slowly approached him and he backing away, dragging Irene. "I said don''t come any closer!" But Ronald did not heed his threat as he formulated his Order. I order you, attach to left foot of black-cloaked man... "I said don''t come any closer!" ...form cover body inside of black cloak of black-cloaked man... "Are you deaf!? Don''t come any closer or this wench will get it!" ...transfer heat to inside only, oxidize... "I''m serious! I''ll kill her if you take another step!" ...thus is my Order. [Burn] "Fine! You ask-" FWOOM With a smooth sound, the moment Ronald finished his Order the face of the black-cloaked figure was covered in red... CRACKLE CRACKLE ...as he burst into flames. "Wha...? A-Aaah!" the spy screamed as his body burned in agony, ever so slightly slackening his knife and hold on the unharmed hostage. And in quick succession Ronald manifested his Cherished Armament to his hand, bending down... TZANG ...and launched himself forward. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 5.7: Protecting the Duke from Bandits - Hand "...yer." It is dark... was all she could see when she felt a sharp pain in her temple. "...Illyer." Ow, my head hurts. What happened? she wondered. "...ss Illyer." Ah, that is right! she realized. There was smoke and someone struck me in the head! Then I must be... "Miss Illyer." Huh? Someone is calling me. "Miss Illyer, please wake up!" "Aah!? Uhn..." Irene gasped as she came to, with the firm voice jolting her up. Slowly, she firmly placed her hands on the ground, sensing the rough texture of dirt, and pushed herself up. Then, she looked to the source of the voice waking her up, it was Ronald with his hood lowered. "Mister Bell?" she uttered. "Thank goodness you''re awake," Ronald sighed in relief. "Can you get up?" he continued, giving his hand. "Oh, yes. Thank- aah!" Irene quickly replied and was about to take Ronald''s hand when she saw the sight before her. On the ground, few centimeters away from them, a black-garbed figure laid there. Irene would''ve thought the figure was unconscious too if not for the charred black face and body exposed under its hooded cloak. Was he burned with mister Bell''s spirit arts? she thought. But his robe is unblemished as if only his body was burned, and where is his arm? She noticed the cauterized stump that was formerly the limb of the figure. But with a quick scan to her surroundings, Irene found the severed arm holding a knife across the figure''s corpse which was only slightly burned. "Sorry about that," Ronald quickly apologized, moving his body to block the dead body from her view. "That guy was holding you in knifepoint, so I had to take him out and that was the only way I could think of." Oh, so this man was the one who kidnapped me. But, "How did you do it?" Irene asked. If that man had held her hostage, then shouldn''t she be caught in the flame when Ronald unleased the same spirit art he used on the bandits? And yet she felt no burn in her skin, only a few bruises. There''s also the unburned cloak of her abductor in that manner. "Hm?" Ronald raised his eyebrow. "Oh!" he then uttered in an understanding of what Irene implied. "Well you see, I can order my... arts to not burn at one side. Here, let me show you." He then stretched his hand out and within a second or two... WHOOSH CRACKLE ...a tongue of fire appeared above it. "Try putting your hand here," Ronald motioned his free hand to one side of the fire, which was Irene''s right side. Seeing no reason to refuse, Irene stretched her hand to where Ronald pointed and felt no heat from the fire. "...You are right," Irene said as she even dared to inch her hand closer to it. "I do not feel the heat from the fire." "Alright, try the other side. Also, be quick about it, the fire doesn''t last," Ronald warned as Irene could also see the flame suddenly shrink in set intervals. "Oh, right." Irene pulled back her hand, then reached it out back to the left side of the fire. This time, she properly felt it. "...I feel the heat from this side," she muttered. "Right?" Ronald snapped his hand shut, the fire extinguished with it. "So you see, what I did was covering the man''s body under his cloak with fire that is set to only burn inside, which is why you nor the cloak gets burned too. "After that, I launched myself to cut off his knife hand and you can imagine the rest." "I see..." With the sound explanation, Irene simply rolled her eyes. "Then, thank you," she smiled. "Huh?" Ronald blinked. "For saving me," Irene clarified. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "...You''re not disturbed by what I did to him?" Ronald asked. "I would be lying if I say I am not disturbed." Irene shook her head. Who wouldn''t be frightened by the sight of a man completely burned whole? She should even be scared of the man who caused it in front of her right now! "But still," she continued. "You did it to save me so I must thank you for that." Besides, she has seen enough of it to not be queasy at it anymore. Furthermore... "I believe they are good people." ...she still believed her intuition was right about Ronald, and Joshua too, even if their actions seemingly betrayed it. "...I see," Ronald rolled his eyes. "Then you''re welcome," he smiled back then stretched out his hand again. "Anyway, we should get up now." "Oh! You are right." Irene realized she was still sitting on the ground and Ronald kneeling in front of her. Immediately, she accepted Ronald''s hand to which he slowly helped her up. His hand is not as rough as father''s, she noted. Based on what her war hero father taught her, I suppose he relied more on his spirit arts (can I still call it that?) than his dagger. "Is something wrong, miss Illyer?" Ronald asked as she was still holding his hand even though she already got up. "Oh!" Irene flustered, quickly letting go of his hand. "Apologies, I was just..." However, she stopped as she took a good look at his face. He is rather good-looking, Irene blushed internally. But... "Uh..." Ronald, on the other hand, stood there in confusion. "Is there something on my face?" Immediately, he rubbed the front of his head with his hand. "I don''t feel it," he reported. Should I? she asked herself, unconcerned with Ronald''s rather childish response with her words stuck in her throat. No, I should... "No, there is," Irene spoke. "And that is?" "You look pale." "...Huh?" Ronald blinked. "I was going to ask you two before I was abducted," Irene continued. "So I will ask you here. "You said that you were fighting the bandits hiding throughout my father''s land, correct?" Using the very same words, she asked Ronald this question. "Yes." Even Ronald gave the same nod. "Why?" "Because even spirit arts can be taxing to one''s mind." Rolling her eyes, Irene continued what she wanted to say, "then you must have been fighting to protect us for so long. And it must be especially tiring for you for having to rescue me as well." And Ronald stood there silently, disseminating what she said. He looked as if he never expected it, but he regardless gave his reply, "Yes, we never did use that much maneg before." ...and even that. Ignoring the term Ronald used, Irene continued, "And you also had to kill those bandits and that man too." "...Your father at least tried to avoid that topic," Ronald frowned. "And it is also not good to keep it in your heart either," Irene countered. "Hm, I guess you''re right," Ronald conceded with a sigh and after a brief silence, he began his story, "...Usually, someone else, not Joshua, but someone else entirely does the deed and we simply watched." "...And what happened to him?" Irene asked, slightly hesitating with what Ronald implied. "...She is no longer with us." "Oh," Irene covered her mouth. "My condolences," she apologized. "It''s fine, you didn''t know," Ronald softly assured her. "Anyway, ever since she had passed, we thought to take her burden and well, watching it was wholely different than doing it." "I see..." Irene muttered in a low voice. "Then are you fine now?" She may not fully know the extent of his struggles nor understand them much less deserving to have him confide it with her. But staring back at her, Ronald simply rolled his eyes. "...Yes," Ronald nodded. "I guess it was better for me to let it out. Thank you, miss Illyer." "You are welcome," Irene smiled, putting her hands to her chest. "Thank the greater spirits..." "Well then, shall we head back?" Ronald asked, turning his back on her. "Your father is getting worried." "Yes," Irene nodded. "Let us."
"Irene, my daughter! You are safe!" Allister sobbed, pulling her daughter in a big hug. "F-Father!" Irene flustered, surprised by her father''s sudden action. He''s crying like a child, Ronald cringed as he even saw her dress drenched in the duke''s snot and tears. "Waah! Don''t leave me again, lady Ire-e-ene...!" Even her named spirit, Layla, was no better as she was dangling on to Irene''s leg as if her dear life depended on it. Upon the return to the carriage, Ronald and Irene were met with the knights and company looking like they were husbands waiting outside the operating room as their spouses were giving birth inside or people waiting for the result of some test that will dictate the rest of their lives. When they saw Irene safe and sound, they rushed to her dramatically yelling "My lady!" and "She''s saved!" and stuff with tears in their eyes. After that came the tackle from the duke and greater spirit candidate. And in the midst of it all was Joshua, standing arms crossed completely unamused. Even the bound bandits were dumbfounded by the supposed disciplined knights'' behavior along with the intermediate spirit Neptune stared outside from the carriage wondering what the heck was going on. As Ronald approached Joshua for answers, he simply said, "If we have kids, promise that we will not be like them." He pointed his nose to the crying fest before them. Looking back at said crying fest, Ronald simply nodded. "Agreed."
"I have yet to ask," Allister said. "But what is the garb you two are wearing? It is unlike the previous the last time we meet." "It''s our battle uniform," Joshua immediately responded, as if it was already a textbook answer. "Matching colors and masks to prevent the enemy from keeping track of us through the color of our ceremonial cloaks, which is what we wore back then. Bootleg ninja tactics." "''Boot-leg neen-jah'' tactics?" Irene tilted her head in confusion at the last thing Joshua said. "It''s best not to think about it," Joshua swiftly said, realizing the minor breach of the fourth Rule and tried to clear out what he just blurted. "But usually you wear the cloak in battle ''cause you don''t like wearing the ''baggy'' robe," Ronald accused. "I mean, I and a few others had to force you to wear it this time." "Really?" Irene perked up. "That is quite a peculiar habit." "Don''t talk about it," Joshua grumbled. "Hm, I had a feeling that you do," Allister rubbed his chin with a smirk. "But you should adhere to your organization''s tactics even though you personally find it uncomfortable. Quite young indeed." "Not you too!" Joshua groaned, much to the others'' amusement. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 5: For the Good of the World 3 Irona Year 592 Year 1393 in Manegia BLAST With another explosion destroying the magical roots blocking their way, Ronald and Joshua dashed through the natural corridor all while hooded figures, different from their robes, were chasing them from behind, throwing knives, daggers, and even magic at the Court Wizards. But one thing in particular in this chase was Joshua carrying Emilia on his shoulder. "Joshua!" Emilia grunted as she repeatedly hammered Joshua''s back with her fists. "Put me down!" "Yeah, I don''t think it''s a good idea to do that here!" Joshua argued, tightening his hold on her as he twisted his body just enough to let a throwing knife nearly brush his ear. "Not when your clan''s out to get us!" "Well, of course, you dummy!" Emilia spat. "You just broke into our base and kidnapped me!" "And for a good reason too!" Ronald panted, having a less than ideal physique for running, stating his piece as calmly as possible - while turning his upper body and stretching his hand behind him - when... DING DING PSHH PSHH DING ...all three Court Wizards'' emotion suppression broke, which led to a much bigger and thicker [Barrier] Ronald formed behind their backs blocking the multiple knives and spells they couldn''t dodge in such small space. "And what, pray tell, that good reason is!" Emilia snapped back, lifting her head to Ronald. On top of Court Wizards'' running high emotions amplifying their Orders to the strength more than they mean to, hence the necessity of the suppression to save maneg in battle, they''re not even using [Telepathy], shouting their angst for all the enemies behind their backs to hear instead. "Oh, I don''t know!" Joshua sarcastically said. "Your family''s about to chop your head off for being a Co- with us!" It was only a miracle the three remembered not to spout out Otherworldly Court terms in this situation, even if Joshua almost blurted it out. "I had it under control!" Emilia argued. "Then why were you all teary-eyed and getting beheaded when we crashed the party!?" Joshua asked rhetorically. "Besides, it''s pretty obvious when you waved us off with an ''It''s just family business, Chubby Boy!'' something bad is going to happen!" Ronald added as he turned around again and... BOOM CRACKLE CRACKLE ...erupted huge flames behind them, blocking the assassins from following and view as the Court Wizards ran into one of the many branching paths they''re running into. "Well, I...!" However, whatever retort Emilia was about to give fell short in her throat. "I..." Or rather, she had none left. Emotion suppression off. "...Had enough?" Joshua calmly said. Having gotten far away from the assassins, he crouched down and let Emilia rest her back behind the roots. "...Yes," Emilia sighed as she pulled her knee to let her forehead rest on it. "Well then, we should catch our breath here," Ronald suggested, sitting on a convenient seat made from the roots sticking out in the labyrinth. "The assassins must have guessed the wrong corridor since our suppressions off." "But seriously though, how do you navigate through this place?" Joshua complained as he rested his back against the wall. "It''s a freaking maze made out of mother nature here!" "Really?" Emilia perked up. "Well, I guess you''re right," she chuckled. "Even I had trouble getting my way around here." "..." "..." "..." They went like this for a full minute. Then, after another brief silence, one of the three finally spoke up. It was Emilia. "...I am a Willows of the ''Willow Tree,''" she started her story. "Born into this family, I trained all my life to be the roots which shape this world underneath, to guide it in the shadows. Even though I was the odd one in the group, I still tried my best." Then, Emilia lifted her hand... CREME~ ...in which a simple droplet of ice maneg appeared above it. "Then, I became a Court Wizard and suddenly, I was not guiding my own world but others as well." Closing her eyes. "But, I guess I got too excited over it when it made me a double agent, according to your world, and my family didn''t like it." "No sweat..." Joshua muttered. "No kidding," Ronald grimaced as they looked back at the corridor where her clan didn''t follow them into. "So well," Emilia continued. "Long story short, my clan wanted to punish me for it and as a Willows I must oblige. So, even if I must see the scorn from my own relatives, I... I had to return to face the consequences for-" This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "And you''re a Court Wizard too," Joshua interrupted. With Emilia wordlessly looking up at him, he continued, "as you said yourself, a Court Wizard safeguards worlds and we have to sacrifice our time, effort, and personal life for it. "But most importantly, we have to stay alive to do all of that no matter what." "Indeed," Ronald nodded. "Sure," Joshua continued. "You were forced to into the position, but so are we and all of us, and that is fine." "I know," Emilia pouted. "But they''re my family, the only place I belong. So-" "And we Court Wizards are your family too, as well as a place where you can live in. At least that''s what Rose always said," Joshua cut her off. "If you can''t stick with your family who told you to present your neck just because you didn''t visit them for too long, then you can at least stick with us. Your duty as a Willows? Well, ain''t a Court Wizard the same job with a few extra steps? "Besides, I''m also your mentor and I''ll be damned if I let my juniors hurt." Pushing his back from the wall, Joshua then stretched out his hand to Emilia. "So, don''t go throwing your life just because you have to," he smiled. "Can you at least do that?" "..." And Emilia sat there, wordlessly absorbing everything Joshua said. "I see..." In the end, she simply rolled her eyes and smiled, and took his hand to which he helped her up. "Thank you..." "Now then." With the heartfelt encouragement finished, Ronald stood up from his seat with a ponder, "how do we get out here? We are stuck deeper into this place and your clan is pretty much everywhere out for our blood-" CRACK Suddenly, the three Court Wizards heard a snap and jerked their heads to its source. She was a young girl, half the height of Emilia whilst sharing the same hair color but tied in pigtails. She was wearing the standard cloak of the Willow Tree with the hood lowered and looked nervous as she held the roots along the wall-like railing. Now, they would''ve felt their emotion suppression reactivating at the sight of one of the assassins of the Willows, breakage or not, but it didn''t. What does this mean? Was Ronald and Joshua''s shared thought. This kid/girl is not here to fight us? And there were much shorter assassins chasing after them earlier. Emilia, however, was a different story. "A-Ashe?" she widened her eyes. The girl, Ashe, simply beckoned them with her hand and said, "Big sis, misters, this way!"
It was nothing short of a miracle. Ashe, Emilia''s sister from the same mother, somehow found them and led the Court Wizards through a hidden route the other Willows never knew. Then, arriving at the light at the end of the tunnel, the Court Wizards simply climbed out of the willow tree one by one, all without running into one of the other Willows. "Stay safe, big sis," Ashe smiled. "You too, Ashe," Emilia smiled back, watching her sister retreating back into the willow tree. "Thank goodness your sister is there to guide us out through a secret tunnel," Ronald sighed in relief. "We would''ve never gotten out of there." "Yeah," Joshua agreed. "But more importantly," he turned to Emilia, "now you know there are still some of your family who still cared about you, right?" "Yes..." Emilia gently closed her eyes, putting her hands to her chest. "Yes, you''re right." "In that case, you might be able to reconnect with them," Joshua suggested. "So don''t give up on your old family just yet!" "Yeah!" Emilia nodded with a smile.
Manegia Year 1396 BAM "What do you mean destroying my entire clan!?" Emilia shouted, banging the stand in front of her as she faces the leaders of the Otherworldly Court before her. It was another day in the Otherworldly Court when suddenly, Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia were called into the discussion for the next mission the Guardians (who showed up) were having. There, they broke the news of their intentions to Emilia as she was the one who was really being called which brought the discussion to this development. "Exactly as we said, young lady," Isaac Brzask, the fifth Ice Guardian and the only Court Wizard who kept his aristocratic title thus far sans a certain vampire, firmly stated. "Which is why we are sharing this matter with you." Pressing down the cane with a dawn gemstone on top which complimented the similar-colored suit under his light-blue cloak, Isaac narrowed his old brown eyes matching the color of his combed hair to his direct Ice Court Wizard subordinate with a stiff look on his wrinkled face. "We have decided that your clan, the Willow Tree, is to be destroyed," he coldly stated. "And intelligence suggests that most if not all of them are together in one spot. There will not be another chance to do this." "But why, master!?" Emilia cried. "Yes, it is a tad bit extreme," Ronald interjected. "Yeah, can''t you think it through?" Joshua added. "Unfortunately, my dears," Gertrude, the dwarf Fire Guardian, spoke. Looking at Emilia, "your clan has proven to be... detrimental to the well-being of your world, Irona, as of late." "Yes," Isaac nodded. "We will spare you the details, but with recent facts that came to light, the Willow Tree has been responsible for the numerous downfalls and tragedies of many kingdoms over the past few decades. "This ranges from the assassination of benevolent political figures while colluding with the corrupt ones, causing monster outbreaks across the globe, and even triggering upheavals of kingdoms which the people ended better without. "They have never done such thing prior." Then, Isaac said this, "and you ought to know it yourself, you three. You all have run into them in the many missions in Irona that never seem to better the world." "...Ah!" Emilia gasped. Irona Year 593 Year 1394 in Manegia "You will not get away," Joshua coldly stated, as ice maneg gathered in his hand, forming a rapier. Emilia called her Cherished Armaments to her side and Ronald prepared his family''s Order, [Burning Fist]. Emotion supression on.
However, before the battle began, one of the purple-garbed mages hissed at them. "It''s the traitor!" "Not only you abandoned us, now you are getting in our way! You damn b*tch!" "A-Ah!" And it was Emilia who gasped in surprise. ''Emilia, do you know them? You even broke your suppression.'' (Joshua) ''They... They are from my clan! From the mage division!'' (Emilia)
The courtroom became silent for a moment as Emilia regained her bearings. Then, with her head down, she only muttered, "They''re my family..." "And what sort of family would readily execute their own daughter...?" Isaac admonished softly. "And they used to be good people too..." Emilia continued. "I know, Emilia," a voice came from above. Looking up, it was from a beautiful woman with white hair and red eyes wearing a red dress standing from the audience gallery. She looked down on the discussion with a concerned look. "Rose?" Emilia muttered. Rose, the vampire of the Bloodlights and the current longest-serving Court Wizard, simply continued, "I myself had met them before, in one of my first missions when I was but a child. And yes, I can say that they were certainly good people. "Once I heard they called themselves the Willow Tree because its roots shall spread throughout the world, thereby spreading its hope, belonging, and safety - very much like us on a smaller scale." Taking a somber tone, "but, not even a century later, those roots suddenly became one that corrupts instead of healing." "Then we reform them!" Emilia declared resolutely, a fire ignited in her heart. "Back to the days of old." "Denied," Isaac immediately refuted. "We have considered this before, but how long will that take? Remember, Irona, your world, is in a state of chaos - the longer the Willow Tree entrenches its roots into the world, the worse it becomes. "And most importantly, can they even be reformed, adulterated as they are?" "Even I cannot change my family to adopt better ways even after a century," Rose added in melancholy. "Then, t-then..." Emilia uttered, stuttering, desperately finding any suggestion to turn her clan''s fate. "I''m sorry, dear," Gertrude consoled. "We know this is especially hard for you..." "...If it makes you feel better, we could spare a few who still have a good heart," Isaac suggested. "Like you, Emilia, there must be a few more good apples in the batch." "..." Emilia wordlessly staring at her direct Guardian''s proposition. Then, narrowing her eyes, she came to an answer, "My sister, Ashe. She helped us escape three years ago." "Noted," Isaac nodded. "Anyone else?" "...No," Emilia muttered softly. "She''s the only one I could think of." "Very well." Isaac rolled his eyes. And in the room full of Spears, this was probably the best outcome. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 6.1: With the Illyers - Part One Spiri Raia Year 905 Year 1398 in Manegia BLAM "Hold him down!" Ronald yelled, pointing his finger. In the Illyer mansion, right in the entryway to the dining hall, a couple of maids and butlers pinned down a shifty-looking man dressed in the same butler uniform. While said man was unconscious, courtesy to a roundhouse to the back of his head from a certain tall Court Wizard, it''s still a good idea to restrain him. Especially after what he did. "Al! Al!" "Dear! Hang in there!" ""Father! Father!"" "Get a healer, quick!" "Whatdowedowhatdowedowhatdowedo!" On the other side, the Illyers and named spirits were on the floor as they gathered over the duke who was the first to casually sip the tea containing poison received from the shifty man, collapsing as a result. The others who were spared from the fast-acting poison quickly fell to distraught, hunching over the groaning duke, begging him to stay alive. PIING "Huh?" "What the?" "What is that!?" Suddenly, a bright kaleidoscopic light bathed the room as a vertical beam of rainbow burst out from an empty spot in the place. This, of course, caught the attention of many, their mouths agape by the otherworldly sight. But some knew what it was. "Good." At the Court Wizards'' side, Ronald and Joshua sighed in relief. "The doctor''s here," Joshua remarked.
"I must say." Sitting behind the desk in his office, after convincing his clinging wife to release him, Allister, duke Illyer, said in a joyful tone as he did his paperwork, "I am the picture of health even though I just drank poison. The healer you have sent did his job quite admirably." "True," Oswald, the head knight of Illyer, who was there, nodded. "We admittedly would not be able to address such cowardly method." Yeah right, ''healer''. (Joshua) I still don''t get the ''death'' Element able to do the exact opposite, covering what the ''life'' Element can''t heal. Heck, even the healing Element can kill people! That''s the two most powerful Elements for you. But still, it''s not every day you need to purge poison or disease from an old man. Most of the time they''re just stab wounds. (Joshua) Why do I feel like you are jinxing something? "Yes," the duke continued. "I must thank him for saving me though he left in a hurry."
"Alright, the patient should be fine now," the bronze-haired doctor wiped his sweat as he stood up and immediately went to where he came from. "Leaving already, doctor Mav?" Ronald asked. "Correct." The doctor, Mav, tipped his nonexistent hat, "my job here is done, and other people need me. Ciao!" and gave a salute. PIING
"Yeah, doctor Mav''s always like that." Joshua shrugged, sitting in a chair brought into the very same room he crashed into through the window. "Pop in, heal some guy, and leave." "I see," the duke chuckled. "Well, send my gratitude to him. Although I do wonder how he was able to arrive so quickly? It is as if he knew what fate would befall me." "Believe us, duke Illyer, we don''t know either," Ronald smiled wryly, readjusting the same suit he wore back at the breakfast. "The doctor claimed to have a sixth sense beyond ''borders'' for these sorts of things. That and he''s almost always at ''there'' when his services are needed." Another thing that happened was that ever since the carriage attack plus kidnapping (in which the duke decided to stay put in his town ever since), they decided to refrain from speaking Otherworldly Court terms so the Van faction wouldn''t hear which apparently suited the Illyers just fine since they somehow became awkward saying them after that breakfast. "However," the duke shifted his tone. "This has been the closest attempt to assassinate right now. It is quite appalling." "Yes," Oswald added. "It appears that the assassin stole the uniform when it was being dried - one of the maids reported it missing which confirms it. "Then, he simply prepared the poisoned tea and served it as any butler would - he must be very skilled to keep his face low long enough to not be noticed by any of us until it was too late." And originally, the first attempt was poisoning, just that miss Willow could not see through it. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Yeah... guess twice''s the charm, even though it''s supposed to be third. (Joshua) "Hah... it was only fortunate that only I consumed it," the duke sighed, especially when the other cups were confirmed to be poisoned too. Looking at the Court Wizards. "How many attempts prince Van made against me does this make so far then?" he asked. "Let''s see," Ronald started listing. "The breakfast attempt, the carriage assault and kidnapping, another attempted kidnapping, various direct assaults when you''re only just outside the mansion, all the multiple break-in attempts, the more absurd attempts I''m not going to say, and the poisoning today." "Well that''s a freaking lot," Joshua commented. "And most of them are towards duke Illyer too, not the first prince." "I suppose Van doesn''t want to ascend the throne as a brother-slayer." Ronald shrugged. "Though he doesn''t seem to mind either if the push comes to shove." "Is that so?" the duke drooped his eyebrows. "But, be it as it may be, it at least lifts a target off of prince Albert''s back. "And thinking about it, we have been through a lot for almost a year, have we not?" the duke remarked. "This has certainly become the most interesting chapter in my, no, our lives." "Yes," Oswald nodded. "Never in my life I would expect my lord to come to me and say that he had allied with the likes of you two, then having the honor to experience everything you have to offer personally." "And to be honest," the duke added, looking at the Court Wizards. "We may not be able to survive against Van''s machinations without your help - I am only good for direct war, not the secret kind, after all." Smiling warmly, the duke chalked it all up by saying, "So thank you, you two." "Aw, shucks!" Joshua grinned. lightly slapping his kneecap. "No need to get so sentimental, duke Illyer." "Indeed," Ronald smiled as he nodded. "But in any case," Oswald interrupted, shifted back to his head knight mode. "With recent events, we will have to tighten security yet again. "I suggest posting the knights who are familiar with the staff to patrol around the mansion to look out for any intruders - the staff can help out as well. As we all know each other''s faces very well, we should be able to spot anyone unfamiliar, yet in familiar clothing. We only need to make it a habit to confirm one''s identity every time we pass by." "Hm, I suppose we will have to do it." The duke rolled his eyes, also reverting back to seriousness. "Well then, let us make the arrangements," he said before turning to the Court Wizards. "How about you two?" "Yeah, that''s not our area of expertise." Joshua shrugged as he stood up. "So we''ll just be on our merry way." "Indeed," Ronald added, getting up from his seat as well. "We''ll let you to it." "I see," the duke nodded. "Farewell then, sir Ronald, sir Joshua." CREEK
"Hey Ronald," Joshua called his partner/junior. "Since when everyone starts calling us sir Joshua and sir Ronald?" "Hm, I don''t know." Ronald shrugged his shoulders.
"It was as if it was all a bad dream," Irene muttered, her arm resting on her forehead, looking at the ceiling of her bedroom as she reminisced what happened. "Mother practically did not want to let father go." "Well yeah," Layla, the greater spirit candidate Irene named, remarked sarcastically, floating beside her namer. "Your dad just keeled over after drinking tea." "Yes..." It was frightening. At one moment, Irene was having breakfast with her family alongside Ronald and Joshua who came to visit. Then, an unfamiliar butler came and gave everyone a cup of tea in which his father drank first and suddenly collapsed. "Then suddenly," Irene continued. "The dining hall was bathed in rainbow light and a man in a white coat appeared from it who completely healed father with red-black colored arts." "And it reeks!" Layla croaked. "How does that creepy guy''s arts even heal!?" "Layla..." Irene sighed at the spirit. Even though it has almost been a year with the Court Wizards, Layla and Neptune, the spirit her father named, were still uncomfortable around them. Even the kaleidoscopic light the Court Wizards used to travel worlds made them startle every time they see an actual rainbow. "But I do wonder about the art that man used," Irene said curiously. "Or all of them in that manner." "Yeah, dunno! Don''t care!" Layla huffed, covering her ears. Never minding Layla''s antics, Irene decided to get up from her bed and said, "Well, I suppose I will take a walk for a moment. Do you want to come, Layla?" "Er... No thanks," Layla refused, still floating around her namer''s room lazily. "Don''t wanna run into those guys. I can still feel their fractured souls." Tilting her head in confusion at the spirit''s last comment, Irene nevertheless decided not to pry further and reached for the door. "Alright then," she conceded. "I will be back shortly." "Kay!" Layla waved.
CREEK Passing by the maids and butlers who politely bowed at her, Irene strolled through the hallway, looking outside every window she went by - her father decided not to close every curtain so as to not show falter, just the ones that should for obvious reasons. "Hm?" Irene''s eyes spied the familiar red-suited man staring out in the window, looking bored. "Sir Ronald?"
Spiri Raia Year 904 Year 1397 in Manegia "Mister Bell?" On the walking journey back to the carriage after the kidnapping, Irene spoke up to Ronald to ask something. "I-" "Hm, you know, miss Illyer," Ronald interrupted. "Being called ''mister Bell'' doesn''t feel right. It makes me feel old." "Huh?" Irene raised her eyebrows. "Then what should I call you then?" "Just Ronald is fine," Ronald casually stated. "And Joshua too." "Um, I do not know. It sounds too informal..." Irene mulled before figuring, "oh, I know! How about sir Ronald?" she suggested. "And sir Joshua too." "...Hm, I suppose that''s fine... lady Irene." Ronald shrugged whilst smirking. Somehow, Irene couldn''t help but blush at his statement. ''Oh, perhaps I should inform the others about this too...'' she thought innocently.
"Sir Ronald?" Wait... Did Irene go around telling everyone to call us sir? Ronald realized as he recalled that particular memory almost a year ago upon hearing the familiar voice and turning to see the duke''s daughter, Irene. But, as Irene came over to him, Ronald had no time to think about it and needed to greet her. Otherwise, he''ll leave her hanging which would be quite awkward and not to mention rude. "Hm? Lady Irene?" Ronald raised his eyebrow to keep up appearances. "What brings you here?" He''ll just have to inquire it with the lady herself later down the line. "Well, I was just taking a stroll in the mansion when I run into you," Irene replied. "Is sir Joshua not with you?" "Hm, let''s just say Joshua also happened to run into someone and ditched me," Ronald smiled wryly. "And how about you? Is Layla not with you?" "Yes, Layla is still in my room." Edging closer to Ronald, Irene put her hand beside her mouth and whispered, "and to tell the truth, she did not want to encounter you, which I did." "I see," Ronald chuckled as he darted away his eyes. They''re too... close! He cringed internally, trying to keep the lady''s modesty. And I am not going to let Joshua tease me with that again! "Huh? What is wrong sir Ronald?" Irene, on the other hand, was blissfully ignorant of the young man''s attempt to preserve her dignity. Fortunately, she stepped back from him as she inquired him. "No, no. Everything''s fine," Ronald quickly remarked, breathing easily internally. "I see," Irene sighed in relief. "..." "..." Afterwards, they were in a pregnant pause with both of them just standing there, awkwardly staring at nothing. Ronald couldn''t even bring up that question. But eventually, Ronald spoke up. "...Is there anything else you want to talk about?" he asked. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 6.2: With the Illyers - Part Two "Are you not disturbed by the fact that you ripped out a piece of your own soul to perform your art- I mean, Orders!?" Irene exclaimed, almost spilling the teacup she held. During the conversation in the hallway, Ronald and Irene decided to move to a more suitable location to have a conversation, over tea (the Illyers really loved their tea). There, the Illyer confessed wanting to know about Ronald''s ''arts'' and how they worked. Seeing no harm, and with the privacy of their chatting room, he decided to indulge her, without the censoring of Otherworldly Court terms. While Ronald wasn''t Joshua, he had still explained the best as he could: how Maneg Souls merge with people''s souls to become Court Wizards; the ''compression'' of their actual souls; the loyal maneg and disloyal maneg; maneg itself; the Elements; the slight alteration to their minds; and how they give Orders. And apparently, the last part freaked Irene out. "Um, what do you mean?" Confused with Irene''s sudden uncharacteristic outburst, Ronald only made an innocent meek while sipping his tea. "To perform your Orders, you use a portion of your own soul," Irene repeated. "Does that not disturb you?" "...Hm, now that you worded it out like that, it does sound bad," Ronald remarked. "But we mostly use disloyal maneg, which is not our actual souls, and we can recover them from the environment. "Our actual souls, loyal maneg, always stays with us, so it''s not that big of a deal." Ronald continued, "but I guess our Maneg Souls also help calm us down when our seniors break the news of how Orders really work." "And then there is the other thing." Irene, however, rolled her eyes and continued her argument. "Are you quite fine with your... Maneg Soul altering your mind? Or is it also its doing?" "Probably," Ronald shrugged. "I mean, it mostly makes us get along with each other and suppress our emotions from getting in the way of fights, so it''s mostly beneficial to us." "I see, if you say so," Irene relented. "So this is why Layla called them having ''fractured souls,''" she mumbled. "Hm?" Ronald perked his ear, Maneg Souls, unfortunately, didn''t enhance his hearing, unless the Element was air. "Did you say something?" "Oh! No, it is nothing!" Irene quickly denied, oddly flustering as she did. "Okay then." Ronald shrugged. "Any other questions?" "Other than how utterly unsettling your emotions suppressed in battle is, nothing else," Irene huffed. Ever since the kidnapping, Ronald has been interacting with the lady more frequently, as it was obvious being her savior. At first, it was just passing "Hello"s but eventually, Irene invited him for tea with the casual topic of other worlds; how they were like and what sort of adventures Ronald stumbled into. In the next conversation, it was about the Bell Conglomerate. Ronald could tell the awe Irene had when he narrated his family story. After that, they got into other topics every now and then throughout the past few months, whenever they get the chance. And frankly, it was quite enjoyable. Only now she wanted to talk about maneg and Orders. And lady Irene''s more casual than she realized now. Musing that to himself, Ronald carried on, "Well then, is there anything else you want to talk about?" "Hm... Oh!" Irene placed her finger on her lips, thinking of something before figuring something. "I never know your family. You know mine, so it is appropriate that I know yours." "..." However, she was met with silence. "...Is there something wrong?" Irene asked in concern, realizing the sudden loss of the casual air around the young man. Ronald, on the other hand, simply answered this, "...Well, you know my father, Alan. There''s also my grandfather, Thomas, who founded Bell Conglomerate, along with my grandmother. Like my father, I am an only child, so there was never an inheritance problem. I have no cousins either, not that I know of." His words were disconnected as if he was struggling to pour it out. But regardless, he had still worded it out and Irene listened intently, knowing the grim tone he conveyed. The grim tone in which Irene noticed one thing Ronald had left out. "...What about your mother?" she dared asked. "..." And it hit the mark. With a pregnant pause, Ronald eventually confessed, "She''s already gone." "..!" Irene wordlessly gasped, covering her mouth. "My apologies! I-" "It''s fine," Ronald stopped her. "It was a long time ago. I just don''t like bringing that up." Especially how mom... "I see..." Irene nodded in silence. "Are you alright now?" "Yes," Ronald rolled his eyes. "I got over it a long time ago." "Oh, thank the greater spirits..." Irene smiled. "..." "..." "You know," Irene spoke up, breaking the heartfelt silence. "I would have never thought in my life I would see visitors from other worlds, as farfetched as that itself sounds, much less sitting here with you." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Hm?" Ronald perked up. "And I would have never thought those same visitors offered to help my father''s campaign to ascend prince Albert to the throne because it was right," Irene continued. "Not only that, you also saved me from being kidnapped too. Thank you again for that." "You''re welcome," Ronald replied. "Also, how long has it been since you and sir Joshua appeared before us?" Irene asked. "Almost a year," Ronald answered. "I see," Irene rolled her eyes. "Then we have been through a lot for almost a year then, huh?" "Your father said pretty much the same thing moments ago," Ronald dryly commented. "Really?" Irene raised her eyebrow. "Fufu, so father beat me to it," she chuckled. "Yes, he did," Ronald chuckled back. "But regardless," Irene continued. "It also means we have been here for almost a year too, right?" "...Yes," Ronald smiled. "We do." With the warm air of a private tea party returned as a flash of curiosity came over Irene again. "Oh!" Irene exclaimed. "I was wondering, how did you get your Maneg Soul? Your first day as a Court Wizard? Was it by chance, or something else? I am sure there is a story to it." "That?" Ronald raised his eyebrow. "Well, it''s nothing special, though I forgot to mention how Maneg Souls choose us. You see..."
"Hm, I almost forgot. Did you tell everyone to call us sir Ronald and sir Joshua?" Ronald asked. "Um, should I not?" Irene spoke softly as if she had done was wrong. "Well, I guess it''s fine," Ronald sighed.
"Why do you care about me, sir Joshua?" Willow asked, demanding even. While it could use better wording, the intent behind it was clear. The break room for the mansion staff was awfully empty, save for the absurdly tall man and the frail-looking maid lounging there. Like... sort of like Ronald with his rescue of Irene from her kidnapping, Joshua has been interacting with Willow far more than he should have been ever since the incident at the breakfast. It wasn''t like this at first. In the beginning, Joshua merely passed by the maid which startled her every time - having your emotionless face looking down on her while gripping her hands high up the air roughly would do that to her, even if you saved her family afterwards. Then, in one of those episodes, Joshua decided enough was enough and struck a conversation with her. Of course, it didn''t go so well.
Spiri Raia Year 904 Year 1397 in Manegia "Hey, Willow!" Joshua waved his hand at the maid. "I was wondering if we could-" "Eek!" Willow yelped, metaphorically jumping from the floor in surprise. "Uh..." And Joshua stared at her awkwardly, his raised hand losing its strength. Immediately, the maid bowed down to Joshua and incoherently rapped, "apologieslordruzebutimbusyfarewell!" and scurried off.
Of course, again, Joshua didn''t give up after the first try and pretty much hit on her every chance he got to the point where it was borderline creepy as it went for months. He was sure that even Willow''s colleagues gave him the stick eye as they creep on him making his advances on her in totem pole heads behind doors, corners, whatever - those maids must''ve really looked out for her and had a lot of free time do to so. But eventually, Joshua got a lucky score.
"Hey, Willow," Joshua called her for the nth time. "Are you free right now?" "I, uh..." Willow, as always, reflexively covered her chest with her arms, stepping back from the rather insistent tall man, as she tried to come up with whatever excuse she has yet to use to dodge him. "Come on," Joshua cooed. "I just want to talk to you, that''s all. I''m not gonna hurt you." "...A-Alright then," she whimpered.
Since then, every time Joshua was in the mansion and Willow was on break, he would leave his junior to his own devices with his lady, and have a chat together with the maid in the break room about themselves, hobbies, favorite things, and anything mundane. He even jabbed in a few jokes which he eventually got a reaction from the maid. And through the conversations, little by little Willow''s fear of the Ice Court Wizard gradually lessened. Joshua could also feel the leering gazes from the other staff disappear as well. Half a year later, she became much more comfortable around him. Comfortable enough for her to culminate it all to this moment. "Um, what do you mean?" Joshua questioned. He had a sinking feeling where this was going. "Alright, let me explain." Willow took a deep breath, her posture in a resolute firm as she braved herself to say, "I am but an orphan girl who tried to murder the duke, my own lord, and you stopped me with that uncaring look in your eyes. "So why do you suddenly care for someone like me? It doesn''t make sense." "You were threatened to do it," Joshua retorted, pointing out what she omitted. "You didn''t do it for selfish reasons." "That''s not important," Willow shook her head. "Yes, you saved my orphanage, and I am thankful for that, but that should where it ends. "So why do you still care, no, cling to me?" With that came silence as Joshua looked down on the maid''s determined eyes, now understanding what she meant. Yes, for all intents and purposes, she was an enemy yet Joshua tried to befriend her there was no reason to once she''s no longer a threat. Honestly, I did it on a whim, Joshua thought, but Willow certainly wouldn''t accept that. And, I don''t think so too. I think it''s because of her... She''s the only reason I could think of... "Well?" Willow waited, crossing her arms. Seeing the impatient girl, Joshua relented ...Welp, here goes nothing. Closing his eyes, Joshua took a deep breath as he was about to start his story - a story he was not supposed to share. "...There was once a girl who traveled alongside me and Ronald, a junior like him under my wing. We had many adventures together, exploring places, hunting monsters, taking down corrupt nobles, us three." Sighing in melancholy, looking at the maid listening to him intently, he continued, "but then, tragedy happened and she''s gone." Then, he took another deep breath. "Her name was Emilia Willows." And Willow''s response was almost immediate. "So you were re-" "No!" And Joshua also immediately stopped her from finishing her sentence. With fierce eyes, he could see he startled the maid, but that wasn''t important as he pointed at her chest. "In fact, you are nothing like her! "Emilia was more outgoing, energetic, and brash with her words. Hell, she makes a better assassin than you - she''s trained for it! The only thing that''s the same about you two is your hair color, and yours is paler than Emilia''s!" "T-Then, why tell me this!?" Willow demanded, taking a defensive stance as she did months ago, yet still put up an act of courage. "...It''s the only thing I could think of," Joshua confessed, his expression turning a one-eighty. "Other than that, I don''t know." "What?" Willow blinked. "I''m serious," Joshua mooted. "In all honesty, I called you on a whim, but even I still think there''s a reason why I did. "Maybe it''s because of what happened after that breakfast, maybe your similar hair color, or probably because you girls share the same name!" Bending his head down, Joshua scratched his in frustration. "Or maybe I am replacing her with you!" he shouted, ironically spouting what he stopped from the maid. Huffing in exhaustion, Joshua slumped in his seat, waiting for what Willow thought of all of this. And it was a kind response. "I see..." Willow rolled her eyes. "I admit I was scared of you at first, but as we spent time together, I can see that you are a warm person at heart. And regardless of your intentions, you still saved my orphanage, saved me from my circumstances. Thank you." Looking back at her, Joshua listened to her words. In the back of his mind, he finally realized it. Both of their problems were polar opposites yet similar, namely about family. But where we, I, failed in Emilia, I was able to save Willow from her circumstance. "Yeah, one thing''s for sure, both you and Emilia are kind people," he smiled, deciding to tell Willow about it later. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 6 Interlude: With the Illyers "Dear, please..." Allister pleaded with a sad frown. "I still have work to do..." "Absolutely not!" Marisa, his wife, expressed firmly as she dangled on his leg, soiling her wear on the floor. "I am not letting you go after what just happened!" "Hah..." Allister sighed, gently tugging his leg so as to not drag his wife across the floor in a comical fashion. "This is just like when we were children..." Everybody else could only stare with their jaws open.
"I... did not expect that sort of... behavior from you, mother," Elaine, the younger daughter of the duke, said dryly as she sat on the couch with her fiancee, prince Albert. After the near-successful poisoning of the duke and the subsequent clinging of the duchess, three of the Illyers now rest in the living hall. Neptune was there too, resting on the mother in question''s lap with his eyes shut, as his namer was with the Court Wizards. "Yes, madam Illyer," prince Albert added in. "It was quite... unexpected." "Forgive me, dear," was Marisa''s reply, almost chuckling even. "It reminds me of how close your father is to death when we were still engaged. I could not help but to make sure he was okay." "Ah, duke Illyer did say something like that when you were children," Albert realized. "Yes," Marisa nodded slowly, reminiscing a melancholic past. "When we were young, Allister often found himself in harm''s way; whether we spent time together as children, going about his day-to-day life, or practicing spirit arts with Neptune here. "You know he was a clumsy one before he matured into an intermediate," she explained as she caressed the intermediate spirit''s bald head. "And even though he had grown, he is still quite the baby." "That he is," Elaine chuckled at her mother''s remark about the spirit. "So you grew overly concerned with father because of that?" she then asked. "Yes, but I did not become so... clinging to him when he runs into his near-death at first." Marisa rolled her eyes for a bit, reminiscing for what caused her erratic behavior in regards to her husband. "Ah!" she recalled. "It was around a year after I was introduced to him as my betrothed. At that time, I viewed him as the boy I am to marry and nothing more. "We were in a carriage en route to this city after Allister visited mine when a bunch of ruffians ambushed the carriage and abducted me." That reminds me of lady Irene''s/sister''s predicament, both betrothed thought, recalling a similar tale. Marisa had quite the episode when its news came back home. "I was told they were from a rival household but not much else," Marisa explained. "But anyway, as I was being dragged away along the pathway of a forest, it was Allister who came to my rescue, chasing after me on a horse he was too short to ride, alone." Definitely lady Irene''s/sister''s predicament, both betrothed confirmed. "I was fully conscious when it happened and was perplexed by his actions," Marisa continued. "We had only known each other for a few months and yet he went out of his way to rescue me, especially the prowess he had as a child and he had only named Neptune half a year prior." "Ah, yes, it was quite the news when duke Illyer became the first to name a water spirit in decades," Albert mused. "Anyway, I believe the duke did not leave the confrontation unscathed?" "Yes," Marisa nodded sadly. "It was against three men and Allister just barely managed to defeat them, mostly thanks to Neptune able to perform his arts properly unlike the practices I have watched before. "But Allister did not sit back and let Neptune fight alone, he also went into the fray with what little sword practice he had using a sword that was too large from him." "And he was injured from it," Elaine concluded with a frown. "Severely," Marisa added, caressing Neptune''s head. "It was only fortunate that Neptune here is particularly adept in healing wounds from the blade, though not much else." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. She rolled her eyes, sighing, "And I could never forget what he said to me after all of that..."
"W-Why would you go so far to rescue me!?" young Marisa cried, kneeling with her hands on the ground as she watched the child spirit mending the large gash over his namer''s torso. "You are even hurt!" "It is fine. Neptune may not be great in combat, but he sure is a great healer," young Allister, sitting on the ground with his hands supporting him behind his back, replied. "What matters is you are safe." "Yup! Yup!" Neptune, the spirit he named, smiled as he healed his namer. "B-But even so, we have barely known each," Marisa softly mumbled, tears flowing in her eyes. "You... you-" "But we will be given time," Allister interrupted with a smile. "But we will not be if something ever happened to you." "..!" And the young girl could only look at him with widened eyes.
"...but that was also when I started to fall in love with him," Marisa smiled, cupping her cheeks with a blush. "How romantic!" Elaine praised her mother''s story, clamping her hands in a prayer. "Right?" Marisa smiled at her youngest daughter. "I see," Albert nodded in understanding, ignoring the rosy atmosphere. "However, you imply that the duke had not brushed the edge of death for a very long time until today. What happened?" "Oh... yes," Marisa replied, her looking like she did not appreciate the interruption. "It was around the time your older sister was born that we noticed his bad luck seemed to have run out. "Neptune had already become an intermediate and stopped accidentally hitting his namer a long time before then so that ruled him out." "So sister brought father good luck then?" Elaine supposed. "Maybe," Marisa tilted her head. "But if I have my speculation, it may have happened before Irene was born." "Then when was it?" Elaine inquired further, leaning her body forward. "Perhaps after the war with the Fichs," Marisa answered with no hesitation. ""The war?"" Elaine widened her eyes. Even her fiance got a reaction. "While your father really did drove off the invaders with only a third of their size," Marisa explained. "Some of the stories were... embellished." "Like every accomplishment, even if do not mean it," Albert commented, crossing his arms. "Yes," Marisa nodded sadly. "I am sure you all know Allister was never the commander of the Kirash army, in the beginning, rather his father, your grandfather, Marisa." "And he, unfortunately, fell in battle," Albert said in a low tone. "Which caused the other nobles to flee, with their troops which caused the disparity. Cowards," Marisa spat. "And the rest degenerated into petty squabbles until Allister took over." "And that was when father drove out the Fichs with what army was left?" Elaine asked. "Yes," Marisa continued. "And while your father had gloriously defeated the Fichs, that was not all there is to it." "Because like head knight Oswald''s father who had slain even more adversaries, each Kirash soldier must defeat at least three enemies before falling themselves," Albert stated grimly. "No matter how much of a tactical genius duke Illyer was for his age, he was still wholly unprepared to take the commander''s position. And this is before spirit arts even came to play." "Ah...!" Elaine gasped, already knowing where this was heading. "While the triumph over the great enemy was achieved, it was paid with the equal amount of losses in return," Marisa narrated. "As for your father, he came home quite soaked with the blood of his enemies... and his own." "I see..." Elaine said in understanding. "You must be very relieved to see him back then," she said, not questioning her father''s possibly grave wounds when he returned to her mother since he was still alive and well even after the poisoning. "Indeed, it was the most worrying of my life," Marisa smiled warmly. "My heart nearly stopped when the news of his father''s demise came, it graved me of the wellbeing of my fiancee. "I cannot ever let go of him when he finally came back safe and sound." And the couple had the image of a young soon-to-be duchess Illyer bearhugging the still-bloodied and exasperated young duke while further soaking him with the fountains of tears from her eyes. "So imagine my horror when Allister came close to death again after all these years," Marisa concluded. "Thank the greater spirits that man in the white coat was able to cure him." "Yes," Albert rubbed his chin. "As I recall, curing poison is nature spirits'' domain and only a few water spirits can do it which Neptune is not." "It was nothing short of a miracle," Elaine commented. "Yes," Marisa nodded. "If sir Ronald and sir Joshua never approached us, I fear the worst might have happened." "Well, I think it might have happened much sooner than later if not for them," Albert pointed out. "...Yes, I suppose so," Marisa reluctantly agreed. "And you really cannot imagine it, right?" Elaine spoke. "That people from other worlds exist and came to help father, help us, to ascend you to the throne, Albert." "Yes, it is quite an eye-opener in that breakfast," Albert nodded. "The Otherworldly Court, huh?" he uttered, saying its name here wouldn''t hurt anyway. "I still cannot believe that there exists such a benevolent group. One who would aid us," he sighed. "Yet they do, and we ought to be grateful to be fortunate of them," Marisa said. "One might consider it to be the greater spirits'' blessing." "But we are blessed by lady Aquarius right, mother?" Elaine pointed out. "Fufu," Marisa chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it must be her blessing." "Well, in any case," Albert rolled his eyes. "With them, I am sure nothing terrible will occur." "Truly!" Elaine smiled at her future husband, the future king who also smiled lovingly back at his future queen. Soon enough a maid came into the room, bringing them a tray of freshly brewed tea, unpoisoned this time. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 6: For the Good of the World 4 Irona Year 595 Year 1396 in Manegia Where the carved-out base of a willow tree was, several brown-robed figures short and tall stood in front of it. "Well then," Isaac, the Ice Guardian, with his cane firmly stuck to the ground spoke in a low tone. "Shall we?" As to why the Ice Guardian was here? To put it simply, he quoted, "It is only appropriate for the ones who struck this gravel to execute it themselves." And just a little over an hour ago, the Guardians (less half of them) had struck the gravel on the fate of those living in the network under this tree, the assassin group called the Willow Tree. "Very well," Gertrude, the dwarf Fire Guardian, who was present too, stepped forward, looking down upon the large hole and... WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE ...erupted flame from it.
"The plan is quite simple," Isaac began, though pausing for a bit. "Set fire in every route the Willows could escape from and seal it out." "What the hell, we''re smoking them out!?" Joshua exclaimed. "To put it simply, yes," Isaac lightly coughed, rolling his eyes. "Which is also why all of you are here," Gertrude stated, looking at the many Court Wizards, with fire the most naturally, the Guardians decided to gather them in the courtroom instead of one of the chambers.
"Right then, prepare yourself," Isaac said, looking back at three other Court Wizards, "...Willows." Well, to one of them specifically.
"Wait! What about my sister!?" Emilia demanded for obvious reasons. "I was getting to that." Isaac then turned to one of the Court Wizards in attendance. "Fujiwara, you will infiltrate the network with your Order and ensure miss Ashe escapes, understand?" "Is that why I got an oxygen canister strapped on my back?" Daisuke Fujiwara, a Light Court Wizard, deadpanned as he pointed his thumb to the tube attached behind him. "Wait, I''m supposed to get her out while everything''s on fire!?" "What!?" Emilia exclaimed. "Precisely, the Willows may catch on to our plot if we wait for miss Ashe to be escorted out first, so both will be carried out simultaneously," Isaac explained while firmly holding his cane in front of him with two hands. "Also, I suggest that you make use of that compulsion sorcery you have." "It''s not a compulsion," Daisuke complained. "It''s..."
"Daisuke, you better get my sister out safely," murmuring silently, Willow stepped forward, manifesting her Cherished Armaments to her hands. Her expression was unseen under the dull mask she wore, but her partners could imagine what''s underneath it. "Are you sure you... don''t want our help?" Joshua tried asking, knowing full well what will come next. He even wore the robe for this occasion. Stopping for a moment, the traitor of the Willow Tree looked back at them and simply said, "No, just... be here for me." ""...Right."" With both Ronald and Joshua conceding, Willow strode forward once again, to the base of the willow tree, not the one they had once escaped from three years ago.
"And such, we..." Hah... Sitting cross-legged on the soil at the most back row, Ashe Willows internally sighed as she rested her cheek on her clenched fist, not paying much attention to what the elders were droning about. Not that I want to listen to them, anyway... It was the annual gathering of the entire Willows clan to discuss various things. While she was supposed to listen as it was an important event, to the young assassin, it has become... suffocating, with what happened in one of those meetings. Big sis... Ashe somber within her melancholic heart, looking to her side at the empty space that was once occupied. Three years ago, her older sister of the same mother, Emilia, was accused of colluding with another organization by the suspicion of her unexplained absence that happened throughout the year prior. What happened to you, big sis...? was the next in Ashe''s forefront mind. She could only vaguely reminisce the elders interrogating Emilia for answers to which she didn''t even put up so much of a defense while maintaining an unusual calm despite her situation. Ashe didn''t know why she couldn''t remember exactly, but No, that''s not it, Ashe shook her head as she knew in her mind all along. I just don''t want to remember it. After all, she looked up to her sister; she was a prodigy, a once in a hundred years of her kind, an exemplary shadow weaving the threads of the world, and most importantly the best big sister you could ask for. Ashe just couldn''t believe her older sister would do such a thing. Yet, I still clearly remember what happens next, she sighed internally again. In the end, the elders decided to execute her on the spot. It was then that happened.
Ashe just wanted to close her eyes as a Willows approached her bound sister while brandishing a blade. With the elders making their judgment, the Willows motioned to end Emilia''s life and... WHIRR ...barely backed away due to the tight space as a fireball zipped past where they were. BLAM The fireball then hit a Willows in the crowd who already prepared to take the hit seeing as they couldn''t dodge it with how packed it was. "Who did that!" an elder Willows howled in anger with the brazen attack. TZ-TZ-ANG-ANG Then, the sound of foreign magic echoed the network as the murmuring and on guard everyone looked to its source to find two figures, in brown and light blue (who was really tall), practically flying to who was to be executed. None risked intercepting them. "Wh-What are you two doing here!?" Emilia exasperated in confusion. For some reason, there was... power within her voice. "Isn''t it obvious!?" the brown figure chastised before facing the executioner... WHOOSH CRACKLE CRACKLE ...and summoned a wall of flame, separating them. "We''re getting you out of here!" At the same time, the taller light-blue figure spelled it out for her as he conjured a small crystal blade that he used to cut off her bindings. "W-What!?" Emilia exclaimed. Then, one of the elders broke out of his stupor and pointed at them. "K-Kill them!" he shouted. "Don''t let them get away!" "You know what? Just carry her!" the brown figure suggested in his shout. "Good idea." In comical fashion, the light-blue figure unceremoniously picked her up by her waist and slumped her on his shoulder. "H-Hey! Let me go!" Emilia exclaimed, hammering her carrier with her fists like a child in a tantrum. TZA-TZA-NG-NG And then they went off, with multitudes of assassins on their backs.
The sudden inclusion of the interlopers'' kidnapping/rescuing had left an impression on the girl, mostly because of how shocking it was that those two men''s audacity to somehow infiltrate the network with all of its occupants present. But even so, Ashe somber in her mind. But that makes it irrefutable proof that big sis is... And with Emilia''s apparent betrayal, it had made ripples throughout the clan: her branch of the clan''s standing plummeted; Ashe herself being sneered at for being Emilia''s full-bloodied sister; her relationship with her parents turned sour as they themselves approved of their own daughter''s death. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Good thing I''m sitting here, Ashe mused, peering at her parent''s hoods within the crowd. Mom would scold me for not listening. Not that I care anyway. Again, ever since Ashe realized that her parents cared more about the clan''s order than their own daughters, the distance between her and her parents ever so slightly drift further apart every day. It did not help that her parents also put her on a tighter leash, fearing that she would follow her older sister''s oath - so it was a lucky occasion that Ashe was able to sit here. And well, I did help big sis and her friends escape, Ashe thought.
"A-Ashe?" Emilia, her older sister, widened her eyes. After amateurishly stepping on a dried root that it snapped, Ashe took a good look at her big sister and the people who rescued her and gripped her fist in determination. Beckoning them with her hand, she whispered loudly, "Big sis, misters, this way!"
Rolling her eyes. I will never regret doing that, she determined. "Stay safe, big sis." "You too, Ashe." Even though Ashe could have joined her sister, but still loved her clan that tried to kill her sister. Despite everything, she lived there for all her life; growing up, living, eating, training, and going on missions together with her brethren. While recent events ruined that, Ashe was still optimistic that things will get better - for one, her relationship with her friends was starting to get better. And after all, the Willow Tree is a force of good, guiding the world to become a better place, the purpose of our sole existence, Ashe smiled. And who knows? The elders might welcome big sis back. And because of that, she continued to hope. "...With it..." Looking at the elders droning on, specifically their attire, Ashe pondered of the clothing the two boys who rescued her big sister wore. I don''t know about the tall guy''s cloak, it''s too bright. It feels like it was never supposed to be used as field garb, Ashe analyzed, especially said cloak showed their emblem: a scale over a spear and shield. But as for the other, I think I''ve seen it before... Ah! From that drawing! Once she was little, Ashe happened to stumble upon a record in the clan''s library. It spoke of a Willows encounter with a particular individual on a mission. While she no longer remembered the details aside from the fact that they hit it off pretty well, going so far as to invite that person into the Willow Tree base, Ashe still distinctly remembered the matching illustration of the robe the individual wore, complete with the same straps holding it together. So were they from the same group? Ashe wondered. Then how did big sis- OVER... HERE... "..!" Then, Ashe widened her eyes at the sudden voice she heard. It was soft, but not unnoticeable, not with her training anyway. Yet, when she looked in front of her fellow Willows, none of them seemed to hear it. While she could nudge one of them to ask if they have heard it, there''s a good chance she will just be told off considering the importance of the elders'' charade and obvious reasons. OVER... HERE... There it is again... Ashe glanced at the others, they still didn''t notice. OVER... HERE... The rate at which the voice shouted out even increased and supposed master assassins still didn''t pick it up. OVER... HERE... ...Then, should I investigate it myself? Ashe asked herself. It was a bad idea though, she could get into a lot of trouble for sneaking out of this conference due to her... status. It''s also why no matter how much she explained it, the others wouldn''t even bother to investigate unless she can prove it which she most likely won''t. OVER... HERE... But even so... There was something about this voice that nagged her, she felt compelled to follow it. Ashe also felt she needed to do so. OVER... HERE... "...And we..." OVER... HERE... Well, it wouldn''t hurt to have one less Willows here, right? Against her better judgment, Ashe made up her mind. With the strange voice drowning out the sermons of the elders, with none the wiser, the young assassin paid attention to where the elders were looking and slowly crept her way to the tunnel where the voice seemed to originate. "...So hear me, brothers and sisters..." Reaching her destination, Ashe wasted no time bolting off into the network quietly, removing one more sister in the crowd.
"And because we will only start sealing the routes when miss Emilia''s sister has fled, you will have to eliminate every Willows that is not her coming out on your way," Isaac continued. "Understand?"
She''s almost out, and no one else is with her. (Daisuke) Noted, keep watch of her until she has absolutely escaped. Everyone, maintain the current engagement until then. (Isaac) Got it/Understand/Okay. (Everyone else) SLASH SLICE "Argh!" "Guack!" And so, with masterful dexterity, Emilia somersaulted, cutting down two more Willows coming her way; the first Willows with an upward thrust and the second with an overhead slash, all while avoiding their blades. While all the Willows were expert assassins, Emilia Willows was particularly the cream of the crop. Also, with conditions unfavorable to the Willows, having to jump out of a burning tunnel and smoke in their lungs weakening them further, picking them off was not too hard. THUD THUD This meant the two fallen Willows simply ragdolled onto the pile of their brethren behind their slayer. 7 Willow Tree assassins finished off in this side, ??? left. Man, Emilia''s really good. (Joshua) Yeah, she''s not a prodigal assassin for nothing. (Ronald) But even so... (Joshua) SWISH STAB Within a closed [Telepathy] conversation, so as to not distract Emilia, Ronald and Joshua winced as they stood and watched her throw one of her daggers straight to the forehead of one assassin just as they peeked their head out of the fire, tumbling them back in. 8 Willow Tree assassins finished off in this side, ??? left. She''s pushing herself too hard. Our suppression being off screams that much. (Joshua) Right after Gertrude lit the fire, Emilia had flawlessly taken out every assassin, members of her own clan, trying to escape. Sure, they did try to execute her three years ago, but they''re still her family. So Ronald and Joshua couldn''t fathom why she would kill her own family on top of reluctantly agreeing to their genocide in the first place. And she didn''t even let master Gertrude and master Isaac help her. (Ronald) Yeah, master Isaac even made all that bravado of being ''appropriate to do the deed'' earlier and she didn''t let him have any. (Joshua) The two looked at the other participants of this massacre. Despite under their robe, they could tell that the noble Guardian watched all of this stoically while the shorter Guardian clearly looked worried for the girl. On the other side, Emilia simply recalled the dagger she''d thrown, manifesting the ice blue dagger once more only for the icy intricacies of the dagger to dissolve, turning the dagger back into its original form. Wait a minute, did she turned her Armament back into when it wasn''t? (Ronald) Yeah, you can do that in case you need to. But it is weird that she did here. (Joshua) I see. Then why did she...? (Ronald) The two pondered Emilia''s happenstance of the reversion of her Cherished Armament into its original form in their minds as two more Willows came out of the burning stump of the willow tree. Emilia, meanwhile, simply prepared her stance and daggers for them.
Just before, Ashe snuck out of the elders'' lectures to follow a voice that reverberated her eardrums that no one else seemed to pick up.
OVER... HERE... ''I see something!'' Ashe exclaimed to herself as she squinted her trained eyes in the dimly lit tunnel. There was a faint shimmer in the aid deep inside the tunnel which. It was as if the space around it was slightly distorted while gradually becoming smaller and small- ''Wait a minute!'' Ashe realized. ''It''s running away!'' And so, she did the most sensible thing to do: chasing after it.
But as she strayed further and further into the network, chasing after the shimmer that did nothing but repeating the same words, Ashe felt something was wrong. That feeling came true when she heard a familiar sound behind her. CRACKLE CRACKLE The sound of fire. And it was raging towards her fast. I have to get out of here! Ashe panicked in her mind when she looked back. And so, she ran. Away from the burning network behind her through the only path she knew best. It was as if the shimmer had led her out for this exact reason, and it was either it knew or coincidental that it lured her to the part of the network where her secret pathway was. Speaking of said shimmer, it was gone. But Ashe didn''t have time to ponder further when her life was at risk. There''s the exit! Eventually, Ashe saw the familiar light at the end of a tunnel only she knew (such was her boast). The secret exit that she had used to get her sister out of. "Pwah!" She breathed a sigh of relief as she popped out of the decrepit hole under the base of the secret willow tree and skid her body across the grass under the sea of trees that was fortunately distant enough from the willow tree. Turning her back, Ashe saw the fire creeping out of the tunnel. Getting up, she put a few distances away from the willow tree as the fire will soon burn it down. "This is horrible..." she muttered out loud, watching willow tree slowly succumbing to flames. "How did this happen?" Had someone accidentally dropped a candle? No, an ordinary fire wouldn''t have swept through the network that fast. Then was it fire magic? But those were forbidden inside the base for that reason. So the only plausible reason was- An attack on our clan! Ashe realized, concluding the worst. Was it the shimmer? But it led me away, then... what about the others!? If the shimmer had gotten only her to safety, what was the fate of the rest of the clan - her parents, her cousins, her friends, her family - stuck in the deepest part of the network? I have to see if they are safe! Turning her body, Ashe immediately dashed to the nearby willow tree she knew from here. Breathing raggedly, she soon found herself at the edge of the forest where a large willow tree in flames lay. Where a petite figure in brown cut down two of Ashe''s parents.
SLASH SLASH Two more assassins were quickly cut down by Emilia. They both tumbled down in the same manner as the other eight who went ahead of them. 10 Willow Tree assassins finished off in this side, ??? left. Incidentally, both of the two Willows happened to fall down facing up, on top of another assassin, causing their hoods to come off. "..!" And it took one good look from Emilia''s eyes to know that she knew them when she looked back for inexplicable reasons.
M-Mother... F-Father... Ashe stared in horror as her parents limped lifelessly on another Willows, hoods opened. Even though their relationship has turned bitter over the last few years, it still did not undo all the love and care they had for her and her older sister prior. Seeing their deaths had struck grief to the young girl. And then rage as she locked on to their murdere- Wait, why are those daggers look familiar? With her eagle sights, Ashe noticed the daggers the murdered held. Even at this distance, she could tell it was no ordinary blade. Their form was practical, yet elegant and the craftsmanship was not something common among bladesmiths. I think I''ve seen these before... when big sister was gifted with...! And then the young assassin locked eyes with the petite murderer''s behind her dull mask.
Uh, guys? I lost track of her. She- (Daisuke) No need, miss Ashe has already escaped. You may extract now. (Isaac) ...What? (Daisuke) And to all squads, start sealing the entrances. (Isaac) With that, the Ice Guardian lightly tapped his cane to the ground and... CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ ...covered the burning exit in unmelting ice, shutting in a Willows about to escape. The Willows could do nothing but chink their seal uselessly as the flames consume them. 11 Willow Tree assassins finished off in this side, ??? left. Emotion suppression lifted. FWOOM And as the wind flew by, Emilia peered to her right, locking eyes with a figure at the edge of a forest, "..!" and gasped in surprise. With her hood blown off, the other Court Wizards can see from the distance the pigtailed hair in the same shade as Emilia''s to know the identity of this girl. Hey, isn''t the willow tree we got out of three years ago from that forest? (Joshua) I believe so. (Ronald) Well, then I think I get why it''s a ''secret exit''. (Joshua) I can see that. You''d certainly want to enter and leave in a bigger hole than squeezing through a smaller one nearby. (Ronald) And the tunnel she guided us through is pretty obscure too. People are bound to forget it exists real fast. (Joshua) And we just had to pick a willow tree close to that exit. (Ronald) "No... No!" "Ashe! Wait!" The Court Wizards may murmur in their minds as much as they want, but it will not stop the young girl from faltering back, shaking her head in denial before turning her back to flee back into the forest with tears in her eyes, all while her older sister could do nothing but reach out her bloody hand in futility. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 7.1: A Mansion Set Ablaze - Ranting Prelude SLAM "Curses! I should have searched for a better poisoner!" Van va Kirash, the second prince of the kingdom of Kirash, grunted in frustration, slamming his fist on a round table. Weeks ago, he had hired an assassin skilled in poison to kill the duke of Illyer, Allister al Illyer. The prince was sure this would be it for the duke - the assassin was rather talkative for his trade, boasting that he can slip in, poison the duke, and escape unnoticed without assistance. But then his messenger reported that not only he failed, he was also captured as well. At least he ought to shut his mouth with that poison of his, Van sneered. Bloody amateur. Even my messenger does his job better than him. And speaking of said messenger, Van looked at the kneeling man who delivered him the message and calmly ordered, "You may leave," while swaying his hand lazily at him. "Excuse me, my lord," the messenger replied before getting up and leave for the door. CREEK SHUT "Another failure, dear?" Then, a feminine voice in concern came behind the second prince. "Yes, mother," Van sighed as he turned around to face his mother holding a folding fan. "And I am getting rather tired of this farce." When the king, his father, fell ill and will seemingly pass away without naming an heir, many had thought Van would become the next king instead of the first prince Albert. After all, because of his mother, their father preferred the second prince over the first. The king had engaged prince Albert with the daughter of duke Illyer to have him marry into the family, so that''s what everyone thought. However...
"E-Excuse me?" Van gaped with his eyes widened, not sure what he heard from the duke was right. In the many congregations of the nobility within the palace of Kirash, the second prince was conversing with the duke of Illyer about his plan to wage war against the Fichs, knowing the weak state the empire was in, upon taking the throne. With the duke''s reservations against the empire and the offer to make him the supreme commander for the campaign, Van thought it would entice him. However, the duke seemingly rejected it with an open insult on his face. "As I said, you are a jackass," the duke repeated. "You do not have what it takes to rule this kingdom with dignity, especially when you wish to plunge this nation into an unnecessary war with the Fichs. This is why I have decided that prince Albert should be king instead of you!" "Wha- what?" Van gasped in surprise, shocked by the duke''s blatant disrespect to him, the second prince, with what he called him as. Turning to the crowd of aristocrats, the duke continued, "Those who seek the right path shall find it by joining me to support prince Albert as the king. Make the right choice." "What is he saying!?" "Is he saying what I think it is?" "He is starting a succession war!" "Good day." Ignoring the confused murmurs of high society, the duke strode off the chamber like it was nothing, leaving behind the second prince, his mother, and the other nobles with their jaws opened. One of them almost dropped his wine glass.
And just like that, the stage was set for a succession war with the duke of Illyer, Allister al Illyer, with his status as a war hero on top of the prestige of his house, spearheading the Albert faction with half of the naive aristocrats enthralled by the duke''s charismatic words. "What happened though?" Van''s mother cupped her cheek. "I know I have not been keeping up with your exploits because you were doing very well. So what happened with the duke?" ''Very well'' was a bit of an understatement, despite duke Illyer''s initial bravado which garnered a substantial following, Van had totally decimated his brother''s faction. Using negotiations, promises, bribery, blackmail, and threats, he was able to cut down or turned the rival supporting nobles over to his one by one. A great war commander the duke was one, but Van knew he''d never survive the political war. However, when the eventual last man standing was duke Illyer himself, he got stuck. "My usual tactics on the other nobles bore no fruit with the duke," Van explained, "and he still stubbornly refused to sort of compromise short of me giving up my right to the throne - not with him openly calling me a ''jackass'' and everything!" "Ah yes, it was quite shocking for the duke to spout such foul language," Van''s mother grumbled, peeved by the reminiscence of the duke badmouthing her son. "But anyway, since your diplomatic means did not work, you did the more... aggressive means?" she asked, emphasizing the report of the poisoner''s failure from earlier. Of course, when initial attempts to remove the duke through subtler means didn''t work, Van tried the more direct methods. Keyword: tried. "I did, and as you can see, it all failed thus far," Van confessed, rolling his eyes and looking away from his mother. "It was only fortunate I did not pay those assassins in advance. The street thugs only wasted pocket change, aside from all the brigands I had to keep paying to put them in line in hopes of catching the duke along the road that is." If there was one thing that described the second prince, it was his opportunist tendencies and his relentless pursuit of those opportunities such as the bandits he stationed across the Illyer''s vast territory. That was also how he was able to remove almost every supporter of Albert''s faction, taking every striking opportunity like a predator. But right now, these opportunities, or perhaps the lack of thereof, only lead to dead ends when it came to the duke. "Did you try to kidnap a member of his family as a hostage?" Van''s mother then asked. "Prince Albert''s fiancee perhaps?" "I did, it was also a secondary objective given to the agent watching over those brigands, but even the second attempt had failed," Van shrugged. "Even my more... creative solutions did not seem to do the trick, wasting investment of the people I gathered." Like the messenger from earlier who''d never spill any secrets, there were people all over the kingdom with certain talents that Van could use. And long story short, those people have troubled past and Van helped them up, making them his loyal hounds in the process. No need to question how those people were troubled. "Well, that is certainly troublesome," was Van''s mother''s overall response. "Must you really remove the duke?" "I do," Van answered. "As long the duke supports my brother, he will still contend me on the throne. In fact, he is supporting the entire faction on his shoulders alone right now! I had thought otherwise, which was why I targeted the fools around him!" "Truly!?" Van''s mother widened her eyes. "That sounds ludicrous!" "Yes, he has the influence necessary to become the sole pillar of older brother''s faction," Van nodded seriously. And the only good thing out of it was that because the duke was the last obstacle to the throne that Van could recklessly divert all of his resources on the duke without much fear of any setbacks for doing so. "To begin with," Van continued. "The Illyer household was a splinter of our family some generations ago, giving them traces of royal blood and thus in line for the throne should this family tree abruptly end." "Ah yes, the Illyers are a ducal household," Van''s mother realized. "But if that is so, then why does the duke not try to become king himself? He is rather popular, right?" Stolen story; please report. "No mother, the duke much too honorable for that." Van deadpanned in seriousness. "I cannot see such virtuous man having power-hungry ideas - I tried using his anger towards the Fichs to invite him, not his ambition." All the Illyers were, it was something that baffled the second prince. Perhaps the Illyers were just ''fortunate'' to have honorable heads every generation; or were they satisfied with what they have? Or maybe they were raised to be so, being the frontal defense against the age-old enemy nation. Van could never know. "Then why did the duke pushed for your half-brother to be king? The Illyers have been neutral since its founding. What changed?" Van''s mother muled in wonderment before coming with an idea. "Is it because of prince Albert''s engagement with his daughter?" "No, it could not be," Van, however, firmly denied the easy claim. "Despite what marriages between noble houses entails, the Illyers stubbornly maintained their neutrality no matter who their children marry, making political marriages with the Illyers non-existent. "As for marriages with the royal family, there was a situation like this and the Illyers at that time did not side with their prince engaged to their daughter, causing his rival to take the throne. The losing prince simply took over the Illyers. Ridiculous, I know. "And that was supposed to be our case, my brother was engaged to the daughter of the duke to marry into the family as the duke had no male heir and possibly strengthen their affirmed loyalty to the crown. Father had never planned to make his firstborn son king." Incidentally, there were rumors that the duke had transferred the first prince''s engagement from the elder daughter to the younger. Van could never confirm it though, and everyone else must be looking the other way when the duke did the transfer, but he could see that it was not entirely farfetched. And speaking of engagements, Van thought in the back of his mind. I ought to spend more time with my fiancee when this is over. His half-brother for one spent an awfully lot of time with his fiancee, a consequence of him frequently holing up in the duke''s mansion. "However, it seems to be not the case," was Van''s mother''s response to her son''s iteration. "Yes, as the duke instead started a succession war out of nowhere with himself leading the faction, and stubbornly refused to reason," Van sighed, pouring himself a cup of water from a jug on a table and gave himself a drink. "I am not even asking to cancel older brother''s engagement," he continued - hence the half-hearted effort to remove the first prince directly (also because it''s regicide). "And I was quite willing to work with him for my conquest and beyond if it came to it, but no, the duke wants me gone entirely!" "I see." Van''s mother listened to everything her son spouted curtly. She always did listen to her child''s ramblings since he was a child. "But then, do you have any idea why the duke acted the way he did." "Well," Van calmed himself down. "There is only one thing I could think of..." "...you do not have what it takes to rule this kingdom with dignity, especially when you wish to plunge this nation into an unnecessary war..." "...and it is that the duke thinks I am unfit to rule, and against my plan to wage war against the Fichs, going by his declaration against me back then." "Really? Bah! Nonsense!" Van''s mother spat. "He must be getting senile early, my son is a genius and will unite lady Aquarius'' land as the greatest king of Kirash! He is a fool to be blind by your greatness!" "Thank you, mother," Van smiled. "I certainly will live up to your expectation." "However..." Van''s mother suddenly shifted to a somber tone. "Is it truly fine to attack the Illyers?" "Hm?" Van raised his eyebrow, noticing his mother''s changed atmosphere. "Why?" "They are blessed by lady Aquarius, are they not?" Van''s mother iterated. "It might invite her ire. I think the peaceful methods you did before are more appropriate." "Oh..." Van clicked in realization. "That." He almost forgot, the first thing that came to mind about duke Illyer, or the Illyer family in general: their blessing from the greater water spirit herself - the large factor of his influence. It was the thing that caused the Illyers to exist, when the brother of the king was noticed by Aquarius, she gave him her favor and granted him the name ''Illyer'' and thus starting the line. From then on, water spirits practically refused to do their arts against the Illyers short of unwitting talismans, band together to answer their requests with gusto, and scramble to be named from them which was something the main royal family was not entitled to... which was why Van totally forgot about this fact. "And I believe it should not be a problem," Van calmly stated. "Huh?" Van''s mother naturally, widened her eyes and had a very concerned look. "Are you sure, Van? You are treading dangerous grounds here, you could invite-" "Because I believe the Illyers have lost some of their blessings," Van interrupted. "I would have not gone after the duke if it was otherwise." It was also the grounds to convince the crooks he hire to go after the duke. However, he still had to pay extra. "What!? That is preposterous!" Van''s mother exclaimed in disbelief. "How could that be!?" "Before the current duke, the last Illyer to have named a water spirit was a hundred and fifty years ago, four generations of Illyers without a named spirit," Van explained. "Duke Allister was the first to name an intermediate spirit in his family in that many years and was still the only one, making it a fluke." Although there were rumors the eldest daughter of Illyer to have named a greater spirit candidate, they were just that, rumors and Van wasn''t going to fret over such groundless claims. "Do you really believe duke Allister''s named spirit was only a happenstance?" Van''s mother asked concerningly, as her son was treading dangerous grounds. "It is because of that the duke was able to repel the Fichs decades ago. The blessing might have returned to the Illyers if what you say was true." "I am sure," Van affirmed himself. "Besides, lady Aquarius would have already punished me, or every enemy crossing the Illyers throughout history in general. Her blessing to the Illyers only extends that far." And the greater spirits have always acted impartial, lady Aquarius has given enough blessings to her ''blessed.'' She will not exact revenge against anyone who killed them in any circumstances either or history would have been different otherwise. So if Van defeated duke Illyer or even killed him, then so be it. "You know it is fortunate there are no water spirits here to expose lady Aquarius your blasphemy," Van''s mother sighed. "I still think lady Aquarius might be helping the Illyers. The duke has avoided you the entire time, and you never know how it went wrong." It was true, for all of his limitations in the political game, the duke of Illyer was surprisingly good at keeping himself guarded - perhaps a part of him being a war hero -, a large part of Van''s trouble taking him out. For one, he kept a very strict border in his city, with guards selected by the duke himself double-checking anyone who entered, and keeping extra vigilance to any infiltrators both in and outside the walls - any spies or hoodlums Van sent could only enter with clothes on their backs and nothing else, nor can they act too suspicious either while professional assassins demanded more coin for the hassle to smuggle their tools in. And the guards couldn''t be bribed either; whether their wages were really good, their reverence or fear of going against the Illyers who were blessed by the greater water spirit, or something else that kept them in line - Van quite envied the discipline Allister''s men have, or anyone really would love to have that kind of men under their tow. Furthermore, of the spies Van sent, they couldn''t do much either. Other than hearsays of the commoners, they produce nothing else on the duke. Moles couldn''t be sent to infiltrate the duke''s household either, the duke had not been hiring any new house workers since the succession war and all the existing staff apparently memorized each other''s faces, even the Illyers themselves did too, and thus able to single out any perpetrator in familiar clothing. And obviously, none of the duke''s staff could be bribed either. Not even the citizens under Illyer''s city were willing to commit treason against their lord either. Some spies, already limited in their function, learned that in a hard way. Weaponsmiths, pharmacists, and talisman scribes also seemed to be ordered by the duke not to sell their wares to anyone they don''t recognize, further difficulting the procurement of their items. However... "...No mother," Van said. "I believe I have an inkling when it went awry." It was when Van had a stroke of luck in the Illyer case. He had found a window of vulnerability in the duke''s defenses in the form of a common maid, which his men noted they could snap her like a twig, in his house who still visited her orphanage in some backwater village. Long story short, Van hired some mercenaries to hold the orphanage hostage to coerce the maid to betray her lord, thus allowing the second prince to finally start destroying the duke. And during that time Van discovered, "It was when the duke made a partnership with a merchant company called Bell Conglomerate." "That does not sound very convincing." Van''s mother deadpanned. From what Van could gather, Bell Conglomerate was your average mercantile business in except it was the richest with numerous establishments under its crest, which was a rusted bell of all things, wherever you go in Illyer''s city. Essentially, the Bell Conglomerate ran most of the city''s market. Of course, Van already heard of this company through scant few reports his spies desperately tried to fill. While he could appreciate their efforts, he already knew of its existence as the Conglomerate were rather well-known outside of its base with the products they exported. So naturally, he tried to influence such a merchant in hopes to manipulate the city''s economy as a way to ruin the duke. However, all the letters Van sent to the Conglomerate''s manager seem to be left unanswered - perhaps the duke had intercepted them and offered that partnership to nip the bud from growing further. Ah, yes, did he say ''manager?'' Apparently, Bell Conglomerate was much bigger than one city, spanning multiple countries and territories, and the merchant company in Illyer''s city was but a branch called a ''Bell Branch,'' all under its enigmatic leader named Alan Bell. However, Van took the last bit with a grain of salt. He believed this Alan Bell never existed as no one other than the managers, or so they claimed, have ever seen him too and was nothing more than a posy to add a flair of mystique to the alliance of multiple merchants operating under the same banner. It was the only way for a company like the Conglomerate to become that big - there was also the fact that the main branch was never clear -, and there were past instances of it, they must have followed an example from that. However, that amalgamation of merchants in the past didn''t last as the ''managers'' fought each other for dominance. "Just hear me out, mother," Van tried to convince her mother, but she doesn''t seem to be budging. "I promise it-" WHAM "Your highness!" Suddenly, the door swung into the chamber violently as an attendant slammed it open. "How rude!" Van''s mother snapped in disdain, flipping open the fan she had kept folded throughout the mother-and-son conversation over her mouth. "To barge into a private conversation like so!" "It better be important," Van growled, taking a stern posture. "The king woke up," the attendant immediately reported. "And his majesty wishes to see you!" And with what the attendant just announced, Van broke out of his stance and exclaimed, "W-What!?" 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Memory 7: Because for the Good of the World, She Passed PIING Irona Year 595 Year 1396 in Manegia Where an ashen willow tree stood in the lush green forest, a young maiden, whose light blue hair, in these days, was tied to a smooth ponytail that rested on her shoulder, lay among there, seated upon the dry grass. PIING Garbed in a brown roguish outfit that exposed her belly under a similarly shaded overcoat with its hood lowered, the maiden gazed upon the once mighty tree when she felt a kaleidoscope of light blaring behind her accompanied by the high-to-low pitch sound. Turning on her back, she recognized the two figures in a familiar brown robe and light-blue cloak with their hoods lowered that emerged from the light. "Oh, it''s you two, Joshua, Chubby Boy." "I have lost my weight a long time ago, Emilia," Ronald frowned as he and Joshua come to her. "Yeah, sure," Emilia smirked at the younger Court Wizard. However, that smile of hers was on the rather weak side, which both boys noticed. "But you know, you haven''t called Ronald that for years now," Joshua noticed as he sat beside the blue-haired girl. Ronald also seated himself on the other side. "Really?" Emilia tilted her head. "I do?" "Now that I think about it, you did," Ronald realized. "I distinctly remember you calling Master Gertrude ''Dwarf Grandma'' and Master Isaac ''Actual Noble'' outside of formal events in our first two years before ceasing altogether." In fact, Emilia gave everyone in the Court an epithet, even the Transporter Room operators (though it''s just operator guy or girl which others did before her). And that''s not covering the Willow Tree assassins getting their... Alright, stop there. "Yeah, I remember that as well," Joshua chipped in. "Why''d you stopped?" Staring off to the close-yet-distant burnt willow tree, Emilia contemplated for a bit, and "...I didn''t realize, I guess," was her answer. "And now I just feel like doing it again." And ""Right/I see,"" was all they could say. "..." "..." The three went silent after a while, unsure of what to continue with. But of course, someone eventually did. "...But you know, Emilia," Joshua spoke. "Some of your nicknames are pretty spot on, and it''s pretty amusing everyone''s reaction when you called them that the first time." Reminiscing this, Daisuke, for instance, got called ''Mister Principal,'' after Emilia learned the word principal - it has a better ring than headmaster -, with how he wanted to start a school; he went all flustered, spouting about how there was no way he could ''jump the gun'' like that or something. Master Isaac, on the other hand, actually liked the ''title'' Emilia gave him, showing that he indeed upheld the word ''noble'' when other nobles did not. ''A bunch of hooligans with deep pockets'' as the Guardian put the crooks. So it was kinda lowkey respecting him. All in all, Isaac''s definitely going down as the first who didn''t drop his noble title before or after he became a Court Wizard at this point, and also as the Guardian of it to boot, much to everyone''s surprise and amazement. He''s likely going to be the only one too. The Otherworldly Court really looked down on aristocrats. Even Court Wizards with noble backgrounds themselves came to hate their own society (also because they were former as well). Even Master Isaac, who was still a noble, was not spared from this prejudice, for reasons as stated above. Incidentally, Master Gertrude only blinked with the most uninterested look on her eyes and a ''kids these days'' kind of vibe on her face when hearing her nickname. And those were all before Emilia''s fellow Willows''... Okay, that''s enough. "Oh, please," Ronald grumbled. "Like you are any... Wait, what was Joshua''s nickname, Emilia?" "Hm?" At once, Emilia browsed within her memory and immediately came up, "I didn''t give him one," in a listless manner. "Eh?" Joshua raised his eyebrow before coming to a realization. "You never did..." After all, Emilia didn''t come up with a nickname upon first glance of every Court Wizard she met (even a certain Chubby Boy). However, it seemed that Joshua''s nickname was never conceived as if Emilia took her sweet time to make one considering the obvious stature. "Pretty sure you''d call me ''Tall Guy'' or something," Joshua continued in confusion. "Like, it''s pretty easy to make one up for me, right?" "Yet, she never did," Ronald stated. "Well," Emilia spoke up, "that''s..." coming up with an excuse, "that''s..." but the words never came out. "Uh..." Joshua mumbled. "You okay there?" he asked, inching his face closer to Emilia. "That''s- A-Ah!" Emilia yelped, realizing a Tall Guy''s face was awfully close to hers. "Don''t surprise me like that!" She shrieked. "Eh! Sorry!" Joshua jerked back. "But really though, why did you never have a nickname for me though." ...I swear. Looking at him with a straight face, Emilia sometimes felt like her mentor wasn''t suited to be a mentor at all with... how he was at times. Ronald would probably fare better than him. "...I suppose I didn''t feel like it, that''s all," she huffed, turning her face away from Joshua. "...Eh?" Joshua blinked, confused by the strange response. "What?" But when he looked for explanations, he only found the young lady giving him the cold shoulders as she turned away from him. But even so... Though it seemed that way, Emilia still... You know, you two ought to realize it by now, Ronald cringed, watching the two''s interactions, especially when he spied the girl''s tinges of red on her cheeks as she faced to his direction. "But, you know..." Emilia then spoke, her face now downwards and unseeable, catching the other two''s attention. "When you guys came to rescue me from my clan years ago, a part of me feels happy to see you two..." Ronald and Joshua didn''t say anything, but a small upward curve did show on their lips. "But on the hand," Emilia continued. "A part of me felt guilty for leaving my clan... for leaving my family behind... for leaving Ashe behind." "But you still got us," Joshua tried to console her. "Thank you," Emilia smiled. However, turning up. "But I was the best in my generation, you know? No mean to brag though." "You definitely ain''t," Joshua said. "With you backflipping left and right." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Indeed," Ronald added, remembering some of Emilia in action in several missions. "Right." Emilia continued, "this coat was given to me as proof of my accomplishment, that I am better than peers of my generation." She tugged the overcoat she wore, emphasizing it. "It''s said to be worn by the founder, the first Willows, and has a couple of enchantments, though it apparently only works in Irona - most of the time it does nothing." "I see," Ronald noted. "I was wondering why it doesn''t seem to fit you when we first met." "Really?" Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Looks fine on her to me. The other guys just get generic cloaks with barely other colors for roles - our robes are still better looking, at least." "And somewhat still blends us in the crowd when we rescued you," Ronald added. "Well, it was a bit too big for me back then," Emilia giggled. "And I suppose you have a point with our clan''s fashion sense." "That''s said," Joshua continued. "If it''s some family heirloom, why did your clan execute you wearing that? Wouldn''t it get torn or something?" "Now that you mention it, yeah," Ronald realized. "You were definitely wearing it when we rescued you. Why though? It''s certainly wouldn''t do good to damage an enchanted coat with historical value." "..." However, they were met with silence. Uh oh. Hm... With that, the mood turned somber again, much to the boys'' dismay upon realizing the young Willows'' falling expression when they were here trying to cheer her up, with what happened in front of them. But again, she eventually fessed up, "Our cloak, my overcoat in my case, symbolizes us, our life and pride as a Willows. As we grow up and go into the different phases of our lives, so do our cloaks as we outgrow them. Then, once we reached adulthood, we pledge our lives as a Willows to be our calling for life, thus the only cloak we wear from now on. "Whether it''s torn or burned, we do not replace them. Much like looking after our own health, we maintain our own cloak''s integrity, to do otherwise will bring shame upon yourself for making light of your identity as a Willows. To do without it, barring obvious time and places, is to abandon your pride and way of life." So that''s why... They both realized after all these years. From the first mission together as three to the last, Emilia has always worn both the robe and her overcoat in all of them. Naturally, wearing two layers of thick clothing made her sweat bullets, and yet she insisted on wasting on cooling Orders than taking one of them off - though she does take off the robe when idling in the Court. Another thing was that Emilia had always been careful not to let her robe be damaged. Ronald had distinctly once remembered observing the assassin girl pulling the hem of her robe to prevent a sword slash from getting to it, a very unnecessary and dangerous move. She also seemed to always spend her reward money on cleaning products to spotlessly clean her robe - she probably fell in love with them. Now that Emilia had confessed to a culture from her clan''s, both boys had somewhat come to a conclusion from all of the above. She was projecting her view of her overcoat onto her robe. No wonder she''s always peeved how I never wear the robe, Joshua narrowed his eyebrows. I had thought she disliked having to replace the robe when it''s too torn up or dirty, Ronald thought. But I should have realized this sooner when the robe was the exception. Additionally, Emilia''s treatment towards the robe and her lament of how it was generally treated had pretty much created an unusual bond between her and Rose Bloodlight, the vampire who designed the robe in the first place, sharing the same sentiment. "And so," Emilia continued, breaking the other two''s conjecture of thoughts. "When a Willows was to be executed, they are to wear their cloak with its hood unlowered and the executioner will deliver a swift decapitation, severing both the literal and figurative lives along with its ties to the clan. Such is the punishment." "Whoa..." was all Joshua could say. "But your overcoat doesn''t have a hood," Ronald, meanwhile, pointed that out. "Well, that''s because this overcoat has another meaning to it," Emilia answered. Really, it should have, being the worn armament of the first Willows. "When the elders gave me this at a young age, it signifies that no matter what phase of life you''re in, you will always be a Willows, for the clan is eternal - they always give this overcoat to younger Willows to which they become the symbol of that. "Because the overcoat possessed no hood, the overcoat bearer may be executed, cutting off their ties to the clan, but the eternity of the clan will continue on. However, the blood of the Willows who had shamed the clan will stain on the overcoat forever for the clan to remember." In other words, the overcoat was the symbol of the clan''s immortality, that it will stick around to the end of time, even if the Willows wearing it got executed. However, the executed wearers'' bloodstain will become a permanent mark (the boys assumed they''ll never clean it) as a warning for the next generation to not screw up like their predecessors. That was both boys'' conclusion with Emilia''s philosophical explanation. "So," Emilia continued, her words getting heavier. "When I-" "Alright." Suddenly, Joshua gently tapped her upper lip with his finger, motioning her to, "stop there." "Indeed," Ronald nodded, taking a glance at the scene. "You don''t have to continue dejecting yourself." However, Emilia pried away Joshua''s finger, to which he weakly resisted. "N-No, I can''t!" she cried, pushing her head down that the other two could only imagine what painful expression she''s in. "Even though I''m considered a prodigy, I''m still hopeless! I''m only good for taking orders and perform them! All my life, I was taught to listen and never question the missions I''m given!" "Emilia..." Joshua muttered. Regardless, she continued, "And what''s worst is that I accepted it as my only way of life! Even when I''ve become a Court Wizard, learning a new life, and betraying my clan, I still can''t leave it behind!" "That''s not-" Not stopping, "I am an assassin, yet I couldn''t part away from my feelings. But I still blindly taken missions that I clearly don''t like, and I''ve followed after all of your lead like sheep! All the way to its tragic end without fuss. Even though you guys taught me to instead keep my feelings, I never pushed through it when I did express it - it always ended halfway! "And... because of that, my clan was destroyed." Emilia looked up, onto the once-proud willow tree, with tears soaking her cheeks. "I guess I was never cut out to be a Willows nor a Court Wizard." With the last of Emilia''s grief unloaded, it had left with a Ronald and Joshua with conflicted hearts. With everything said, they could really say nothing else to her, not that it could help anyway. How pathetic, they were here to lift her spirits up, but had achieved very little in regards to it. It looked like there was... except Emilia spoke once again. "But even so," she smiled. "I never once regretted being a Court Wizard... and-!" CRACK A sudden snap from the willow tree''s branch echoed the forest. From it, a small figure draped in a brown cloak lept from above it, brandishing a dagger overhead, down towards the Court Wizards. "A Willows!" Ronald exclaimed, immediately shooting up, opening his hand as he formulated his Order. "Damn! Did we miss one of them!?" Joshua also stood up, preparing his Order to counter the assailant. By the trajectory of the assassin, they seem to be heading straight towards Emilia, clearly wanting revenge against the woman who brought her clan to ruin. With that, the two Court Wizards readied themselves to defend Emilia from harm. Emotion suppression- "Don''t," Emilia whispered. The hood of the assassin''s cloak caught the wind, blowing it open to reveal the face of a young girl with a pair of eyes and pigtailed hair of her target''s shade. She sailed through between a brown robe and a light-blue cloak harmlessly as the wearers simply stuck in place. Her face was contorted in pure anger and anguish. But, as soon as she reached her blade to...
Manegia Year 1396 "Ah..." From the Mother Soul, Isaac Brzask, the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Ice, uttered only a single word as he stared at the horizon outside the balcony in the ice chamber. "Master..." Standing across the Guardian, there was a vampire, Rose Bloodlight, a Fire Court Wizard, who was with him. "Is she?" She stepped forward as she asked, clasping her hands together. Isaac turned around, soundlessly tapping his cane. "Yes," he sadly nodded. "Emilia Willows has passed." "Oh..." Rose muttered, lowering her head. Turning back around, the Ice Guardian rolled his eyes with a sigh. "So young and promising too..."
Irona Year 595 Year 1396 in Manegia "...Sorry! I''m sorry! Sorry! I''m sorry!" Ashe repeatedly cried those words as she hung over her older sister. "It''s alright, Ashe," Emilia softly whispered, caressing her little sister''s cheek. "It''s not your fault." Then, she looked over to Joshua and Ronald. "Why!?" Joshua hoarsed, a painful expression over his face. Ronald too held similar grief. "Sorry, you two," Emilia merely smiled. "And please, don''t blame my sister for this. Don''t take it out on her for this, and tell the others they shouldn''t too." "...Fine," Joshua gritted his teeth. "...Very well," Ronald slowly nodded. "B-Big sis..." Ashe whimpered, holding out Emilia''s hand. "Dammit!" Joshua grunted, yanking his hair. "I... I haven''t!" "Joshua," Emilia calmly spoke, catching his attention. "Come over here." "..." Wordlessly, Joshua kneeled down, edging upper body closer to Emilia, "..!" only for her to suddenly pull his cloak with her free hand and lifted her head over to his. "There," Emilia giggled as she let him go. "..." And the stream of tears finally came down from Joshua. Then, Emilia turned to Ronald. "Take care of this crybaby for me, will you?" she said to him. "I will..." Ronald nodded, gulping as he shed his cry. And then, to Ashe. "Forgive me, Ashe," Emilia softly spoke to her. "For making you go through all of this. But, I''m sure that you will grow just fine, I promise you this." "Big sis..." Ashe cried, putting her forehead against her big sister''s hand, sobbing it. And finally, to everyone, Emilia shed her tear, her tears of joy, "And thank you, you three. You are all... the best that happened in my life!" Twenty-five years ago, light-blue particles floated to the air and vanished. With it, the eternity of the Willow Tree, leaving behind only two memories of one. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 7.2: A Mansion Set Ablaze - It Begun It was by chance through his only, yet reluctant informant for Van to learn that the Bell Conglomerate manager was invited to duke Illyer''s mansion to which he concluded that there was nothing strange to be made out of it. After all, it was obviously to negotiate for cooperation, seeing as all of the duke''s allies were gone, before Van got to him - he was doing that alright. Even if he doesn''t know what the alliance entailed, he didn''t need to as it was by the prince''s nature that he decided to take the opportunity to assassinate them both. By doing so, he could finally take down his final opponent and hopefully cause more chaos with the death of the most wealthy merchant in town to make sure his half-brother couldn''t pick up where the duke left off. And it was by chance that it had failed horribly and Van knew next to nothing how it became so. It certainly wasn''t because his personal assassins were incompetent, they had successfully carried out a couple of hits before. Granted, it was the war hero duke, but that was why Van doubled down and deployed all of them to make sure they got him - he''s also remembered the maid being a backup plan too. However, that just made sure of their entire demise, wasting years and money training them and forcing Van to hire other assassins who fared no better. But then, when the day the duke finally left the city, that could never be inconspicuous, all the bandits Van funded to literally squat until the duke peeked out were all eliminated in that same day. Even his men he sent to keep an eye on those low-lives had perished. And once again the how other than the massive body count the duke couldn''t and didn''t cover up wasn''t known to Van. It was then Van began to suspect that the origin of these two disasters lied in the first, that there was more to the seemingly innocent ducal-merchant alliance than it met the eye. Unless the duke was more shrewd than he thought, Van first suspected that the Conglomerate has connections to various Spirit Mercenaries and he still believed it to be so. Judging by all the bandits killed, they have named spirits even, and from outside the territory, as they couldn''t possibly carry so many talismans let alone waste that many - even if it''s a few powerful ones the second point still stood. Problem was, he couldn''t find out these Mercenaries. Considering what they did to those brigands, they''d be quite famous. However, none of the famous Spirit Mercenaries Van got a hold onto were them nor do they even have any dealings with the Conglomerate. But whatever it was, these interlopers had managed to sabotage every attempt Van made against the duke when they were so foolproof against other stubborn nobles and become another thorn in his side. He needed to do something about them. "To think Allister would do such a thing..." "My condolences, father, but it is true," Van duly said, sitting across the bedside. All of the above was interrupted when an attendant barged in and reported that his father, the king of Kirash, had awoken from his unconsciousness for years. Naturally, he''d want to see his sons here. "And Albert is not even here when I had awoken," the king continued. "Yes," Van nodded. "He is still in duke Illyer''s mansion." Of course, when the king woke up, Van quickly informed him what had happened in his absence; how duke Illyer started a succession war, how it went, Albert''s semi-permanent residence in Illyer manor, and the countless attempts Van made to get rid of his main competitor that had failed due to those international interlopers. Suffice to say, the king was quite unpleased with the state of events, which elated the second prince; perhaps his seat of king will be guaranteed now? "Well, it will be harder to name you king now," the king said as if he already had planned to shatter that expectation of his son. "I know Allister well, he will still be insistent with his stance even with my word, and he has the power to make the court reconsider my decision to name you heir on short notice." "I see..." Van uttered, feeling deflated. "It was my fault that I had been too idle not to name you heir long before this illness befell me. If I did, not even Allister can challenge your consolidated position," the king rolled his eyes. "But, you said that he is the last person needed to be removed to firmly arrest your claim to the throne, which you have been trying to do, correct?" "Yes... W-Wait, what!?" Van widened his eyes. He certainly did not expect that to come out of his father''s mouth. The Illyers have always been a loyal ally of the royal family for generations - the current duke supporting one particular member still counted -, and the royal family, in turn, kept close relations to them as well, especially when they are related to them. In times of war, the royal family always entrusted the Illyers in the command of the army to defend the kingdom and its sovereignty. And that''s not accounting personal reasons. As far as Van was aware, the duke and the king were like two peas in a pod. Literally growing up together as playmates, Van often heard stories of what sort of improper shenanigans the two went through, though it''s mostly as a warning by the old nannies fed up with his predecessor''s antics. Very ludicrous. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. And now that I think about it, I have been trying to eliminate father''s dearest friend! Van realized. He had forgotten how his father would react if Van managed to do so. It must have been that insult getting over his head. However, based on what his father just said, even he''s willing to! "Sometimes, you must do what is necessary," the king explained. "If a piece is not in your control and even going against you, then it is better to cut it down, no matter how useful it is. It is simply not worth it. "Besides, I also believe the Fichs are in a decline, and unifying the water territory under Kirash''s rule will affirm its safety. Even without the Illyers, it is doable, and once Fichs is conquered they will be unneeded besides their fading blessing. Allister is simply too cautious, not that I can blame him but my point still stand." "That is..." Van gaped like a fish out of water. That was very pragmatic of his father, he had thought otherwise with him showering him with love and care. "But, how are we going to get rid of the duke? I have tried many ways to remove him but it all failed." "Well... the wards are still active around here right?" the king first asked. The wards he mentioned are nothing more than markers to politely ask the spirits not to snoop around the area which they respect it enough to comply. "Let me check," Van then looked up to the ceiling and recited, "oh, water spirits, show me your presence!" There was no response whatsoever. "Then fetch me some documents, we must keep this between few people as possible," the king continued. "And listen closely."
Spiri Raia Year 905 Year 1398 in Manegia CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE "B-By the spirits! The mansion! It''s burning!" "What happened! Was it an accident!?" "Has the duke escaped!?" That night, the residents of Illyer''s city were woken up by a great red light, an uncommon color in this region, only to witness the mansion of the beloved duke was set ablaze. Murmurs of panic and confusion quickly spread among them. Did some servant accidentally start a fire? Was it arson? And most importantly, has the ducal family living there escaped safe and sound? Two people, in particular, are going to find that out soon enough. "What. The. Hell!?" For the first time in a while, or perhaps the very first time, Joshua let out a crasser language than he ever dared upon seeing the destruction with his very eyes. "How did this happen?" Ronald murmured as he stood with the Ice Court Wizard on top of the nearest building outside the duke''s burning mansion. They were going to retire for the night after completing an unrelated mission in Osianicd Archipelago which was a long and absurd adventure in it on itself with Rhaims and Rhaims junior, the latter which was not even a Court Wizard yet, when one of the Transporter Room operators assigned to monitor the Open First Prince Faction Support Operation 24/7 gave the most unexpected report.
"T-The mansion, it''s burning down!"
Naturally, this set the Otherworldly Court to overdrive but the unprecedented turn of events has caught them off guard. Just as it was nighttime in Kaomagi Earth in Ronald and Joshua''s time zone and in the Illyer territory in Spiri Raia, it was also nighttime in the Otherworldly Court, or rather the slot of time where most Court Wizards were not working. Because of this, in the state of emergency, Ronald and Joshua were the only Court Wizards the Court could send first. The operators will try to wake up the Guardians living in the chambers and call every available Court Wizards, but they will be on their own to rescue the Illyers for now. There was no time to waste. TZANG TZANG Launching over a corner of the wall, the two Court Wizards took a peek at the gate to find the gate guards dead, but they weren''t the ones Ronald and Joshua were familiar with - the gate couple was in the morning shift. FLING BOOM CRACKLE CRACKLE Looking straight forward, the two saw many men garbed in cloaks, surrounding the mansion throwing what was essentially medieval molotov cocktails - they probably already went through their few fire talismans. Around them were the corpses of their comrades and the duke''s knights who had fought them. Damn, like the night gate guards from before, the two really got to know them over the year and now they''re dead. TZANG TZANG Not letting their deaths be in vain, the Court Wizards [Eject]ed again to better position themselves for a landing. Fortunately, due to the gate in the front, the arsonists were less concentrated in that particular area which suited the Court Wizards just well. Emotion suppression on. [Burning Fist]. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE In an emergency situation like this, there was no time to manually formulate an Order just to pinch a few more maneg - even with a higher thought process, the boys couldn''t find the logic of traditional ordering or long chanting in general. And so, while Joshua materialized [Emilia''s Left Dagger], Ronald, seeing as he still wasn''t in a good posture to do so, decided to activate his family Order, memorized, enveloping his fists and feet in flames. Thinking about it in a split second, he almost used this Order most of the time. In Spiri Raia especially, barring the first few times, he almost used it half of the time to either knock out or... eliminate all who came to him. This Order that got him into the Wizard rank really was versatile. And thinking about it in the remaining second, although one way to promote to the second rank was to take an existing Order and modify it to become a new Order or improve upon it, to think that adding the coat trigger to his feet despite being called [Burning Fist] would promote him into the Wizard rank really made Ronald wonder the Otherworldly Court''s standards sometimes. Or perhaps it was the notion of breaking the shackles of ''fist'' holding back its development that got him the rank? Should he officially register it as ''Burning Limbs?'' His father at least turned the trigger into a spherical trap to choke out the target as opposed to burning the entire body when his grandfather invented the Order, those two examples justified their promotions. But whatever it was, Ronald will still take credit for it when it was so obvious for anyone else to take it for themselves. And it''s not like his family Order''s a patented Order used only by them, at least that''s what Ronald believed. Joshua''s Order that promoted him, [Ice Layer], for instance, was used by Master Isaac to seal that entrance... With the two Court Wizards about to touch the ground, Ronald narrowed his eyes as he struck out his burning foot to kick the head of an unsuspecting arsonist. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 7.3: A Mansion Set Ablaze - Flame CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACK CRASH It was a nightmarish sight to behold. Irene was just sleeping in her bedroom when her shut eyes were forcibly opened by a bright red light coming from the window despite the curtains closed and a sound she had been accustomed to over the last year yet it was not the sort. Getting up from her bed, she was met with the most horrifying sight. Fire. From top to bottom, the view of the window was engulfed in flames, threatening to burn the mansion to the ground. In fact, it had already encroached into her room. "Lady Irene!" Layla, the named greater water spirit candidate Irene named, who had also been shouting her awake, beckoned to her in panic. "Layla!" Irene practically jumped out of her bed, looking over to the spirit. "Can you put out the fire!?" "Right!" Layla nodded. Immediately, she gathered her power to her hands, concentrating. As spirit arts were about connecting with the spirits to request them their power, once a user was attuned to a particular spirit, a named spirit usually, they won''t even need to use the formal chant. And so, Layla pretty much knew to perform her spirit art at Irene''s informal request - the chant was basically just to permit the spirits to access the user''s mind, after all; actually, it may not even be necessary in this case. "Urk!" However, when Layla released the energy, nothing came out other than her keeling over. "Layla!" Irene exclaimed, hunching over to the spirit. "I''m fine!" Layla croaked. "Too much fire!"
"So yeah, we can''t do anything at all if there''s fire all over the place," Layla shrugged as she lazily floated about. "How about other elements?" Irene asked. "Some of them can make us sick, yeah, but fire''s the worse," Layla replied. "It''s really hard to perform water arts around them, even for me. Only lady Aquarius can do it." "And if there is water around you, your spirit arts get strengthened?" Irene reviewed what she was taught in this lesson. "Yep! Pretty much!" Layla did a backflip mid-air. "And it''ll screw fire spirits in return!" That would certainly explain the many fountains littering the garden and the amount of tea everyone here consumed. Even at this moment, Mia was pouring her another cup of tea. "So basically," Layla wrapped it up. "Fire is bad, water is good, and it''s the opposite for fire spirits. So it''s really freaky the fire territory is literally our neighbor." Too bad humans, even in the water territory, still need fire for their daily lives, even the Illyers despite the effort to minimize the presence of fire in the mansion.
Has the fire spread that far!? Irene panicked, comforting the weakened named water spirit. She didn''t sense other low-ranking water spirits in her room either. They must''ve fled already, not that they could do anything either if they stayed. BRAK "Lady Irene!" From the door, a maid barged into the room. Actually, Irene could only tell that she was a maid as she knew her personally; she wasn''t wearing her uniform rather her sleepwear, which was rather singed from the fire. It was nighttime, after all. "Mia!" Irene gasped, looking at her personal maid. "Are you alright!?" "I''m fine, but you need to flee, my lady!" Mia, the maid, exclaimed. "Right!" Irene nodded, dashing to the door with Layla follow suit. And so, still in her sleepwear and without her slippers, Irene fled the burning bedroom behind.
CRACKLE CRACKLE "This way, my lady!" Mia shouted, pulling Irene''s hand. Sure enough, the hallway of the mansion was burning down the moment Irene stepped out of her bedroom. The vases were shattered, and the plants became ashes; the paintings were burnt to a crisp and so was the carpet. Being the most exterior part of the mansion, it was natural that it''d burn down first. It was just her luck that Irene picked the outermost bedroom in the second story so she could look out to the city. CRACK SNAP "Watch out!" Layla exclaimed, pointing up to where the ceiling had broken and was falling down. CRASH "Aah!" Irene screamed as it narrowly crushed them, soiling their white gown with ashes instead. "My lady!" Mia pulled her to the other way, as the collapsed ceiling had completely blocked their way. "We must go to the other way!" "Right!" Irene nodded, keeping her step with the frantic maid, running into an intersection, with Layla not far behind. SHATTER Then, a window broke as a foreign object into it. At first glance, it seemed to be made of glass, but Irene couldn''t make its features out as hit the wall and... SHATTER CRACKLE CRACKLE ...engulf its entire vicinity in flames, blocking yet another path. This must be what caused the fire, they were under attack. As since there''s no time to contemplate, Mia guided Irene to the left. "This way!" she exclaimed. CRACK But then, the ceiling above suddenly crumbled. "Aah!" Irene screamed as impending death fell upon them. However, Irene was yanked aside as Mia pushed her forward. "My lady, you must survive!" she exclaimed. "Mia!" As she was tossed backward, Irene reached out her hand to her personal maid, helplessly watching the debris falling on her.
"This is Mia," her father introduced. "She will be your personal maid from now on." In the living room, in front of little Irene was a girl with brown hair several years older than her. She wore the same uniform as the older maids except this one was tailored for her size. "Come on, introduce yourself," her father said to the young maid, patting her back. "Y-Yes!" the young maid stuttered. "M-My name is Mia!" She then bowed in a rushed manner. "Please take care of me!" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Hee hee," little Irene giggled at her new personal maid''s bashfulness. "Nice to meet you, Mia, my name is Irene, I will be under your care from now on," she smiled.
CRASH And thus, only one had died. "Mia, no...!" Irene clenched her mouth, gasping in horror. The maid she practically grew up with, who served her with all her sincerity, and someone she could call a friend in her sheltered life, was now gone. "Lady Irene, we have to go!" Layla pleaded, virtually pulling her namer''s nightgown as she was about to fall to her knees. "R-Right." Wiping her tears, Irene turned her back and pressed forward.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE After what was an eternity running raggedly through the burning hallway behind her with Layla, Irene came upon the imperial staircase where she looked down below to see her family, the prince, the intermediate water spirit Neptune, some of the knights along with their captain, and the servants sticking together in one huge crowd, already barricading themselves to prevent the fire from spreading to them. However, it was painful to see that not all of the latter two made it. "No good, my lord!" Then, a knight came running from a hallway. It seemed that it was not so worse than she thought. "That exit has been sealed too!" "That was the most secret exit!" Allister, her father, clutching to her mother, Marisa, exclaimed. "How did they find it!?" "Sir!" Another knight reported in. "There is still no sight of lady Irene or Layla!" "I am here!" Irene then shouted, making her way to the staircase. "We''re over here!" Layla frantically waved their attention to them. "Irene! Layla!" Allister exclaimed, looking up to see his daughter along with the spirit she named in relief. Her mother and others shared similar expressions. CRACK However, a familiar dreadful sound was heard directly above Irene. She didn''t even need to look up to tell what it was, what with what happened in regards to it just before. CRACKLE CRACKLE "Aah!" Irene screamed as the burning wooden ceiling fell upon her. "Irene!" her father shouted in despair. Several others followed suit, but Irene didn''t hear it as she could only focus on the very thing that killed her maid. Not even Layla''s was heard behind her. And without spirit arts, not even she can push her out of the way with how physically weak non-greater spirits are and especially in a weakening environment. No! Irene cried in anguish. Am I going to die like this! Mia! WHOOSH Suddenly, when Irene glanced in front of her, she saw another flame. However, this fire was spherical in shape and large too. But most importantly, it was flying towards her. Straight to the would-be end of the blonde woman. BLAST Everyone was stunned when the giant ball of flame utterly destroyed the collapsing ceiling and the force sent its fragments away from harming the young lady. However, it did fling into Layla, but spirits can phase through solid walls so the splinters passed through her harmlessly. Then, Irene tilted her head downward, looking to where the fireball came from, and widened her eyes. And it was a sentiment shared by everyone else. In another burning hallway from where Irene could see, two figures were coming from it, one of them being absurdly tall. Wearing a brown robe and a light blue cloak, their hoods were lowered revealing a crimson and white hair respectively along with eye colors that complement them; blue and a lighter shade of blue. "S-Sir Ronald!? Sir Joshua!?" Irene gasped, quickly identifying the two. "What are you doing here!?" "There''s no time to explain!" Ronald shouted, running to her. "We''re getting all of you out!" "Hwah!?" Once he got to Irene, Ronald suddenly lifted her up, carrying her by her legs and back, earning an "Oi!" from Layla and completely flushing Irene. SNAP Ronald, however, completely ignored this as he stepped off the railing, breaking it, and lept down to the first floor. Joshua followed suit not too far behind him.
THUD THUD Ronald firmly planted his feet on the ash-covered floor, bending his knees down to evenly distribute his fall. Joshua rolled forward to break his fall, thus wasting no maneg for the usual landing method. "Sorry about that. Can''t waste any time," Ronald then said to Irene who he was bridal carrying before letting her down. "I-It is fine..." Irene meeked, gaining her footing. Her face was red like a tomato, blood rushing her cheeks, must be running from all the fire. "Irene!" Marisa, Irene''s mother, broke away from her husband and rushed to her eldest daughter, embracing. "Thank the greater spirits you are safe!" "Mother..." Irene smiled, hugging her mother back. "Your timing could not be more perfect!" Albert, first prince of Kirash, praised, holding his fiancee, Elaine, with him. "Thank goodness sister is safe..." Elaine muttered in relief. "Waah! Layla!" Neptune, the bald-looking intermediate spirit Allister named, rushed to the other spirit''s presence, crying comically. "Yes, yes, I''m here, you big baby," Layla patted the intermediate spirit''s head as he hugged her tightly. "Sir Ronald, sir Joshua," Allister, the duke of Illyer, approached the two. "I thank you for saving my daughter." "Indeed," Oswald, the captain of Allister''s knights, chipped in. "We are in your debt once again." "You''re welcome," Joshua replied. However, it was a ''bat of an eye'' kind of reply. "Anyway-" CRASH CRACKLE CRACKLE "Aah!" "Eep!" "What was that!" And then a part of the mansion broke down, reminding everyone that they were still trapped inside a burning building. "Anyway!" Joshua continued regardless, catching their attention before they could panic further. "Is-" COUGH COUGH "Willow!" However, his attention was caught when he heard a violent cough coming among the frightened maids. Even without one of the maids shouting her name out, Joshua could see that it was Willow, the weak-bodied maid he met countless times, being comforted by another maid as she inhaled some smoke. "Gah! Joshua!?" Without wasting another second, Joshua went over to Ronald, nabbed a handkerchief from the rich boy''s breast pocket beneath his robe, and rushed to the maid. "Urk! Huh? Sir Joshua?" Willow stared dumbfoundedly, looking at the tall Court Wizard right in front of her. It was a similar reaction by her co-workers. "Here," Joshua handed over the piece of cloth to him. "It''ll help you with the smoke." "A-Ah..." Willow nervously took the handkerchief from him, her cheeks beet red from the heat of the fire around them. "...Thank you," she smiled before covering her mouth and nose with it. CRASH CRACKLE CRACKLE Then everyone cringed again as the world drilled it to their heads once again that they''re literally inside a burning mansion. "As Joshua was saying," Ronald immediately turned to Allister. "Is this everyone!?" As a response to that, Allister quickly looked over all who survived with unease. He turned back and firmly replied, "Yes, I believe this all of us trapped inside who made it." Confirming this, Ronald held out two of his fingers over the back of his ears and- Yep, I only see living people in where you are. Everybody else inside is dead. (Evelyn) ...I see. "...Right, our colleague outside also confirmed this," Ronald said wryly, giving a pique from the duke in return. Leave it to Henry Maverick''s equally unique twin sister to already sense the need for her presence from a world away and knowing exactly when to take her cue. "Wait, my lord, sir Ronald!" Suddenly, a voice cut in. It was from another maid among the crowd, the youngest one. As Ronald recalled, she was called Tia. "Where is my older sister, Mia!?" It was out of the spur at the moment, a bit of confusion and desperation in her words putting aside her blatant-ness. "Ah, wasn''t she with you, lady Irene!?" Mia? Ronald raised his eyebrow. Wasn''t she the maid that follows Irene around? The one who always served the tea whenever I had a chat with Irene... wait. Looking around the crowd, he realized Mia the maid was not among them. Is she? Irene, however, shifted her face into melancholy. Layla too wore a similar expression on her blue face. "I-I am sorry..." She rolled her eyes in shame as she broke the obvious news to the young maid. "She... gave her life to save me." "Ah, noo!" With that, Tia clasped her mouth with both of her hands, breaking down in tears with the other maids around her comforting her. "We have lost too many good people tonight..." Allister grabbed the palm of his head in grief. "Mia was very kind too," Elaine, prince Albert''s engaged, sobbed under her fiancee''s shirt. Mia must have served her too. CRACK CRACKLE CRACKLE "Damn it! The fire''s spreading too fast!" Joshua cursed the second time, as the fire has been inching closer and closer to them with all the hold-up. "We have to go now!" "Ah, right." Allister broke out his stupor but then asked, "but how? All the exits have been sealed." "Transfer obviously," Joshua replied. "We''re bringing all of you to Manegia!" "What!?" With that, everyone fell into a murmur. "I see," Oswald nodded, having a first-hand experience with the transfer, turned to the duke. "My lord, you and your family and the prince should go-" "There''s no need for that," Ronald interrupted. "We will transfer all of you in one go." "...Huh?" Oswald raised his eyebrow. "Is that possible?" It made sense for him to think that. When they transferred Oswald''s knight corp, it was in multiple batches of a slightly bigger circle, so it was natural for him to think that was the largest circle the Otherworldly Court could possibly use. However, that was because of the second rule and it was not like the bandits were going to execute Willow''s orphanage anytime soon, unlike this situation. Good thing everything in the Otherworldly Court was built to accommodate a dragon in mind.
PIING Irene has seen Ronald and Joshua appearing from the rainbow circle countless times as it was agreed that it was faster to directly transfer inside the mansion than having to come from outside the city border all the time. While it was an astonishing sight to behold, after seeing it that many times, she thought she had seen it all. However, now, she was standing inside perhaps the largest circle she has ever seen, easily surrounding every survivor without leaving even a strand of hair behind. "Incredible..." Was all Irene could only mutter as her vision was engulfed in kaleidoscopic light. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 8.1: Why They Cannot Return - 11-Century War Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 Year 1241 in Manegia "No, we did not transfer ourselves multiple times in groups," Ronald denied, cutting his dinner. "We transfer all at once, the circle is big enough for that." It was another night in the Bell manor when Alicia decided to bring up the story of her mother and her family''s rescue when she asked about the transfer. "Really?" Alicia, Ronald''s daughter, tilted her head. Then she recalled what she has always seen in the Transporter Room. "Ah! The circle was bigger than the size it was used, and the courtroom and chambers too! The infirmary is the smallest but it is still large in comparison." "It is," Irene, Alicia''s mother, said in a slightly annoyed tone, sipping her tea. "In fact, the entire castle and everything inside easily dwarfed any castle in both worlds. I never understood why you Court Wizards never noticed it unless someone points it out." "Hm, yes," Ronald smiled wryly. "It''s still an architectural mystery as to how the First Guardians were able to build the castle in that way. But as to why they did, I suppose it''s to prevent us from getting overwhelmed by it, though it only worked for us Court Wizards." "But why build the Otherworldly Court so large though?" Alicia wondered. "Oh, that''s because it had to accommodate for one of the First Guardians who was a non-morphing dragon," Ronald answered nonchalantly. "A dragon?" Alicia perked. "Ah yes, that. To think that the age-old enemy of the spirits during Spiri Raia''s formation was a leader of your organization..." Irene sighed, nursing her head. It would''ve been a surprise to hear but Alicia already met Blaze and Luna who were dragon-morphs... "When you mean non-morphing, the dragon Guardian cannot turn into a human form?" "Precisely," Ronald praised. "And because of that, the dragon Guardian would''ve had trouble navigating the Court if it were to be less spacious so it had to be built ''dragon friendly''." "Like the cases openings, stair width, and rooms?" Alicia figured it out. "Ah, but what about the doors?" "Oh!" Ronald quipped. "If you hadn''t noticed, all the doors are actually a part of much larger doors for the dragon Guardian. The doors we used are basically its pet door. "Even in the courtroom, the podiums for each Guardian are separated enough for the dragon to fit in." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. "But what happens if there was a Court Wizard larger than the dragon Guardian?" And then she was met with a pregnant pause. "...Well, it seems the First Guardians decided to cross that bridge when it happens, which so far didn''t." Ronald shrugged with a smile. "I-I see..." Alicia smiled wryly. "But it is thanks to that mother and everyone was transferred safely, correct?" "Yes, and we are all here because of it. Right, dear?" Ronald smiled at his wife. "Yes," Irene smiled back at her husband, however, "and yet, we are allowed to return... Not that I would wish we did." "We didn''t allow it." "...What!? Why?" Ronald sighed as he explained, "You see, Alicia, we-"
Manegia Year 1398 "What do you mean we cannot return, duke Brzask!?" Allister fumed, though in a rather polite way in front of the Ice Guardian, Isaac Brzask, being a much older nobleman. When the emergency mission to save the Illyer household was given out, it was Isaac who was the first Guardian to respond and direct the entire operation from the Transporter Room moments after Ronald and Joshua transferred first as he quoted it, "I sensed a good noble is being threatened in this very moment" all the way from Alternate Earth Euracia. With his helming, the Court was able to not send in too many Court Wizards in a panic and carefully guide Ronald and Joshua after their messy entrance to locate and transfer the Illyers with the minimal chance of anyone knowing. Overall, Van will not even hear a hint of rainbow light coming from the burning mansion. However, this also meant that the people of Spiri Raia, as far as they were concerned, thought the Illyers were dead. "I mean what I said, duke Illyer," Isaac firmly tapped his cane to the floor. "All of you are not allowed to return to Spiri Raia as you are all ''dead'' there, burned in the Illyer estate." When the Illyers first arrived in the Transporter Room, they were obviously amazed by the futuristic technology adorning be dimly lit room. It was the same manner when Oswald and his knights when they transit there. However, the two named spirits were freaked out being in the ''dangerous people''s'' base. After that, the Illyers were given one of the numerous rooms on the first floor meant to house visitors from another world like them temporarily, which they reeled in what happened and mourn those who did not make it, until whatever business was settled. And it was after a whole week that when the business was not being settled, Allister finally took notice. "Hm, I see what you mean, but the fact is you have saved us," Allister pointed out. "We are still ''alive''." "And that was enough interference already!" Allister tapped his cane to the ground with a BAM. "We have strict rules when intervening affairs of other worlds, and this has pushed it to the very limit! Pardon my cruel words. "It is only because we are not heartless machines that we, Ronald and Joshua, saved you with the last resort." "But is prince Albert on the throne is what you want?" Allister retorted. "This seems counterintuitive." "Our goal was to prevent the war Van intends to wage. To prevent that, we aim to ascend prince Albert to the throne which we failed," Isaac firmed, nonchalantly announcing that the Otherworldly Court had been defeated. "As your faction was supposed to be decimated were it not for us, by our fifth rule, the natural order of events is for Van to become king. As much as we hated the outcome. we will have to find another way to achieve our original goal." It was intense, with two old aristocratic men locked in a fierce debate, everybody else - Ronald, Joshua, and the Illyers -, in the common room where all of it was happening dared not to speak a word. Not even prince Albert, who was one of the core subjects in that argument, interjected, and instead just comforting his fiancee watching her father getting this frustrated for the first time in a while. "But why do you insist on limiting your interventions!?" Allister demanded. "You can do more good in any world if you help more!" BRAK "That is because we do not deserve to." Isaac smashed the bottom end of his cane loudly yet his tone did not match that. "...What?" Naturally, this reply confused just about everyone but the other Court Wizards in the room. Ronald noticed Irene taking a glance at him, wanting to know what was that all about, to which he only gave her a turn away with a scratch on his neck. Joshua simply looked up at the ceiling with a frown. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Isaac, in a dramatic fashion, looked away and silently cleared his throat before he elaborated further. "We were not always... united in an Otherworldly Court. In fact, this organization is only founded three hundred and twelve years ago." "What!?" "That is younger than Kirash!" "Seriously!? I''m older than this place!?" The non-Court Wizard listener murmured in shock. They had the impression that the Otherworldly Court was this ancient order with a millennium of history to its name, not a comparatively fledgling group. That was to be expected when Ronald and Joshua didn''t tell them this and just let their imagination run wild. "And just as you have multiple elements of spirits in separate territories," Isaac continued regardless. "We were once split between each of our Elements. However, while your greater spirits all coexist without problems, we... do not." There was a sense of dread permeating the air around them. By the tone the elderly Guardian took, it was something he does not like to talk about, a piece of a dark history that one would like to forget yet would be foolish to do so. "...What happened?" Albert, prince, or by this point former prince of Kirash, was the first to speak up. "We called it the Eleven-Century War, a war that had lasted eleven centuries," Isaac declared, turning his body around for an unnecessary effect other than to set the listener to a desirable mood, which was an actual protocol. "A-A war that lasted eleven hundred years!?" Allister did a spit-take. What kind of war lasted so long!? Everybody else was naturally shocked as well. "Ten centuries and eighty-six years to be precise," Ronald corrected. Having a frugal businessman mindset meant he cared about accurate numbering. "Which still gets rounded up," Joshua added. Of course, anyone can see that ''Ten Centuries and Eighty-Six Years War'' was not as memorable as Eleven-Century War... "Yes, pardon the... minor error with the naming by our founders," Isaac silently coughed. "But we have passed the point where correcting it is... unfeasible." "What do you mean?" Allister raised an eyebrow. "Is it because you have written too many records with that name?" "...Yes," Isaac nodded. "Let us leave it at that." A sentiment shared by the other two Court Wizards. And if someone did fix and overhaul the archives that never got much attention, the Court Wizards collectively felt they wouldn''t bother fixing that error either and would instead find it amusing to joke at. "Anyway," Isaac continued, though the tense atmosphere was broken rather comically courtesy to two Court Wizards he silently glared at. "In that period, we called them Maneg Users and we were extremely factional by our Elements and are in constant war with each other, from engaging in skirmishes to full assaults." A look from the duke and some others showed their ticks noticing the discrepancy in the words the Ice Guardian used, that Maneg User wasn''t what pre-Otherworldly Court Wizards really refer to themselves as. "However," Isaac continued, as namings were irrelevant. "As you all know, we were never limited to a single world and even more so during the war. Simply put, the sources of our power, the Mother Soul of Elements were capable of world travel along with its respective Maneg Users. I believe you can imagine the rest." With audible gasps and tensed eyes, it was clear the Illyers understood the implication. And so, Isaac continued, "We do not know how it started, but the Maneg Users'' main objective in the war was to destroy the other Mother Souls than their own. With their world-traveling ability, Mother Souls travel worlds to recruit more Maneg Souls from them, willingly or not, dragging many worlds into the long war. "Even though they do not stay long in one world for too long, no, perhaps because of that, we committed many atrocities to those worlds, all to get an edge on the rival Mother Soul." The Illyers could only imagine what it had been during those times. With the war with the Fichs Allister fought, they were familiar with what went around in war. But they could only dread what Maneg Users did knowing they will leave the world for eleven centuries. "You mention from the beginning that your war was about destroying each other''s source of your powers, Mother Soul was it?" Albert asked. "Did it happen?" "...Yes," Allister answered. Closing his eyes, ignoring their reactions, he then recited, "once there were fifteen Elements, fifteen Mother Souls of Elements. "Then Earth absorbed Metal, taking her authority; the same for Air towards Melody; Herba and Beast fused equally to become Nature; but Null was destroyed completely, ceasing to exist altogether with her Maneg Users. "Thus, the Elements became eleven. And they were not left unscathed either. By the end of the war, they were all damaged, weakening them, and lost some of their power including the ability to travel worlds on their own - that constrained us to the Transporter Room. "But their weakened state does not only extend to them. Once, the Mother Souls were able to recruit thousands and thousands of Maneg Users into her fold, but nowadays they can only recruit a fraction of the Maneg Users'' successors, us Court Wizards, every generation. Not only that, the powers the Mother Soul gave to us are also much weaker compared to our predecessors." "Wait, what!?" Layla, the named greater spirit candidate, screamed for the first time as she quickly realized what Isaac said. "So you''re all supposed to be stronger!?" "Yes, you are correct, young spirit," Isaac nodded. "Such is the price we paid for the Eleven-Century War to end." This shuddered the Illyers. They had seen the powers Ronald and Joshua could demonstrate throughout the year. To think that all of them were actually weakened sent shivers down their spines, on top of formerly being able to travel worlds more freely. Just how powerful would they have been? Then, in regards to Isaac''s final remark, "Then how did the war end?" Allister inquired. "Eventually," Isaac began. "All Maneg Users gathered together to this very world, where it had all started, to do one final battle, the most brutal one that saw most of them perish and the world torn asunder. This was where our founders, the First Guardians, met, and when the battle was finished, they rose from the ashes to form the Otherworldly Court." "I see," Allister nodded in understanding. Though streamlined, he and the Illyers were horrified and amazed by the elderly noble''s story. Even though a war that lasted more than a millennium seem outlandish, there was little room to doubt considering everything they have experienced. "So your founders created the Otherworldly Court for redemption," Allister concluded. "But that is not so simple, is it not?" Seeing as the younger duke was starting to understand, Isaac continued, "If it was any other war, reparations and reconciliation are possible, but our war had gone extremely longer than any war should. We have torn apart countless families, homes, and nations in our squabble, causing misery everywhere - your world was fortunate to be spared by it. That to say, we have meddled other world affairs far too much." "Ah!" Allister widened his eyes, so did others. The last sentence had pretty much spelled out the mindset the Court Wizards took. "Even if it was for good intentions this time around," Isaac continued. "The First Guardians still believed too much interference just like the days of the war will do more harm than good and in a sense, they were probably right." There was a sense of dread hearing it. Regardless, Allister pressed on. "What happened?" Isaac simply sighed. "In the scant few times the Otherworldly Court has gone against this philosophy and revealed themselves to a world in order to resolve an issue, the results were... debatable. "The first-ever instance this has happened was in Kaomagi. There, the First Guardians and the first generation of Court Wizards openly intervened in the aftermath of a racial genocide that ended with a Lord of Vengeance rising at the turn of every century threatening to destroy the world. "This forced the remaining races to unite under a common enemy and it was effective. With cooperation with the local deity to pass down encouraging teachings, conflict and discrimination between sapient races of Kaomagi have been reduced to a minimum, creating a sort of utopia with the threat of extinction every hundred years." "What!?" The Illyers, naturally, were horrified by this. "That is like the dragons returning to destroy the spirits every period!" Hm, dragons? (Ronald) Apparently. Should we tell them we had a dragon for a Guardian, the first one at that? (Joshua) Well, not now at least. (Ronald) "That was not all," Isaac simply continued. "After the altercation, people in Kaomagi have seen us in a mix of awe and fear, but mostly the latter for what we did. Recruits in that world had stated being given the same treatment once people realized it was not Kaomagian magic. "In fact, while lesser if they have similar powers like ours, most worlds we reveal ourselves to tend to react this way even though we try to limit our exposure to them afterwards. Only people we share a personal connection to break that notion." True, although the Illyers had seen the excessiveness Ronald and Joshua conducted with their powers holding back (which assuming all Court Wizards do so didn''t quite help their infamy), they got to know them a lot to shatter most of the tensions. "And in worlds affected by the Eleven-Century War," Isaac continued, his tone grimmer with every word. "This is coupled with hostility and xenophobia with the only saving grace being our great Elemental rivalry was so famous that they pause seeing two Court Wizards of different Elements together." The Illyers understand this, suddenly seeing who were once an ancient tormentor coming back with better intentions was very suspicious, even with the appearance of hated rivals working together - they''ll probably think it''s a ruse. And even then, it wouldn''t wash away the deep-festered scars of the past so easily. "So really," Isaac closed his eyes, tired of speaking for so long. "With every attempt to break our mold has only strengthened it, the mold to protect worlds in the shadows." "I see..." With this, Allister understood. Eleven hundred years of sin had trapped them into thinking they were undeserving for atonement, feeling that they were too guilty for redemption. Coupled with their own experience with open help and the deep hatred of those they had once crossed, it had fostered into a stance that they should only send small ripples to alter the courses of worlds as their only way to pursue their goal. That was what Allister had concluded. Glancing at his family, some of them had arrived at the same conclusion. It was perfectly understandable that the Court Wizards acted this way. "However-" "Yes, I know what you are thinking," Isaac interrupted, raising his hand to stop him. "We had that argument frequently. Rather than that, we will show you something else if it means to convince you all starting with what miss Evelyn had found among the tyrant prince''s arsonists." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 8.2: Why They Cannot Return - Betrayed And Move On Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 Year 1241 in Manegia "Mother," Alicia asked. "You said that grandfather was very strict with Fichs in his city, right?" "Yes, dear," Irene nodded. "Why?" "Then how was Van able to dress up his men as Fichs soldiers and had them enter grandfather''s city?" Alicia asked. "Ah, Van didn''t have his men wear Fichs clothing," Ronald explained. "He only..."
Manegia Year 1398 THUD ""Father!"" "Dear!" Comforted by his family, Allister loudly slumped into the couch, looking tired despite minutes ago. "How could this be..." he cried.
"This here is what miss Evelyn recovered of note from the bodies of the arsonists Ronald and Joshua killed to get into your mansion," Isaac presented a tray over a table. On it was a badge of some sort, lacquered with a distinct insignia. "Do you recognize this?" Taking a glance at it, Allister instantly knew what it was and answered, "Why this is the Fichs'' emblem! But the attackers could not have been from the empire." "True, sending assassins carrying your nation''s crest to another country is simply the height of foolishness," Isaac remarked. "But you do have an idea how they procure it, do you not?" "I believe they came from Fichs officers slain or captured during the invasion," Allister recalled, rubbing his chin. "Which I happened to claim a lot that I presented to the king..." "And so they used your past achievement against you," Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose, though he already suspected that for long. "A plausible reason to shift the blame on the Fichs and an excuse to declare war on them by martyring you, two birds in one stone." "Hah... this is very unexpected," Allister sighed before realizing, "wait, what do you mean ''they''?" and turn at the older duke. "Oh, you will see with the next exhibits," Isaac shrugged. "Huh?" Allister raised his eyebrow. "We did not just spend the entire week after your rescue idle," the Ice Guardian explained.
"Yeah, we totally got caught off guard with the king waking up and double-teaming with Van," Joshua remarked. "Didn''t know your dad is so chummy with your little half-brother," he said to Albert, first prince of Kirash. "You did not know?" Albert bewildered, looking completely confused with such a simple fact. "No, we don''t," Ronald shook his head. "But that totally explains the Van faction in the first place," Joshua remarked. "You should have told us that," Isaac narrowed his eyes. "Just the simple fact that the monarch showed favoritism to the spare heir alters our plans significantly!" ''I do hope Ronald and his Court Wizards can help us with that.'' Allister gulped, seeing how they really failed in simple communication. "I thought you knew?" "Yes, it is an open secret that father loved Van over me," Albert added. "Even though the nobles do not talk about it." "You overestimate us," Isaac sighed. "We have many worlds to watch over, we cannot possibly keep track of every event. Furthermore, our sources in your world only come from a merchant with no connections to aristocrats until you." "Could you not have sent a spy to infiltrate the palace?" Albert asked. "Surely that is within your discretion." "You said it yourself, prince Albert," Isaac retorted. "As with my previous statement, we would have only been able to send one not long before meeting all of you. A bedridden king and quite nobles would not be able to divulge such information." Just before, Isaac presented photographs of plans, item reports, and other orders obtained by Daisuke Fujiwara, forced out of retirement, to the duke of Illyer. They were numerous but they all showed one thing: the king of Kirash collaborated with his younger son to kill the duke and his own eldest son. At first, Allister refused to believe it, but after more and more evidence was piled up, he was forced to accept a hard truth: he was betrayed by his king who he swore allegiance to and best friend. Especially when he was shown the rough floor plans of the Illyer mansion''s escape tunnels. "Hah... We used to play in those tunnels when we were little. Playing hide and seek or just explore every nook and cranny," Allister sighed. "To think my king would use them against me." During the fire, the Illyers weren''t able to escape the burning mansion. Normally, they would have fled through the secret tunnels hidden in the mansion but they were all mysteriously sealed, every single one of them as if the arsonists knew their locations. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The staff couldn''t have sold the map for it as it was safely hidden by the duke and if they did, they would have not been inside the mansion knowing what would happen to it. All of the surviving staff were accounted for, the Court Wizards had asked Allister their list without elaborating further, so that was the case. As for the knights who were left behind, it couldn''t have been them either, Allister guaranteed it. Their loyalty was assured thanks to the duke''s merit and charisma, as absurd as it was to the Court Wizards. Then again, they wouldn''t know it anyway. Former workers of the duke couldn''t have remembered every tunnel they have never seen either after a long time so really, there was only one person left who could do the contrary the duke could think of who would divulge such secrets. In fact, Allister immediately came to that conclusion the moment he saw the sketches. "Hm? You seem to take this well, prince Albert," Ronald remarked, looking at the prince who was faring much better than the duke. "Do I?" Albert raised an eyebrow. With his fiancee looking at him with concern, he eventually sighed, "well, my father''s marriage with my mother was... tumultuous. It was not a political marriage nor was it to appease anyone, but out of the sense that he needed a queen and an heir." "Ah, that is true," Allister mooted. "He was the only heir to the throne. Should he die without an heir of his own, the crown would have to be handed over to our house which I do not intend to let pass. "Normally, it would have been from our family, but I am an only child and so he simply married from one of the other houses." "Hm, that is quite a tightrope you both walk there," Isaac noted. "One unfortunate accident and both of your lineages could very well end." "Yes, it was," Allister slacked his eyelids. "And because father was the king," Albert continued. "When my mother died few years after my birth, he eventually took a mistress and you know the rest." "Yes, and I opposed it actually," Allister added, earning gazes from others. "Rather, the mistress he took. I had a feeling she was questionable at best and well, my fears were true..." "I see," Albert nodded in understanding. "Well, suffice to say, we only really talk during ceremonial occasions, and other than that, I feel indifferent towards my father. But, it was not all that bad, because I eventually met my fiancee." "Oh, Albert!" Elaine, Albert''s fiancee, went over to him and hugged his back, earning a comforting smile from him. Perhaps that''s why the duke so easily transferred the engagement. Then, the duke turned to Isaac. "I should have seen it coming when prince Albert''s engagement with my daughter was not intended for her to be his queen a long time ago, but you have made your point, duke Brzask. With my king betraying me, there really is nothing I can do if I return." It was a shared sentiment among the Illyers. They had lost and betrayed, there was nothing left for them in their homeworld. It was time to move on. "However, I sense a ''but'' in that statement," Isaac said. "Though I know what it is." "Very astute of you, duke Brzask," Allister praised. "After all, by doing this, I will be abandoning my people in my territory. Not only that, all of the workers and knights here will also leave behind their families too..." It was a valid argument, one that every refugee transferred into the Court knew too well once they realized they cannot return. They can bring as many as they can, fundamentally, they will always leave something or someone behind. This was why it was something Court Wizards must always prepare for. "Well, in the Eleven-Century War," Isaac iterated. "Maneg Users were more often than not taken away from their personal lives in the name of duty. Forced to fight a war that was not theirs, they never get to return to their families and home. "And the First Guardians do not want to repeat that. Thus, while Court Wizards subtly guide worlds to the right path, they must also not shirk the lives they lead back home. This is enshrined as our rule, as contradictory to our goal as it is." "Is that so?" Allister smiled wryly, understanding what the Ice Guardian meant by his distantly related explanation. "But, I know your sentiment, duke Illyer," Isaac continued. "As nobles, we are entrusted by our lords with a piece of their land to govern, develop, and protect in their stead. Should anything happen to it, we are to be the first to be on the chopping block - our privileges are meant to compensate for that. "However, you and I know it is not so simple as that," he sighed. "Yes," Allister also sighed. "Politics is exhausting." After all, even the Illyers built escape tunnels in their mansion. What purpose do they have other than what their name suggested? "But, there is no shame in surviving either, if not to save those close to you from being dragged down with you," Isaac said, eyeing the rest of the Illyers who could have been dealt with a grimmer fate. "Yes," Allister smiled, looking at his family warmly and received warmth in return. "Right," Isaac continued. "We will make sure that your territory will be taken care of in your absence, duke Illyer. That I will personally make sure of it." "I see," Allister closed his eyes and smiled. "That will be reassuring." "We will have to pull some strings in the Kirash palace to ensure they send a magistrate to oversee the territory fairly to avoid it being divided," Isaac immediately planned. He then turned to Ronald, "mister Ronald, you will also have to prepare for the fallout of the Bell Branch being in the losing faction." "Right... I need to tell the manager to start buttering up to the new king now..." Ronald grumbled. "But." Isaac turned to the rest of the Illyers. Not the family, but the rest of the Illyers. "As for the servants and knights, it is true they will have to abandon their families." It was the expected outcome. Knowing where the direction was going, the workers and knights knew they will have to leave behind their families and lives back in their homeworld. Their ''deaths'' at least will give their abandoned loved ones closure. Of course, not all of them will be okay with this, but they will have to endure it, and it was especially for one maid Joshua knew in particular. "Don''t worry, duke Illyer," Oswald, the head knight of Illyer''s knights, the ones here anyway, gave a salute to his chest. "Wherever we are, we will be with you." It was brief, it was corny, but it did get the group together as the other knights followed suit and the workers showing their gusto. The duke himself seemed reassured by this display. "However, the spirits get to return," and then Isaac made himself known again and declared such. "Huh?" "Eh!?" "Yelp!" "What?" "Do not ''what'' me," Isaac narrowed his eyes at the spirits and namers doing a spit-take upon hearing what he said previously. "I do not even need to spell out how the spirits have been faring in this world," he waved his hand at the spirits. Taking a good look at them, Layla and Neptune, their namers, Irene and Allister, realized the state the spirits they named were in. There was no need to describe it in detail with words, it was obvious the spirits were in an abnormality in this world. ""Layla/Neptune, you are!"" Both namers gasped. "Eeugh...!" Neptune groaned laughingly, however that worked. "To be fair, I didn''t notice ''till now," Layla rolled her eyes. It was clear they were hiding it. "You should have," Isaac scowled. "I will keep it brief, this world does not support the existence of you body-less..." he paused to decide against further questioning by calling them the Court version, "spirits. Right now, I believe the world loosely corrects both of you into the existence of Maneg Amalgamations, rabid beasts of this world! And we do not know what other ''abilities'' you might gain!" "Aah!" "Eek!" Understandably, the spirits got spooked even just hearing two words. They must have already felt aggressive feelings suddenly appearing within them. "I see..." Allister drooped his eyelids. "Then they have to return immediately, lest it gets worse." "Oh..." Irene muttered. After going through all of that, now she has to say goodbye to the spirit she named, it was understandable what she felt. "Lady Irene..." "Al..." "Yes," Isaac nodded and then, smiled wryly. "But speaking of spirits, we ironically still need you to return for one final thing, duke Illyer." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 8.3: Why They Cannot Return - Greater Spirit Lament Spiri Raia Year 905 Year 1398 in Manegia First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia, commonly referred to by her fellow Greater Spirit as Aqua, observed in abject absentness the ashes of the Illyer mansion before her. "I still cannot believe this...!" "How could this happen!?" "Lady Aquarius save us all!" Perking at the last statement in the crowd shrouded in shock and disbelief, said lady Aquarius seamed through them in intangible form. Even I cannot fathom either every time I see it for myself, the greater spirit thought in somber. She phased through the front gate, sealed off by troops from the Kirash capital in its deformed state, and entered the scorched garden, where Kirash officials had concluded their investigations leaving herself with the numerous fountains that spouted water no more. Then, Aqua turned to the Illyer mansion once again, a splinter of its former glory. How could this happen? she repeated that question from the humans as she once again saw the few wooden beams still standing charred black among the burnt rubble with no piece on top of another, though one of them was about to snap, again. CRACK A little over a week ago, Aqua had confronted the greater fire spirit, Ignatius, otherwise called Ignis, about the many fire talismans from his domain finding their way into hers, a great breach in the territory. Now that''s not to say she doesn''t get along with the greater fire spirit. After all, she and the other greater spirits were comrades fighting the cursed dragons and after their subsequent triumph, reformed the world into Spiri Raia, shedding their flesh along with the rest of the fae, becoming spirits. That alone united them for a lifetime. However, that doesn''t mean they invade each other''s spaces so casually for while they were unified in mind, their incorporeal physiques were not. It was an ugly revelation, that the destruction of their physical bodies into spirits was the final curse, the last spite, laid by the dragons meant to fracture their unity that led to their triumph. So naturally, Aqua and the other christened ''greater spirits'' sought to get the last laugh by keeping their unity through their biologically incompatible diversity. Even though it ended up in drawing borders and generally not minding each other''s business, they were able to keep the tentative civility between territories. To emphasis this, Aqua and Ignis chose to share a border even if it meant causing the most friction, especially with the newborn spirits nowadays developing a natural disdain towards their neighbors which worried all the greater and older spirits to no end. However, that also meant that any friction between territories wasn''t caused by spirits as they mainly stick inside each territory. Rather, it was the humans. Humans, Aqua thought, slipping through the wreckage. Rarely living past a century yet able to advance the fastest. Capable of creation and destruction, peace and war. Intelligent yet still make foolish choices. Living contradictions indeed, it is no wonder they have survived the scourge. They were the only other race left after the war with the cursed dragons. Having aided the greater spirits in that great battle, they have since settled in the territories, becoming the dominant presence of Spiri Raia. They were able to abide by the greater spirits'' rules quite well, only limiting inter-territory interactions with trade, diplomacy, and other peaceful activities while keeping their war tendencies from reaching beyond their territories. Keywords: beyond territories. And that''s not even talking about the trading part where talismans occasionally smuggled through the cracks despite Aqua and the other greater spirits clearly forbade their trade which was what she had to discuss Ignis with. Again, she was doing it civilly with Ignis, the usual, inquiring the many fire talismans making their way into her territory and telling him to find whoever''s responsible and tell them to cease while she does the same on the buyers when water spirits suddenly barged into their meeting with looks of pure horror.
"Young spirits these days do not go near borders, much less barging our meeting with such terrified looks," Ignis narrowed his red eyes on the blue spirits who looked like they had run themselves ragged. "What is happening?" "I will ask." Aqua approached the water spirits. "What is wrong, little ones?" "Illyer mansion! Illyer mansion!" "Fire everywhere!" "We run!" It was incoherent and scattered. But as both greater spirits listened on, they soon had the picture. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Is the Illyer not the family you blessed, Aqua?" Ignis asked with widened eyes. "Yes, they are," Aqua said in alarm. "I need to go!"
The night before Aqua had her meeting with Ignis, the Illyer mansion was burning down. She couldn''t believe what she had heard, but the desperate cries of the water spirits were genuine. So that was all the fire talismans were used for, huh? Aqua pondered, metaphorically sitting on top of a broken pillar before standing up again. She had at least heard one instance from her junior water spirits, they were not the best explainers, of fire talismans being used against the Illyers almost a year ago. She really should have inquired it to Ignis by then instead of ignoring one or two of them slipping through like always. She rushed to the Illyer mansion as fast as she could, but by the time she got there, it was too late. There was not even a lick of flame for her to douse. Curses! Aqua raged inside her, kicking rubble though her foot simply phased through it. To think they would so brazenly do this under my nose...! Few days after the disaster, Ignis returned and had given his report. As it turned out, the fire talismans were smuggled into the Fichs empire before making their way to Kirash. At first glance, it may seem that the Fichs were responsible for the burning, they have reasons to do so, but Aqua knew better than to place all the blame on them. The ''succession war'' going about in Kirash did not escape Aqua''s ear. As there were no more dangers in Spiri Raia other than the other sapient race to themselves, watching humans naturally became the past time of the greater spirits when they have nothing else to do. For Aqua, it was more so when the Illyer family she blessed spearheaded one of the two factions. Well, ''blessing'' is a bit of an overstatement, Aqua smiled wryly to herself as began to leave the scene. In the early days of Spiri Raia, when humans were reforming civilizations in the territories, spirits interacted with them frequently, their fae curiosity still retained within them, and humans, in turn, do the same. However, humans had trouble differentiating between individual spirits being nameless. Even as fae, it was no problem for spirits as they have always been able to address each other without names, but humans can''t. So naturally, they started to name spirits and that was where the tradition started. But, it is very peculiar, Aqua thought, parsing through the still distraught crowd once more. That a simple name, neither making us stronger nor increasing our ranks, could be so special. Aqua and the greater spirits don''t know how it happened. They guessed that the notion of receiving a name after living all their life without one must have struck a chord in the junior spirits. Whatever it was, there was no stopping it as eventually, it got to the point where spirits started to follow around the human they got their names from, forming a close relationship between them like siblings. Not only that, they also start performing their spells at the human''s request and inspire other spirits nearby to join in. At first, it was disorganized, humans had to describe what spell they want the spirit to cast. But then, one spirit found out that their race was able to read human minds which understandably set off the humans, so Aqua and the greater spirits stepped in. What resulted was a formalized chanting system that was just glorified permission for the spirit to invade the human''s mind with whatever adjective to give the spirit a rough idea beforehand. It worked really well as humans now only need to imagine the spell in their mind and the spirit will be able to cast it perfectly. Thus, the spirit art system, the union between man and spirit, was born. But ironically, spirits start concealing themselves so they can find the perfect human to name them, Aqua smiled wryly, waving with a nod of understanding at a couple of water spirits who were still at loss at the death of the family who ruled this city, the family she blessed. While spirits were getting named and get along with humans, one group of spirits were left out on this; the greater spirits themselves. During the war against the cursed dragons, the greater spirits, the former greater fae, needed a banner to rally everyone under to stand a chance against the overgrown lizards. So, they decided the banner was themselves and subsequently, created names they adopted as a way to identify and remember said banner. And thus, even their unnecessarily long title as greater spirits existed to that effect. Well, good thing we decided to use the nicknames we had when we were kids, Aqua smiled at the thought. Such memories... When they were young fae, they once observed human children using nicknames for playing. Being a curious race, the young fae copied the children and came up with their own nicknames; Aqua, Ignis, Ven, etc. Then, in the war, it was extravaganized and used as their banner. As they always did, the greater spirits still used the original to refer to each other. However, because of this, the greater spirits were never named by humans and thus could never experience the same sort of companionship as the other spirits. And the greater spirits really wanted that sort of thing. Especially when they can''t be in touch for most of the time anymore. I will always admit we were envious of the sort of relationship the little ones have, the greater water spirit closed her eyes. After all, I was the one who did the first blessing. Hundreds of years ago, Aqua paid a visit to the Kirash capital on its little island in the great pond. There, she found a human prince who was being sent to the territory bordering the Fichs empire that wasn''t mountains. Once, the Kirash kingdom was the largest nation in the water territory, but by that point, the Fichs had taken over every other nation until Kirash was left. The human prince, along with the rest of the royal family, saw the threat that was coming and with his brother crowned king, volunteered to be sent to that territory as its fief lord to make sure it can defend against the ever-expanding empire. This prince became known as the duke of Illyer. Such brothership, shame today does not reflect that. But, perhaps it was that selflessness I was interested in the Illyer, Aqua reminisced as she saw the gate wall ahead of her. Well, Ignis sure made a fuss about it, but what can I say? I am free as the water, after all. At that time, Aqua, for inexplicable reasons, appeared before the Illyer as he struggled to manage the vast territory he was given. Understandably, he was shocked to see his patron greater spirit just showing up in front of him. We are seen as deities in their eyes, after all. Much to our displeasure, Aqua sighed making her way to the exit. It was fleeting after the initial surprise; from stuttering introductions by the Illyer to casual talks to calm him, then back and forth questions and seeing spirit arts, taking a walk around the developing town that would later become the Illyer city and praising the progress he made, looking off the townsfolk with hopeful smiles on their faces. Then finally, at the end of the day, Aqua asked the most important question to the Illyer, him being both a duke and a prince.
"Why do you go all the way to this land to protect your kingdom by your own will? Could you not entrust someone else the burden?"
And she would always remember the answer the Illyer gave. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 8.4: Why They Cannot Return - Greater Spirit Resolve "What can I say, lady Aquarius. My brother the king needs help and the kingdom is threatened. I have the capability to solve it then I will do it. Simple as that."
It wasn''t special nor overly grand. It wasn''t a beautiful ideal nor a dream. It was the answer of a man who got down to business and get it done. But even so, it struck something within Aqua, it must have. Because after that answer, she gave him hers.
"Then I, First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia, shall henceforth give your lineage my blessing."
It was hollow really. It did not enhance their spirit arts nor did Aqua ever ordered her water spirits to give preferential treatment to the Illyers, merely announced it. She never promised the Illyer to directly intervene nor being their guardian. It was really just a word, Aqua very well explained it to the Illyer. However, like how humans name spirits, this ''empty'' blessing became so much more. It really shows how much a single word could dictate one''s legacy and how others see them, Aqua mused, passing through the gate wall, where she eyed the guards manning it. Even though the Illyers were gone, they still dutifully kept their posts. Spirits and humans, as she could clearly tell these guards were depressed with the loss of their lord, much like the water spirits before. After news of the ''blessing'' had spread, it was as if every fortune in the world greeted the Illyer; people all over the kingdom coming to him, pledging their loyalty; his brother the king of Kirash gradually giving him more land and; lots and lots of water spirits flocking to his domain with many of them seeking to be named by him and many more. But most importantly, it practically halted the Fichs from advancing further against Kirash for fear of crossing the greater water spirit by going against the human she blessed. It was wondering what a simple utterance could do. And it was quite a wonder what it did to everyone else, especially the look on Ignis'' face, Aqua chuckled as she left the city. Naturally, her blessing shook waves on the other greater spirits, believing it to be a breach of impartiality. But ironically, he was the next one to give his blessing. After all, all Aqua needed to say to them was...
"Admit it, you all want to get ''named'' by humans too."
Besides, the blessing entailed virtually nothing, it was up to others to perceive what they will of it - completely within their established rules. With the previous argument, one by one, all the greater spirits eventually gave their blessings to humans - just one for each, that''s enough. But even then, even his descendants still... Aqua trailed off her thought, with the city walls drawing farther behind her. Even though the first Illyer was a virtuous man, the same can''t be said for his children and their children. As it was human nature, having a prestigious title of some kind was bound to make one feel entitled. In fact, all of the blessed fell to this problem, as centuries pass by, generations of blessed families to the next became increasingly arrogant, flaunting their blessings of the greater spirits, and generally not reflecting the quality that made their forefathers worthy of it in the first place. This, of course, concerned the greater spirits, but they cannot take back their blessing, you cannot un-name something, after all. However, as it turned out, they don''t need to do much to solve the problem. Even the most juvenile of my water spirits could tell not to mingle with the more haughty Illyers, Aqua closed her eyes, feeling the watery breeze. Since losing their flesh, spirits have always been able to vaguely sense human souls to know whether they''re good or bad, courtesy of being entities near a pure soul. As being named meant becoming partners until the namer passed away, spirits don''t just pick a namer willy-nilly. So while Aqua wasn''t privy to the other blessed, when the Illyers were becoming more conceited, the water spirits refrained from being named from them, going so far as to vacate the once spirited mansion. And thanks to that, the Illyers learned some humility after some hissy fit, Aqua mused to herself, with the view of the pond to her left blocked by a forest. And finally came Allister. Allister al Illyer, when Aqua first observed him back then he was a young boy raised with stories of the prestige of his family and the blessing she gave to them. However, this boy noticed the lack of named spirits credited to them for the last few generations where others dismiss it. Knowing the stories, he saw the hypocrisy within the family and sought to change. And because of this, a little water spirit sensed something different within the boy than the rest and thought to give him a chance. So, under a full moon, the water spirit appeared before the young Illyer, seeking to be named.
"I, Allister al Illyer, shall henceforth name you Neptune!"
For the first time in generations, the Illyers finally named a spirit. Allister after that was treated just about you expected. Fortunately, he was an only child, so he was spared with envious siblings. But even so, he had stuck to his humility and virtue that eventually embody him. Even the water spirits started to return to the mansion. But even so, the Illyers still was not able to escape the consequences of their temporary decline, Aqua mooted, passing through the road. The fact the Illyers had not been naming spirits for several generations was not unnoticed by some. For one, the Fichs saw this and after a few generations deliberating, they finally decided to invade, during Allister in his prime. Suffice to say, if they canceled the invasion, they may never get another chance so they decided to risk it and got soundly defeated, losing the chance to unite the water territory ever again. But even then, that did not stop that second prince... Aqua grunted in her mind, heading towards a destination in the middle of nowhere. Aqua nearly did a spit-take when the water spirits suddenly came with the news that Allister had suddenly started a succession war with him supporting the first prince. The second prince intended to invade the Fichs back when he became king which Allister staunchly opposed. After all, Allister''s father died in the war against the empire, and going to war with an empire as big as Fichs with the intent of conquering it was going to be costly. So the war hero thought that the kingdom shouldn''t bite off more they can chew. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But, Allister had lost, Aqua thought in sorrow, drifting above the dirt road. While Allister was incredible on the battlefield, he was not so on the succession war he brought upon the kingdom, against the second prince who thought the blessing had wavered and did not hesitate. Thus, the temporary shack where the greater water spirit first met the first Illyer which then became a grand mansion now returned to ashes. By all means, Aqua should have done something about it as it concerned her blessed, but she can''t. As a greater spirit, she cannot approach humans the same way as other spirits do. As the most powerful entities of this world, they have to act impartially lest they become no better than the dragons. All they do was protect their respective land from dangers that can swallow it whole and keeping the balance between humans and spirits. That was why the blessing was an empty promise, the greater spirits still cannot show favor to a singular human or family. That was why Aqua did nothing when the Fichs took over almost half the territory, the empire took care not to go too far and so she stayed her hand, even when they went into conflict with her blessed. And because of that, she stayed put when the succession war happened, leading to the Illyers'' demise. That was what the greater spirits agreed upon the birth of Spiri Raia. They were not going to selfishly capitulate that over some humans. But, in the end, I still do not like not doing anything, Aqua sighed as she reached her destination. The place she floated on was nothing special, just another lonely patch of dirt leading to yonder. However, it was this very piece of land where she had met ''them'' who made this place devoid of spirits ever since.
"Stop! Stop! We come in peace!" One of the masked brown figures frantically waved his hands up and down. "Is that the best you can do!?" The other brown-robed man berated. The lower half of his mask shattered, revealing a pitiful excuse of a mustache. He ought to shave it. "I''m trying, Alan!" The former brown figure retorted. "Well, our suppressions are off," another remarked. "So I guess it does?" ""Huh..."" The first brown figure and this Alan looked as if they realized something.
Decades ago, Aqua felt a disturbance in her territory. As the greater spirit, she came to the source to find a bright rainbow light that had just dissipated. Emerging from that light were three humanoid figures draped in brown robes and wearing a motifless steel mask who called themselves ''Court Wizards'' - a somewhat familiar pre-Spiri Raia term - which she learned later. What intrigued her, however, was that, at a glance, their souls gave off a similar feeling to that of ice, fire, and light respectively. They don''t look like spirits though so Aqua innocently decided to take a deeper look at their souls to which she could only describe it with one word. Fractured. A greater spirit like Aqua can sense souls in much more detail than others. Each of the Court Wizards'' souls had a ''border,'' separating it into two uneven parts. Both parts gave off the elemental feeling but the larger piece doesn''t even feel like a human soul or any soul in that matter. It was the smaller portion, in fact, that held it which was somehow ''compressed'' to allow the larger portion which was always fluctuating between the state of completeness and incompleteness which was always a different ''fragment'' each time. That was what Aqua could only describe these abominations. I am sure the others would attack them on sight if they showed up in their territory, Aqua thought as she reminisced the fight that happened. Even before these Court Wizards arrived, a week prior, to be specific, Aqua already felt changes to the ''laws'' of Spiri Raia, the ''laws'' she and the greater spirits established. For the fae to transition into spirits, they needed a new ''origin,'' the ''principle'' of their existence, which happened to be the greater spirits, effectively making them the parents of all spirits. Thus, Aqua, as the ''origin'' of water spirit ''law,'' could tell that the ''laws'' of Spirit Raia were being interfered and was going to meet with the other greater spirits who must have felt it too when those Court Wizards arrive. The Court Wizards who gave of the similar interference of said ''laws''. And so, Aqua did the most sensible thing to do.
"Everyone stay away!" Aqua shouted to the water spirits nearby. "I will deal with this," and she aimed her hand and burst forth high-pressured water onto the brown-clad figures.
While Aqua had led off with a surprise attack, it was as if the Court Wizards had seen it coming and scattered, avoiding Aqua''s first salvo. Then, in the ensuing fight, the Court Wizards cast magic - a long-thought dead art with the rise of Spiri Raia - according to the element Aqua saw. The results? Well, if Aqua kept holding back, as she intended to subdue the Court Wizards to interrogate them, she would have been overwhelmed. However, she also felt that the Court Wizards were too, seeing as when she increased the power behind her arts, so did they little by little. Not only that, when she peered into their amalgam souls once again, it looked as if their emotions were suppressed. It could have been a bloody encounter if one of them did not start that comical scene, Aqua chuckled. The water spirits must have been so frightened to see me seemingly in a pinch. Aqua could definitely overpower the Court Wizards if she disregard the environment, but a peaceful settlement was better. After that unbecoming display, the Court Wizards pulled off their masks as a sign of good faith and explained themselves. As previously mentioned, they called themselves Court Wizards who came from an organization called the Otherworldly Court from another world. Now it would have sound outrageous, but Aqua could tell from their fractured souls that they weren''t lying and what happened along with the testimonies of the water spirits confirmed this as well. Long story short, their organization''s goal was to protect the balance of worlds in the shadows and they had just discovered Spiri Raia and intended to do the same. A very idealistic notion, but once again Aqua sensed no lie from them. In the end, Aqua told the Court Wizards to return to their world and bring one of their leaders they told her about to the upcoming meeting with the greater spirits as they were just scouts. That ended up with a whole other can of worms. Seeing that fire leader Gertrude of those Court Wizards really surprised Petra, Aqua chuckled, remembering the earth spirits'' old form. All in all, a consensus had been reached, and after that, the Court Wizards had remained largely quiet. As it was their procedure, they only subtly influence human affairs as reported by the water spirits, as best as they can, and nothing malicious. The most Aqua had heard was them running around during the Kirash-Fichs war and that merchant company one of the Court Wizard scouts, Alan, had set up in Illyer''s city. Now, why was this important? Well...
"You are Alan Bell''s son, correct?" Aqua inquired, observing the familiar, yet younger-looking crimson-haired young man, clean-shaven, along with the tall human. The young lady assassin was not with them, however. "I am, lady Aquarius," the son of Alan nodded. "We have a proposition for you."
Aqua supposed that deep down, she wanted to protect the Illyers. When those two Court Wizards approached her a year ago and explained that they intended to help the Illyers on the succession war, she gave them her sigil without a second thought. If she cannot intervene directly, then she will at least try them instead. For a year, the Court Wizards did very well, the water spirits had nothing but their near-flawless success protecting the duke of Illyer from harm, allowing the first prince''s faction to gain back momentum after being crippled by the second prince. But all good things must come to an end, Aqua glanced at a spot where there was once a puddle behind a small boulder that was still there where one water spirit hid behind, who later become a greater spirit candidate named Layla. Aqua hadn''t seen her along with Neptune after the fire. Aqua never expected anyone or anything to have a perfect track record, but it was frustrating it happened to be the duke''s protection. Additionally, when one made mistakes, they should at least take responsibility, but for the past week, Aqua hadn''t seen so much of a peep from the Court Wizards. Even though most water spirits were children at heart and not the best explained, therefore, they should have at least spotted them, but they didn''t either. Hah... What happened to the days when we were just children fooling around... Aqua sighed. All in all, it was over. The Otherworldly Court Aqua put her last hope on had failed and the lineage of the prince she had met centuries ago had died. All she could do now was simply mourn and- Ah, you know what? Curse it! Aqua spat, jerking her head to the palace on the lone island in the middle of the great pond. Aqua had always lamented her impartiality, never letting her do as she pleased like the days as fae, frankly tired of it. Just this once, she will set that aside and act selfishly for once. Besides, she had less than a century left, so she might as well warn the humans not to take the spirits lightly. PIING Then, in that very same spot, a bright rainbow light manifested once more. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Years Chapter 8.5: Why They Cannot Return - The Great Sea Manegia Year 1421 "Ah yes, I recall Aqua doing that," Rose cupped her cheek, holding her cup of tea with her other hand. "It is still absurd how you agreed to do that, Aqua," Jill said while shaking her head. "True, how did my father and Owen''s father manage to convince you to split the countries with an ocean, Aqua?" Alicia asked. "Oh, that?" Aqua perked her eyebrows. "It is a long story."
"I will miss you, Layla," Irene sobbed, embracing her life partner one last time. "Uuh... Lady Irene!" Layla, the greater spirit candidate, cried as her namer let her go and stepped back from the transfer circle. "Alright then," Isaac, the Ice Guardian, confirmed. Being his responsibility, he decided to come to talk with the greater water spirit. "Let us go." "Yes sir," one of the Transporter Room operators, John, then started the transfer. PIING With the circle lighting up, surrounding Ronald, Joshua, Isaac, Layla, Allister the duke of Illyer, and Neptune the intermediate spirit Allister named whose farewell shall be done soon, Layla gave one final shout. "I promise, lady Irene, that I will keep moving forward even if you''re no longer with me! I will cherish the (your) name you gave me and make it great (never be forgotten)! Even if you won''t be there to see it, I will make you proud!"
PIING Spiri Raia Year 905 Year 1398 in Manegia There was a middle-aged-looking woman with long-wavy hair wearing a roman toga despite having a greek name, all radiating blue along with her skin and the spherical liquids floating around her floating on a lonely dirt patch. As luck would have it, she was the same greater water spirit Ronald''s father''s group met in this very place, where Ronald and Joshua also met a year ago, receiving her sigil. The greater water spirit, Aquarius, immediately shifted her focus to the same spot where she had once fought the group of Court Wizards to a standstill holding back decades ago. "All of you are!?" she widened her eyes. "Lady Aquarius!" Layla shouted. "We''re alive! We all are!" "Yeah! Yeah!" Neptune nodded furiously. "Yes, lady Aquarius." Allister, the duke of Illyer, calmly responded, stepping forward with a respectful bow. "The Court Wizard had saved us from the burning mansion and has sheltered us in their world ever since. Forgive us for not informing you of this," since the Court Wizards had told him they haven''t told Aquarius about it. "They will explain," and thus letting the Court Wizards explain themselves. "Allow me," Isaac then stepped forward, raising his hand. After the initial stupor, Aquarius narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "I hope you have a reasonable excuse for this," she said.
"I see," Aquarius nodded in understanding. "But this does not warrant the lack of contact for the past week." "Apologies, lady Aquarius," Isaac said. "But we have preferred to gather information beforehand before having our discussion with you. Again, pardon our delay." Over a brief period, Isaac explained to the greater spirit how Ronald and Joshua infiltrated the burning mansion and rescued the survivors, Evelyn''s findings, the further investigations of the how''s, the obvious culprit being the second prince Van va Kirash, and the king''s hand in on the plot. Evidence of those findings had been presented as well. "I see your point, but I have known just about everything you had said," Aquarius huffed. "Your articles had merely supported it." "She already knows..." Joshua muttered, internally frowning. "I may not deal with humans directly, but all the water spirits are my eyes and ears," the greater water spirit retorted. "Even if sections of the Kirash palace were barred from spirits by agreement, the water spirits still report who enters them. I am not so much of a fool as to be ignorant of what humans do." "Very well," Isaac politely coughed, setting aside the greater water spirit''s implied exploitation of a loophole of an agreement she made with the royal Kirash family. "Then shall we move on to the next topic, lady Aquarius?" "Before that," Aquarius said, however, before turning to Allister. "Are you alright, Allister?" "Huh?" Allister blinked. The greater spirit had an impression of a mother fawning over her child who had scraped his knee. Quite unexpected coming from her until he considered... "I think, it is because lady Aquarius wished to." "Yes, yes I am," Allister answered. "My family are too. The Court Wizards has shown us nothing but their utmost hospitality." "I see," Aquarius smiled warmly. Then she turned to the spirits. "Are you alright as well, Layla, Neptune? You can say what you truly feel." "Er..." Layla uttered awkwardly. Taking a glance at the Court Wizards who merely gave up on her, she confessed, "it''s fine, I guess? Kinda stuffy though..." "It''s scary! And uh... can''t breathe there!" Neptune, being mentally younger than Layla, said so nonchalantly. Earning wry smiles from the Court Wizards, he quickly hid behind his namer with an "eep!" upon realizing it. "Hehe, I suppose you cannot have everything," Aquarius chuckled, setting the matter aside. She most likely assumed the two water spirits were here to return, so whatever happened at Manegia wouldn''t matter anymore, unlike the Illyer. "You are not coming back, are you not, Allister?" "My king had betrayed me," Allister shook his head. "We have no place here anymore. Not even prince Albert, he felt deeply hurt by his father''s betrayal even if he did not show it." "I see," Aquarius said in a somber tone. "This is nostalgic, yet it is not. The first Illyer I had met was named Allister. His brother, the king, was coincidentally named Albert. Centuries ago, they worked together. Here, it was the exact opposite and not at the same time..." Right, the former comatose king was named Albert too. Huh, why is that? Oh yeah, royals do like naming their kids their own names multiple times. (Joshua) The current Allister, meanwhile, was a bit downcast. He had worked with Albert the prince yet essentially going against Albert the king, who the duke once called his dear friend, by going against his favorite son Van. "But well," Aquarius continued, closing her eyes. "As long as you are all alive and well somewhere, out there, I can be satisfied with it." "I see..." Allister muttered. "It is good to see you alive and well, Allister," Aquarius smiled. "Yes, thank you, lady Aquarius," Allister responded in turn. "You know, the Allister back then had called me Aqua," Aquarius side-noted. "It was the original name the other greater spirits call me so I would like for you to refer me that." "I... what!?" Like the other two spirits, Allister was pretty much scandalized by the idea of addressing the greater spirit in such a casual way. "I-I cannot possibly do that!" "Hehehe," Aquarius chuckled. "Well, it did take the first Allister a while to call me that, but I insist. You will not be returning after this, after all." With that argument, and not wanting to offend the greater spirit at perhaps the last meeting, Allister stuttered out, "R-Right, l-lady Aqua..." "Drop the ''lady''." "Apologies, Aqua." "Good, is that not so hard?" Aquarius smiled. I''d never imagined seeing the greater water spirit like this. Layla and Neptune look like they''re about to faint, Ronald messaged, eyeing at the other two spirits. Yeah, Aquarius looked overbearing the first time we met. (Joshua) Well, boys, even we of the aristocracy would wish to drop formalities every now and then, if one is not those kinds of nobles. For the greater spirits who were once humble fae, they would certainly miss their childhood selves. (Isaac) "Now then," Aquarius turned to the Court Wizards after the short detour. "Where were we?" "About the second prince and the royal Kirash family, lady Aquarius," Isaac reminded. "Ah, yes," Aquarius recalled. "I was about to deal with him and the royal family before you all arrived." This, of course, was the last thing everyone had expected to come out of the greater water spirit''s mouth. Since the birth of Spiri Raia, the greater spirits have always been impartial, never meddling with human affairs so long it was not malicious to all. "Huh?" "Hm!?" "Eeh!?" For Aquarius to go against that was like the apocalypse as reflected on Allister''s and the two named spirits'' expressions. The greater spirits'' neutrality was held in that high of regard. "Why the change?" Isaac calmly inquired. This, of course, was a fact the Otherworldly Court knew too, so it was unsettling for the Court Wizards to hear too. "Because I am frankly tired of this farce," was all Aquarius needed to say. "What do you mean, lady- er, Aqua?" Allister asked before realizing. "Ah, I see..." Then again, there were the blessings and the sigil (or seal as the Illyers had called it) the greater spirits occasionally allowed. Those objective reasonings Ronald and Joshua had prepared probably fell on deaf ears when Aquarius had given her sigil. ""Eeh...!/Hii...!"" The other two spirits, however, were still in disbelief. "So even greater spirits frustrate over wants and must," Isaac commented. "We too often attempt to meld the latter to the former to justify it," like the orphanage rescue which was still, in the end, justified with the purpose of dealing with those mercenaries (though Ronald couldn''t recall giving that reasoning back then). The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Even we used the war Van wants to wage to convince Aquarius to give us her seal. And protecting the Illyers. (Joshua) "Well, we were here with duke Illyer in hopes of convincing you that, so this makes it easier. Anyway, what had you planned for the second prince, lady Aquarius?" Isaac inquired. "Oh, I will simply destroy him and the main royal family," Aquarius answered nonchalantly. "But prince Albert is spared, of course, I had assumed he was dead initially." "W-What!?" Allister almost spat. Everyone else was more or less had the same sentiment. Whoa, Aquarius'' means business! (Joshua) So much for impartiality... "That would be too much, lady Aquarius," Isaac reasoned. "Our original goal is to prevent the war prince Van plans to enact and keep the balance of power between human nations. For you to commit regicide against the entire family will leave a power gap that could invite the Fichs to invade instead, defeating the purpose." "Yes," Allister also pleaded. "The royal family may have betrayed me, but even I do not wish them dead - most of us are still alive, in the end." "Then what do you suggest?" Aquarius demanded. "Give them a stern warning?" "No," Isaac shook his head. "But perhaps these young men can elaborate." He lazily waved his hand over to Ronald and Joshua.
PIING "Bye, bye!" Neptune waved his little hand in tears as the rainbow light engulfed his namer along with the Court Wizards, disappear for good. "Well, they are gone now," Aqua said, feeling a bit melancholic seeing off the Illyer. "I never knew those two boys could come up with something so simple yet bizarre was to solve our problem." "Y-Yeah..." Layla smiled wryly. "Very surprising, haha..." With the Court Wizards and the duke transference away from this world, it would have been the time for the spirits to go on their separate ways, with the greater spirits preparing the plan Ronald and Joshua had proposed to her, however... "You know, Layla, it was impressive how much you have grown," Aqua then said. "Huh?" Layla turned her head to the greater spirit, confused at the sudden shift of topic. "You too, Neptune," the greater spirit simply continued. "Uh?" Neptune tilted his head. Aqua then motioned to a piece of rock on the side, which had broken down from erosion. "You were just a little spirit hiding behind than rock when I have fought with those Court Wizards decades ago, Layla. I believe Neptune was but a little wisp right behind you." "Ehehehe..." Layla laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Ungh..." Neptune stared nervously. "And here I see you now as a candidate for my successor, the fastest among your peers, very astounding," Aqua praised, then turned to the intermediate spirit. "You have also matured into a fine spirit too, Neptune." "I... thank you?" was all Layla could say. Neptune had stopped making noises of confusion by this point. "However," Aqua contrasted. "You two never gotten over your fear of the Court Wizards, have you not?" That struck a chord on the two. "Well, I suppose I did not help with that," Aqua closed her eyes. "I was actually holding back to not be excessive, but they were too. We gradually increased our force as a result, making it appear we were on even ground. It was my bad, but you should have placed more trust in me," she pouted. "Ehehe..." Layla smiled awkwardly. Neptune lowered his head in embarrassment. "But, the events today have shown me that you two have gotten better," Aqua continued. "Huh? We do?" Layla blinked. "You were not half-fainting the entire time the Court Wizards were here," Aqua elaborated. "It is clear the entire year has lifted some of your past trauma, the both of you." Layla and Neptune contemplated this. By their expressions, they must have been remembering every last detail of their altercation with the two Court Wizards for them to make their conclusions. "Y-Yeah, I guess we do," Layla answered. "I see," Aqua nodded. And for the finale part. "Now tell me, what was your farewell with your namer? Neptune did say you had shouted a declaration to her before returning here." Before the kaleidoscopic light the Court Wizards used to traverse through worlds was shined once more, Allister and Neptune had a bit of a farewell before the former disappear from Spiri Raia for good where the latter made a promise to his namer. He stuttered a lot in it, but what''s important was what Neptune had said in the last part.
"I-I''ll make you proud! Like what Layla said!"
That could only imply one thing. "E-Er..." Layla fidgeted. Clearly what her promise to her namer, Irene ir Illyer, was spoken at the last minute, giving her no time to decide her choice of words. "It is alright, take it slow," Aqua calmed her. Eventually, Layla answered, "I-I promised her that I will keep moving forward even if she''s no longer with me and also cherish the name (and hers) she gave me and make it great (never be forgotten). Even if she''s not here to see it, I will make her proud." It was modest actually, many named spirits whose namers were about to pass on promised them to preserve and spread their legacy. That was also what Neptune had told to the duke. So really, it was pretty standard. But, it is good enough, Aqua smiled as she said this, "Then I, First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spirit Raia, shall appoint you, Layla, as my successor. Congratulations, you are now the greater spirit heir." Layla did a spit-take, it was all too sudden. "W-Why me!?" she almost shrieked. "Well, Neptune is still an intermediate spirit and therefore not eligible," Aqua explained while eyeing the wide-eyed Neptune. "While you have not lifted all of your fears against the Court Wizards, it is better than your peers, and your time with said Court Wizards is a valuable experience in this brave new world. In due time, I am sure you will be a splendid greater spirit." "R-Really?" Layla widened her eyes. "I would have made the first Illyer''s named spirit the heir," Aqua confessed. "But he was not interested and along with the others has yet to let go his prejudice against his namer''s once corrupt descendants until it was too late. So really, you are the best candidate in mind. "Besides, you said you want to make your namer proud, right? Then becoming the second greater water spirit is the highest honor one could have. So what do you say?" she offered. "Will you shoulder the burden of watching over the water territory when I am gone? And Neptune, will you support her in her great task that is to come?" It took a great deal of time for the two spirits to make their decisions. But eventually, they did. "Y-Yes! I accept!" Layla exclaimed. "O-Okay!" Neptune also shouted. "Wonderful, a great future awaits!" Aqua smiled. In Spiri Raia, year 905, history was made. Even though it had been caused by a tragedy, whose happy ending shall never be known for closure, it had founded the territory of the greater water spirit its successor. Sure, she may still be a bit wet behind her ears, but her drive will make her great. A momentous event indeed. "Now then, to face the current problem at hand," Aqua narrowed her eyes at a certain palace on the great pond.
It was coronation day and Van was waiting in his room outfitted in the finest robe of the Kirash kingdom. He felt quite giddy, to be honest, and could be forgiven for that. All of his opponents were defeated, his half-brother Albert was dead, and his father the soon-to-be-former king had approved him to be the next ruler. He was truly destined for greatness. "A shame duke Illyer had to go," Van spoke aloud, readjusting his shoulder pads. "But as father said, sacrifices must be done." To achieve this day, Van had to remove one last obstacle in his way, the ducal house of Illyer. They were a prestigious house, one that became the bulwark of Kirash against the Fichs empire that have conquered every nation of the water territory besides this kingdom. The current duke of Illyer, in fact, was a war hero who had repelled the invasion of the Fichs against all odds decades ago. Van had wanted to recruit the duke as the vanguard of his counter-invasion against the Fichs he had planned seeing the weak state the empire was in once he became king. However, the duke opposed it, even going so far as becoming the spearhead of Van''s half-brother''s claim to the throne and his influence was enough to shoulder its weight alone, so he had to go. "It was very troublesome eliminating him," Van sighed. "But it has been done. I can breathe easier now." With the unfortunate fact that knocking down all of Albert''s supporters but the Illyers wasn''t enough, Van had to eliminate the duke as well, but it was easier said than done. Van didn''t know why, but every attempt he had made to undermine the duke had failed. He had tried every method imaginable that he didn''t want to recall anymore, but the duke still stood. Of course, this had extended to Albert as well, being around the duke most of the time. Though even if it''s otherwise, Van had refrained from committing regicide or anything less than that against his half-brother to avoid the public fallout if he did so. This had gone on for a year when everyone else had been pegged down within a few months that Van probably had grown a few grey hairs. It was only after father the king had woken up that the second prince could finally defeat the duke, by burning the Illyer mansion killing all of its residence inside. "Though I never knew father could have suggested something so simple yet so farfetched in our minds," Van said to himself as he checked his buttons in front of the mirror. Perhaps it was because being a water territory inhabitant had abstained him from thinking such things. But what''s done was done, and Van even managed to pin the blame on the Fichs, giving him a legitimate excuse to declare war on them. There were a few hiccups here and there on the mansion burning, like one of his disposed subordinates in front of the mansion missing a smuggled Fichs emblem, but it didn''t matter. Give the plebeians several months of mourning, send a magistrate to put the duke''s former territory under direct control, and everything was under control. Father decided to quickly abdicate and make Van king to consolidate his position as well as moving the commoners past the death of the duke which was where the future king was today. Oh, there was also that Bell Conglomerate the duke made a partnership with that may have to do with how hard it was to eliminate him and the manner how those subordinates died, but they were sitting ducks now the duke''s gone. Van can easily make them bend to his will. "After all, now there is truly nothing else that can stand against my wa-" RUMBLE "..!" Suddenly, the furniture in the room started swaying around, breaking Van out of his cloud nine. RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE SHATTER Then, they shook violently, toppling over the place as the earth started shaking, trembling the room so much that it was a miracle the palace didn''t rip itself apart. "An earthquake, now!?" Van exclaimed as he held on to a pole for dear life, soiling his robe on the floor. Has the greater earth spirit attacked or something? Eventually, it stopped, and Van immediately rushed to the door, which had been damaged open by the earthquake, where he looked at the hallway to find his mother and fiancee rushing to him. "Prince Van!" Van''s fiancee ran over to him, never mind how she addressed him since he hasn''t been coronated yet. "Are you alright!?" "Yes, I am alright, mother," Van then turned to his mother. "How about father?" "He is fine, dear," Van''s mother nodded. "A bit shocked because of his illness so he is resting at the moment, but you need to go, Van!" "Right."
Van practically lept to the main balcony, stopping himself from falling over it using both hands on the railing, quickly scanning the state of the capital outside the palace. The earthquake had damaged the capital in more ways than one. Buildings crumbled, glasses shattered, and the denizens running around like headless chickens. "By the greater spirits...!" Van''s fiancee, not far behind him, gasped. "How horrible!" Van''s mother added. "Grr..." Van grunted at the site. "How could this happen?" The answer, however, was clear once the second prince looked up like the rest of the people. Literally floating high above the capital was a woman draped in regal garment glowing all blue. Ambient liquid floated around her as she gazed at the second prince in the most furious expression on her face. "L-Lady Aquarius!" Van widened his eyes as he recognized the woman before him, the greater water spirit. "Do not speak my name so casually!" The greater water spirit''s voice boomed throughout the capital. This was very unprecedented, never before a greater spirit has been this enraged before. Perhaps against someone who had threatened the balance of human and spirit, but Van didn''t do that. "T-The greater spirit is angered..." Van''s mother spooked. He had a feeling his fiancee clammed up in fear. After all, this has gotten everyone''s deathly afraid. "W-What did I do wrong?" Regardless, Van sheepishly stood up for himself, attempting to recover as much dignity. "What did you do wrong?" the greater spirit ticked. "You had murdered the people I blessed! All to have a war with the Fichs empire! You had even killed your own brother!" "Wha!?" Van widened his eyes, not because the greater spirit found out he was the one who orchestrated the burning, but the fact she cared. "Lady Aquarius, you have always acted impartially, even to your blessed!" "Yes, for so long I have sat idly by to everything against my blessed and I am frankly tired of it. It has gone far enough!" the greater spirit declared. "What!?" Van gaped his mouth. "You would!" "Yes, bastard child," the greater water spirit said cooly. "Just as you have wishes, I too have my own. So just this once, I will set aside my neutrality, just as I had made the blessing in the first place!" It all came crashing down. Van had assumed that for all of his plans the greater water spirit would not do anything and here she was proving everything wrong. It was a nightmare. "And that is why," the greater water spirit continued. "Because you have denied my will, I will deny the war you wanted so badly!" Then, the greater water spirit faced to her left, to the border of Kirash and Fichs, and lifted her hand.
In 905, the land of water was fractured. Through the greater water spirit''s power over water, she had separated the land of the Kirash kingdom and the Fichs empire by bursting the water beneath, splitting the earth and even the mountains apart through its sheer pressure alone, all without the greater earth spirit''s aid. In its gap was the largest body of water the world has ever seen, spanning from the fire to the earth territory, isolating Kirash and Fichs from each other. The ironic landlocked nature of the water territory meant that there are no worthy ships to cross between nations. Even then, water itself was also riddled in the harshest storm the greater water spirit has ever hailed. Thus, the only way for humans to go between nations was around it through must travel around it, other greater spirit''s territories. For an army marching to pass through another greater spirit''s territories would mean a great sin that they would surely stop. For a certain king whose anointment was tumultuous, it had ended his campaign before it had even begun. Later on, the people of Spiri Raia would name this largest pond of the world as the ''great sea,'' sign of the greater spirits'' authority. That was twenty-three years ago.
"Hm, it needs to be more... convincing," Ronald rubbed his chin, hearing the plan. "Yeah," Joshua agreed. "Like, I don''t know, split the countries with an ocean?"
"Wait! Why''s it called the ''great sea!?'' Ain''t it-" "Do not sweat the details." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 8 Interlude: In the Otherworldly Court "I must say, this palace of your organization easily dwarfs Kirash''s," Allister remarked as he strolled through the hallway. "Almost three times larger, I believe." Somewhere, Gertrude sneezed. "Hm, really?" Isaac quirked his eyebrow. "This place is just about the same size as any castle, albeit on the larger side. Why do you think otherwise?" "Huh?" Allister blinked and pointed up. "Duke Brzask, the height of the ceiling here can easily fit another floor. Quite a waste of space, to be honest." Isaac looked up, stared at the tall ceiling for a bit, and then back to the younger duke. "Ah yes, you are right." "...Not to be rude, but why have you not noticed?" Isaac asked, dumbfounded. "It has... something to do with how our founders, the First Guardians, built this castle," Allister coughed. "Because one of them was a dragon." Allister did a spit-take. "A-A dragon!?" "I see you know what they are," Allister remarked. "Then this should make things simpler." "What do you mean simpler!?" Allister exclaimed. "You are telling me that those accursed dragons were one of the founding members of your organization?" "Accursed?" Isaac blinked. "Ah yes, I recall dragons were a scourge in your world of some kind. Do not fret, our dragon was not like yours, he was much more civil." "...I see, I will take your word for it," Allister conceded. Being in an entirely different world, he shouldn''t be too narrow-minded. "But it is still uncomfortable to hear a dragon was involved in your organization''s creation." "You will not be in due time," Isaac carried on. "Now, back to what I was saying, as our dragon Guardian was not able to transform into a human form, yes there are dragons capable of that but not ours, the First Guardians had no choice but to make everything... bigger, so to speak. "They also took great care creating the illusion that this castle was not that enormous in size, though it seems to not extend beyond us Court Wizards." "I see, that would certainly explain the door within the larger door," Allister pointed at the library door which was a part of a dragon-sized door like a pet door.
"Sir Ronald?" Irene called out. "I cannot help but notice that you have not been wearing that suit of yours ever since that breakfast. You too, sir Joshua." "Hm?" Ronald raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, we do." Joshua shrugged. After that fateful breakfast a year ago in Spiri Raia, Ronald and Joshua have obviously worn different clothing other than that sweltering suit underneath their robe and cloak for every mission protecting the Illyers. Usually, it''s just whatever''s the most comfortable they picked off their closets, colorful t-shirts and the like. Right now was no different either, a collared red shirt for Ronald and a blue hoodie for Joshua, and jeans. Being in the Otherworldly Court, they didn''t wear their robe or cloak which was why Irene noticed it and pointed it out. "Why is that?" Irene asked. "Um, lady Irene?" Layla spoke up. "I don''t know about you, but those fancy suits those guys wear have got to be stuffy on top of their cloaks." "Yeah, what she said," Joshua backed it up. "I see, I have not thought of that," Irene blinked. "My apologies, you two." "It''s fine," Ronald said. However, there was also another reason he didn''t want to talk about.
"Ronald!" Alan, Ronald''s father, screamed. "That suit is expensive and you''ve just ruined it! Joshua, you are so innocent of this either, young man!"
"Yeep!" Layla yelped as the lower half of her body phased out of a podium in the courtroom. "Huh!? What happened, Layla!? Are you alright!?" Irene, broken out of her marveling over the place, went over to the spirit she named in concern. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "I''m fine, lady Irene," Layla reassured her namer. Looking at the podium. "For some reason when I pass through this thing, it gave me the jolt." "Again? This must have been the tenth time since we arrived here," Irene said. "How did this happen?" "Eh, it must be the whole place made out of some evil material or something," Layla sneered. "No worries, lady Irene, I just need to avoid phasing through objects and I''ll be fine, okay?" Over the distance, the Court Wizards looked at this seemingly comedic exchange with worried looks. "She will not be fine," Isaac shook his head. "Yes," Gertrude, the dwarf Fire Guardian, said in concern. "Manegia does not support the existence of spirits, they will have to fall to the closest part of the Fantasy Law here." "True," Isaac nodded. "The spirits'' ability to phase through objects is similar to the Power of Ignorance, an ability shared by Maneg Amalgamations. My only speculation is that those two are connected." "If that''s true, I shudder to think of the ramifications of such a thing," Gertrude grimaced.
"What is this place?" Irene widened her eyes at the ashen grounds taking the sight of the fire chamber''s balcony. "It''s the Training Grounds," Joshua casually replied. "What!?" Layla exclaimed. "It''s a freaking wasteland over there!" "It is," Ronald confirmed. "That is what happens when you have free reign over your Orders in a specific area." As he said this, explosions of maneg were set off upon the already beaten down plot of land. "Good thing the Training Grounds are soundproof," was all Joshua had to say eyeing at both lady and spirit with gaping mouths in amusement.
"So this is the Transporter Room head knight Oswald talked about," Albert, prince of Kirash, analyzed the cylindrical room with the blue projections as its light source incredulously, now that he got a good look at it, unlike last time. "Quite the sight for sore eyes, eh prince?" One of the operators, John, swirled his swivel chair, another unique piece to the prince, around, turning to Albert. "Yes," the prince nodded. "I could only imagine how you were able to bring people to different worlds with these contraptions." "Well, if you''d believe me that we used to have an AI inside this thing to help us pinpoint where to that is," John replied. "What happened?" Albert asked. While he doesn''t know what this ''ay eye'' was, he''ll find out about it later, he still got the general idea that the operation of these blue lights was much easier in the past. "The Court Wizards got into a civil war between themselves," John said. "Not a pretty sight. Lots of Court Wizards died, half of the Court got destroyed, and the Training Grounds was reduced to, well, the Training Grounds. It also fried this thing," he patted the desk of the holographic monitor. "It''s a miracle they got it back up and running." "I see," Albert nodded. A civil war that tore down nearly half of this gigantic castle and their means of world travel? That was certainly unexpected. "The Court Wizards don''t like talking about it," the operator continued. "Going so far as to call the incident nothing related to what it is, so don''t go around asking them about it, we don''t know much either."
"This is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on," Irene muttered as she sunk into the pure white bedsheet, savoring its softness. After the Illyers'' initial astonishment of the dark circular room, seeing it for themselves instead of just hearing it from the head knight, then every hallway they come across, the Court Wizards had ushered them to their temporary lodgings where Irene had a small room, smaller than her old burnt room, all for herself and Layla. "Yeah," Layla, the spirit Irene named, said as she bounced up and down on the bed by her butt. "But that bathroom''s infernal. How the heck does that metal tube thingy pour out water!?" Of course, Irene wouldn''t dare to plop herself in this bed if she was still covered in soot from the fire, so she had cleaned herself in the bathroom connected to this room. Like everything in this place, the bathroom had many contraptions she has never seen before and it would have been confusing for the young lady if not for the paintings on the wall attempting to teach her how to use them. "At least we were able to use it. Those paintings on the wall were cute though, I wonder how they were able to stay there without being washed off by the water," Irene closed her eyes, recalling one of the paintings being clearly wet from the ''metal tube'' and was still fine. "The soap was very nice too. I can smell its fragrance from my body." "I guess that''s one good thing," Layla pouted, rolling her eyes. It was a lot of new experiences for the young noblewoman: having to stand up while bathing, luckily figuring out that the water''s temperature can actually be adjusted; another metal tube pouring water onto a ceramic bowl which was supposed to be for washing hands according to the painting along with what came on the bowl and the clearest mirror she has ever seen and; the latrine, Irene felt she could never go back after using it once, even though it had given her the jolt spurting water up to her rear the first time. Naturally, after all of it was said and done, she wore a new nightwear provided in the closet, throwing her dirty one in the basket, and here she was right now. "But I still can''t help but think all of these pictures on the wall are here ''cause they''d think we''d be a bunch of dummies not knowing how to use these stuff!" Layla sneered, looking at a painting that explained the vase thing with a hat that could shine light when its rope was pulled. "Well, I am guessing this room is meant for other people like us, having to escape like that," Irene supposed. "They might not be so lucky as we are at using these tools." "Yeah, I guess there might be some guy acting like a total bumpkin so those guys had to paint all of these," Layla agreed. Ignoring Layla''s remarks - she''s probably in a bad mood having to inside the Court Wizards'' home base -, Irene looked up at the glass ball which shone like light spirit arts. "Still, these are all very fascinating, I wonder what Mia would think..." "...Lady Irene?" Layla asked her namer in concern. "Yes, I know..." Irene sighed sadly. "Mia, why..." she cried.
"However, I must say, these are very accurate illustrations," Allister remarked the photographed evidence. "Send my regard to whoever painted these." "...Sure," Isaac darted his eyes away from the younger duke who was confused by this. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 9.1: Moving in with the Illyers - Thoughts Kaomagi Earth Year 2018 Year 1421 in Manegia "You said there was a group you had migrated into Manegia before mother''s group, father," Alicia said. "I am a bit curious, who were they?" "Ah yes, I would like to know as well," Irene joined in. "You never told me, dear." "Come on, te~ll us!" For some reason, sweat trickled down on Ronald''s forehead. Clearly, he didn''t want to bring it up, but since his wife, daughter, and his daughter''s pixie (and the servants from Spiri Raia) pressed on the information, he had to relent. Voice: Wait a minute! You haven''t been putting me the entire time! Azhure: Sorry, I forgot up until now.
Osainicd Archipelago Year 341 Year 1398 in Manegia "Group seventy, you''re up!" Edward Rhaims shouted. The middle-aged man with green eyes and a combed brown hair wearing respectable clothing gestured to the clearing as the operators over in Manegia gave him the clearance. In an orderly line, the next batch of sea otters marched past the sailor while carrying their belongings. "Thank you, human," one of them in a snazzy suit said. "Group up around this circle," Joshua waved to the marked ground, his sleeves dripping seawater over it. Ready the transfer, Ronald messaged to the Transporter Room after the sea otters huddled together inside the circle. PIING Then, the kaleidoscopic light of the transfer flared up, engulfing the latest group of sea otters in it... PIING ...and transfer them to Manegia. "Okay..." Joshua panted. "How many left?" "Sixty more to go," Edward counted. "Alright, we''re almost done," Joshua stretched his arms. "How the heck did we end up rescuing a bunch of talking sea otters, anyway?" "I don''t know either," Ronald shook his head. "This world is just absurd." "It''s not that bad, you two," Edward smiled, taking a sip from his Teacup of Infinite Coffee and returning it on its Floating Teacup Saucer. "I mean, aren''t they straight out of those cartoons of your world''s?" "I do not recall one that has otters in it," Ronald deadpanned. "Nor sea otters in that matter." "Hm?" Joshua raised his eyebrow. "You have a television in your mansion, Ronald?" "Of course we do," Ronald retorted. "I see, I see," Edward chuckled. "But they could have made for a good show, better than what my son had watched," he scowled at the end of his words. "Right," Ronald smiled wryly. "Yeah..." Joshua muttered awkwardly. "Seriously," Edward grunted. "He''s already a grown man and he still talks like a child playing pretend a criminal profession. Just because I am one doesn''t make it any less bad."
That was the mission Ronald and Joshua completed before the night the Illyer mansion burned. There were tens of thousands of sapient sea otters evacuated to Manegia, though the Court Wizards only elaborated the tens of thousands part to the Illyers. "We are wholly unprepared to house the Illyers," to put it simply by Isaac. "No kidding," Joshua cringed. "And I assume we cannot stay in the guest rooms for long either?" Allister guessed. "Yes," Isaac nodded. "We needed it vacant in case another one comes after you." "I see," Allister furrowed. "That is certainly troublesome..." "Oh no..." "Then what''s going to happen to us?" "After all of us had resolved to leave our world..." The Illyers had the right to worry. After narrowly avoiding death thanks to the Court Wizards transferring them to another world only for them to bar their return, the Court Wizards saying they couldn''t let them live here was the last thing they need to hear. "We will need to find another way," Isaac stroked his chin, contemplating. "But how?" "How about we bring them to our world, Kaomagi Earth?" was what Ronald proposed.
"And why should we migrate the Illyers to an ''earth'' that is not even their original world''s sister?" Isaac narrowed his eyes. It took a good couple of minutes for everyone to comprehend what Ronald suggested. It was unheard of and definitely too much of a breach in the Otherworldly Court''s conduct, so naturally, the Ice Guardian''s reaction was as such. "Why not? It''ll solve the problem at hand," Ronald reasoned as if it was the most casual thing to do. "And besides, we''ve already rescued them, so we might as well go all the way." "You know we cannot have denizens of a fantasy world living in a scientific earth," Isaac deadpanned. "With incompatible Fantasy Laws at that!" "And it''s not like it will disrupt the balance of Kaomagi Earth," Ronald countered. "The Illyers can''t cast spirit arts without spirits with them anyway." "Even if they do migrate to Kaomagi Earth, how will they survive modern society?" Isaac asked. "Who is going to take care of them?" "I will," Ronald answered, much to everyone''s surprise. "I am the one who suggested it so obviously I''ll take responsibility too." "And what makes you think you can support all of them?" Isaac pointed at the Illyers that numbered almost a few dozen. "I am the heir of a conglomerate spanning multiple worlds," Ronald merely stated. "And said conglomerate is also a crucial part of the Otherworldly Court." "..." "..." "...You did not just flaunt your status like those ''nobles,'' did you, Ronald?" Isaac spoke with venom behind his words. "At least it''s for a good cause," Ronald reasoned. "He''s got a point, you know," Joshua remarked. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "...Alright, I give up," Isaac sighed, raising his hands in defeat. "I will allow it... but only if the other Guardians hear about this."
"The vote is two-to-one in favor of the spear," Isaac grumbled, palming his head as he slumped on his stand. "The Illyers may migrate to Kaomagi Earth..." The rusted scale in the middle of the courtroom lit up with the start of the discussion. There, the Guardians who gathered would set the terms of the spear and shield before proceeding to discuss how an incident or mission should be carried out, revising the spear and shield as it went on. At the end of it, the decision will be decided through a vote on either the spear or shield, one for each Guardian and one collectively for all the Court Wizards watching above the courtroom, twelve votes in total. Should there be a tie, the decision of the yielder shall be taken. At least, that''s how it''s supposed to go. In reality, barely half of the Guardians would attend a discussion and even more so to any Court Wizard who showed up for work, so it had to make do with the votes procured. As implied, discussions happened frequently so it would be impossible for perfect attendances - a Court Wizard still has their private lives stated by the sixth rule. For similar missions or incidents, the decision of the previous discussion was recycled unless otherwise. This time of the day, in particular, only Isaac and Gertrude, the Fire Guardian, attended along with Ronald and Joshua as the lesser Court Wizards, just four people. Ronald and Joshua managed to convince Gertrude that Ronald''s idea was a good one, tipping the scale to the spear''s favor. "Thank you, master Isaac," Ronald rubbed it in. "Master Gertrude," which was much more respectful. "You''re welcome, dear," Gertrude smiled warmly, ignoring the snide at the elderly human. "Heh, never thought you''d do that, Ronald," Joshua smirked. High up above all of this, the Illyers were understandably confused as to what just happened; being told they couldn''t live in Manegia, then Ronald suggesting his world, a bunch of terms they don''t understand, and the ensuing banter leading to a kangaroo court. They were lost for words, to say the least. Sensing this, Isaac turned up to the Illyers with a frown. "Well, duke Illyer, it appears that you and your group are to migrate to Ronald and Joshua''s world. You should start packing your belongings." That left the Illyers even more confused.
"Are you doing alright, Irene?" Ronald asked as he entered the guestroom Irene was in. After the discussion, the Illyers had laid down a while to let the decision to migrate to Ronald and Joshua''s world sink in. Although they were relieved they have somewhere to go, it was still overwhelming nonetheless. Knowing this, Ronald, being more acquainted with the eldest daughter of Illyer, decided to check on her. "I am alright, sir Ronald," Irene replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It is just a bit too much to take in." "I figured," Ronald smiled wryly. "Honestly," the noblewoman huffed. "I am sure Layla would have a field day if she was still here to see this. ''What is the big idea?'' is probably what she would say and I am inclined to agree." "Well, to be honest, I did it on impulse," Ronald scratched the back of his head. "But really, we have been through a lot, I am not going to let it end like that." Never again. "I see," Irene smiled. "I was very anxious for the past week, you know? I woke up to see the mansion burning down to just barely escape by the skin of my teeth, then twiddling my thumb as to what would happen to us and the kingdom only to hear the news we cannot stay here. "We would not be here if it were not for you, sir Ronald. In fact, it should go as far back as to when we have first met a year ago, not just protecting us, but also opening my eyes to a wider world. Hehe, it was quite an adventure for the past year, is it not?" "Hm, I guess it is," Ronald chuckled. "Yes," Irene smiled. "So, thank you, sir Ronald," giving a bow. "Y-You''re welcome," Ronald stuttered. Averting his eyes to the clock, "anyway, it will be some time before we go, shall we have lunch at Some Food Court?" "Sure," Irene nodded. "But I still cannot fathom why it was named as such." "Whoever chose the name probably did it for a momentary joke or something," Ronald replied as he let the lady out of the room first. Unfortunately, had they been to the food court much earlier, they would have seen the sea otters.
"So that''s why there''s a bunch of talking sea otters running around!?" "They are very polite though," Alicia remarked, recalling the first time meeting them. "And very adorable." "I wished I had seen them," Irene pouted.
"Hey Willow, how are you holding up?" Joshua asked. The large room where the Illyer servants stayed was particularly empty, for some reason. It was just the tall Court Wizard and the frail maid. However, quickly spying the various doors in this room has Joshua seeing a pillar of heads peeking out just as they did back in the Illyer mansion. Ignoring them, Willow replied, "I''m alright. It''s just..." The maid relaxed her hands on her lap, letting Joshua see what she was holding. "Is that the brooch the orphanage kids gave you? I haven''t seen it after all this time." "Yes," Willow nodded. "I was afraid if I damaged it while working, so I kept it in my pocket at all times." "I see..." Joshua uttered. "..." "..." "..." "...You miss them, don''t you?" Joshua said. Uncaring of the onlookers spying on them, the other maids have always done this ever since she met Joshua, Willow confessed, "I do, and now that I''m coming with you I will never see them again," as she caressed the brooch. It was a feeling shared with the rest of the servants and also the knights, as seen by the pillar of maids'' sad expressions. The Illyer family have each other and the prince his fiancee, but the servants and knights all have people left behind in Spiri Raia, their families, friends, and loved ones. The only thing they could be relieved of was that because they have ''died,'' no one would waste their lives looking for them. Even though they had pledged to follow wherever the duke will go, that fact still remained. "Yeah, it''s tough leaving behind people you know," Joshua tried to console. "Even more so for us knowing we''re responsible for it, and we can''t go back at it, not when we don''t deserve to and already having gone far enough bringing you guys to my world, a different world entirely." "Oh..." Willow downcasted. It wasn''t much encouragement, it didn''t help her to have closure in the slightest, but the Ice Court Wizard did his best. "Well, at the very least we can make sure your orphanage is taken care of..." Joshua continued before stopping. Come to think of it, Van might get petty and target the place, better put it on the list, he thought and it''s better not to say it out loud in front of the anxious maid. "I see, thank you, sir Joshua," Willow smiled. Fortunately, she did not pursue Joshua''s momentary pause. Just to be sure, though, "You know, you should probably try that brooch on at least one time," Joshua said. "Hm?" Willow raised her eyebrow. "I mean, it''s from the kids from the orphanage, right?" Joshua continued. "It''s essentially the memory of them, your cherishment of them in physical form. It ain''t good hiding it from the world, you know." "Really?" Willow looked up at Joshua''s genuine face. Then, after some contemplation, she decided, "okay," and attached the brooch on the side of her hair. "See? It looks good on you!" Joshua praised.
"So this is it, huh?" Allister muttered. The actual migration took place a few days after the agreement as Alan Bell, Ronald''s father, the current leader of Bell Conglomerate, needed to be informed of his son''s stunt and prepare for it. The Bell patriarch surprisingly agreed to the migration so the transfer was set to the Bell mansion grounds. "Yes," Isaac nodded. "With this, you will come to your new world." The Illyers have once again gathered in the dimly lit Transporter Room, huddled together along with Ronald and Joshua being from Kaomagi Earth. "We''ll be transferring right in front of my house," Ronald explained. "My dad should be home." "I see," Allister nodded, looking forward. "This will be the next chapter of our lives. From the ashes of our failures, we will be abandoning them all to move past them." "Dear..." Marisa, the duke''s wife, clutched him as he said his overly dramatic line. "Father..." Irene muttered. "Well said, duke Illyer," Albert, the former prince of Kirash, praised with his fiancee, Elaine, by his side. "We are ready to go, duke Brzask," Oswald, the head knight, reported. "Very well," Isaac nodded. Turning to the operators, "set the transfer to the Bell mansion grounds." "On it, sir," John, one of the operators, replied. The operators then proceed to prepare the transfer. "Will you be alright, Willow?" Joshua asked the maid in concern. "With the transfer, I mean." "Y-Yes," Willow answered. "I will be fine." With her frail body, she might get disoriented by the transfer, but she has experienced it before so she should be fine with this one. "Right," Joshua let it go. PIING And the kaleidoscopic light engulfed them once more.
PIING Kaomagi Earth Year 1995 Year 1398 in Manegia The light came down as the group transfer was completed. Regaining their bearings, the Illyers marveled at the sight that was the Bell mansion. "So that is the Bell mansion," Allister muttered, looking up at the mansion. "It is rather... small?" Or not. "The garden..." Marisa looked around. "It looks as if it was never maintained," she commented, observing the wilted plants and molded statues. "Where is the gardener?" "The paint is also fading," Irene added. "There are vines all over it too." "There is no one guarding the front gate," Albert said, looking behind. "Yes," Oswald nodded. "It could pose a serious problem with burglars." "This place looks abandoned," Elaine concluded. Oof. (Joshua) Already the Illyers weren''t impressed by the state of the mansion grounds, so much so they were voicing their displeasure. Ronald simply let it slide, those were the usual reactions when a guest came upon the mansion. "Sir Ronald," Allister turned to him. "Are you sure this is the right place?" "Yes, it is," Ronald confirmed, going over the front door. "I see, your mansion has a rather... unique aesthetic," Allister smiled wryly, trying to justify his and their natural reactions. "Well, follow me inside," Ronald put his hand on the doorknob. "You''ll be seeing my dad behind these doors." CREEK Filing in, the Illyers were given a glimpse at what''s inside the mansion. Much like outside, the interior of the mansion could use more work; lack of decorations, peeled paint jobs, and the amount of dust in the room. However, what the Illyers paid most attention to was at the bottom of the double staircase, where a middle-aged man with dark-red hair wearing a white shirt and red pants with a ragged handkerchief strapped on his mouth was sweeping the floor with a broom and duster. "Hey dad, we''re back," Ronald casually greeted the man with a wave. "Ah, you''re home pretty fast, Ronald, Joshua, and with the guests too," Alan Bell, Ronald''s father, leader of the largest conglomerate spanning multiple worlds, smiled. Raising his hand holding the broom, "thought I''d do some cleaning before you all arrive." 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 9.2: Moving in with the Illyers - Settling In "So you and sir Ronald are the only occupants of this house, correct?" Allister pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes," Alan nodded. "There is my father, Thomas, but he lives in the mountain villa nowadays." "And there is absolutely no one else to maintain this mansion?" Allister then asked. "Yes," Alan casually replied. "It''s just the two of us doing all the cleaning." "Indeed," Ronald confirmed as if it was the most ordinary thing to do. When the Illyers were about to meet the elusive leader of the Bell Conglomerate, they had expected many things. However, whatever expectation they had all fell moot, dumbfounded even upon seeing the man holding a broom and duster. "Then how can you clean all the mansion with just the two of you?" Marisa asked in a gasping tone. "It must have taken ages to do so!" "Oh, that''s easy. Since it''s only the two of us, we only clean the rooms we actually use; our bedrooms, my office, the bathroom, the kitchen, the dining hall, and this living room," Alan explained, gesturing his hand downward. "Oh, and also the pathway to them too." "That is... very pragmatic of you, mister Bell," was all Allister could say. "But why do you not hire servants? Is it because you needed to keep your identities as Court Wizards a secret?" "No, not really," Alan waved his hand off. "We just don''t want to waste money on house servants," he answered bluntly. At this point, the Illyers started to get a clear idea of what kind of people the Bells were. There were already signs from Bell junior and Bell senior simply cemented it. "Alright, now that just won''t do!" Among the crowd of Illyer servants, a maid spoke up. She was the oldest among the maids, most likely the head maid. "Anna," Allister called the head maid out. "I do not think you should-" "Pardon me, my lord," Anna cut him off, clearly having a no-nonsense attitude. "But the state of this mansion cannot continue for any longer!" "And what do you suggest we do?" Alan asked. "Or are you going to clean it yourselves?" "Precisely!" Anna put her hands on her waists. "Now that we are here, we might as well make ourselves useful," turning to the other maids, "right ladies?" """Yes!""" The maids shouted in unison. "Hm, sure, why not?" Alan accepted, rubbing his chin. "You will most likely pick up the same jobs as you did in your world and we could use some helping hand for once. Duke Illyer?" "I approve," Allister closed his eyes. "We will be here for a considerable amount of time, it would be preferable for this house to be cleaner." And that''s pretty much the head maid. (Joshua) I guess the position comes with a few perks. Oh, there is more where it''s coming from, boys. (Alan) "Thank you, my lord," the head maid smiled. She turned to Alan, "now, can you show us where you keep your cleaning instruments, lord Bell?" Setting aside how the head maid called him, Alan quickly caught on to what she meant and warned her, "Hm, about that," pointing at the broom and duster, "that''s the only pair we have along with the mop. We have no cleaning tools other than those."
It was only logical for the Illyers to stay in the mansion. Even if it was smaller than theirs, it was still too big for the two Bells to live in. Besides, having them live elsewhere could lead them to trouble considering their status as Visitors in a modern world. "The immigration laws enacted years ago have made it troublesome, but fortunately we were able to fake your identifications in the end," Alan breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, certainly..." Allister smiled wryly. Knowing the right kind of people and slapping them with fat stacks of cash was bound to get every Illyer their fake papers. Being the richest man on Kaomagi Earth helped that. "Anyway, now that it''s done, we can move on to the next thing on our checklist," Alan continued. "Namely, what will you do from now on." Now that got everyone''s attention. As everyone''s livelihood went down with their immigration to Kaomagi Earth, they needed a new one. For the former servants of the Illyer mansion, employment in the Bell mansion was only natural. The Bells really needed someone to take care of the mansion. As for the Illyer''s knights? Well... "Mister Clint and miss Alexa, you''re hired," Alan stated. Turning to the rest of the knights, "the rest of you, no. You guys will be wasted being mere bodyguards." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "...Huh?" Oswald blinked. In the end, Oswald and his subordinates signed themselves up in the police academy. With their discipline as knights, they should have no trouble passing. Their only hurdle should be knowing how to use a gun. "Now for the actual Illyer family," Alan said for the main part. "As arrogant as I may sound, I am certainly not going to settle for a menial job," Albert, first prince of Kirash, firmly stated. "Seconded, as presumptuous as it is," Allister added. "Fair enough, I''ll see if I can find a spot in my Conglomerate," Alan said. "However, you will need qualifications for it." "Hm?" Allister raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Official qualifications," Alan elaborated. "I''m not faking those for you, so you will need to get... educated. In fact, you all should get Kaomagi Earth education," he said to everyone.
"So, how''s your day, Irene?" Ronald asked in English. "I am fine, sir Ronald, just overwhelmed as usual," Irene sighed as she slumped on the recently stitched couch in the living room. "I never thought you have been speaking our language thanks to your Maneg Soul all this time, or the fact there are different languages in general." "Well, at least you''re fluent in ours now," Ronald smiled as a maid passed by sweeping the floor not too far behind him. It was a few months after the Illyers settled in. Those months were filled with cramming everything they possibly need to function in modern society. For one, they needed to learn English they painfully need after simply nodding and such when the shady guy Alan knew processed their fake IDs. It wasn''t too bad for the servants since they don''t need it too much for simple housework, but for the knights trying to become policemen and the main Illyers trying to get a better job? Yeah... "I still cannot believe most children younger than me learn these," Irene grumbled. "I still could not wrap my head around some of these lessons. I never thought there was more to it than adding and subtracting." "Welcome to my world," Ronald smirked, stretching his hands wide open. "Haha, very funny," Irene laughed sarcastically, something she would never do back in Spiri Raia. It must be this world or knowing Ronald''s true nature doing this to her. "Speaking of your world, I noticed it has less technology compared to the Otherworldly Court or is it because you refused to renew yours?" Especially when the bathroom was something she was more familiar with. "Our facilities in the house still work just fine," Ronald shrugged. "I don''t see any reason to replace them." "Really?" Irene raised her eyebrow. "Just like the black car lying around in the garage?"
Spiri Raia Year 905 Year 1398 in Manegia "So just knowing the Otherworldly Court increases your chances of becoming a Court Wizard?" Irene asked. "Pretty much," Ronald shrugged. "Oh no! Does this mean Irene''s too!?" Layla gasped in horror. "Anyway," Irene chuckled. "Does that mean you have known the Otherworldly Court since you were little?" "...Yes," Ronald nodded slowly. "You could say that."
"I have brought Liam with me just like you asked," Allister said with Liam, the old coachman, following behind him. "Then come inside the car," Alan told them. In the garage, there was a black car, a car that was clearly wrecked with its front crumpled down and windows shattered. In the driver''s seat, Alan was there despite its state, staring down the steering wheel without looking at the Illyers.
"My dad bought the when he saw it having a cheap price tag," Ronald began. "That is... quite like him, sir Ronald," Irene said dryly.
Ignoring the duke''s remark, Alan continued, "It was quite exciting for us, being able to drive with our car. My grandfather''s old car had broken down before that and the other cars we have were loaned to employees." "But if that''s so, why is this car broken, lord Bell?" Liam asked. Being a coachman, he would be self-conscious of the state of the carriage he drove, seeing this unrepaired car would warrant such reaction.
"One day, when we''re on our way home," Ronald answered. "My mom and dad were fighting."
"Actually, I don''t even remember what happened back then," Alan shook his head. "But as it happens I did not look at the road and..."
"...suddenly, we crashed into a truck," Ronald said. "..!" Irene gasped.
"My wife died immediately while Ronald was left critically injured," Alan closed his eyes. "The paramedics here wouldn''t be able to save him in time so I did the most sensible thing that came to my mind."
"You were transferred to the Otherworldly Court for healing?" Irene widened her eyes. "Yes," Ronald nodded. "Life Wizards along with the Death Wizards didn''t lose as much power as other Wizards do so their healing was still on the borderline supernatural."
"The Life Wizards were able to save Ronald," Alan continued. "But the damage was done."
"Dad swore off driving ever again and I''m inclined to do the same - we just pay for a taxi from then on," Ronald explained. "Since then, that car laid around the garage collecting dust. We never bothered to fix it..."
"...but I never disposed this car," Alan continued. "That would mean forgetting the memory and Court Wizards don''t forget memories."
"I still have a scar on my forehead," Ronald lifted his bangs, showing the wound. "We Court Wizards like to keep scars to remind something important to us and the Life Wizards decided this was that and didn''t heal it fully. "Anyway, that was how I know the Otherworldly Court."
"I didn''t intend to let my son know about the Court," Alan admitted. "But that event forced my hand. Must be fate indeed."
"To be honest, I was pretty excited about the Otherworldly Court after knowing despite the events that led to it," Ronald confessed. "Thinking about it makes me feel bad..." "I see," Irene muttered in downcast. "I-" "No need. Honestly, I don''t really get why you need to apologize for making someone bring up sad memories," Ronald waved it off. "It''s all not too bad since I get to meet you." "Wh-Wha!?" Irene was flustered. "D-Don''t go saying things like that out of the blue!" she stammered, fumbling her noble speech pattern. "Heh!" Ronald smirked.
For all the months living with the Bells, the Illyers had never met the Bell matriarch, just Alan and Ronald along with Thomas, the founder of Bell Conglomerate, who occasionally visited. When the Illyers asked, both father and son had always avoided the topic, leaving only the worst assumption that they wouldn''t want to bring up. But then, the Bell patriarch mysteriously called Allister and Liam into the garage where a wrecked car laid and proceeded to tell them everything. Allister doesn''t know if that meant the Bells trusted them enough to know this or- "But, there are times where wounds must be healed," Alan turned his back to face the two old men on the passenger seat. "Hm?" Allister raised his eyebrow. "Are you saying...?" Nodding, Alan turned to the old coachman, "So Liam, how would you like to drive this car once it''s fixed?" 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 9.3: Moving in with the Illyers - Living In Kaomagi Earth Year 1999 Year 1402 in Manegia "We are about to arrive at Bell manor, sir Ronald, lady Irene," Liam, the former coachman, reported, stopping the car just in front of the intersection. "Noted," Ronald nodded. "Okay, Liam," Irene replied. "Hm," Ronald rubbed his chin. "I believe this is the fourth year since you guys are here." "Oh?" Irene raised her eyebrow. "Come to think of it, yes, it is." "A lot has changed since, hasn''t it, sir?" Liam remarked. "Yeah. For one, you no longer push the brakes too hard," Ronald casually stated. "Erk...!" Liam cringed. "In my defense, guiding a horse is a lot different than being on the steering wheel." "At least he has become better," Irene pointed out. "Thank you, my lady," Liam smiled. "Yes," Ronald closed his eyes. "He does." Thankfully, since normally I''d have to prepare not the break my nose, he smiled wryly, remembering every time his body jolted forward thanks to the former coachman trying to translate his medieval driving skills to modern ones. "Oh!" Irene pointed out to the window. "It is one the knights!" On the other side of the street, Ronald can see a police officer that he recognized as one of Illyer''s former knights. The knight-turned-officer was writing a parking ticket when he noticed them and gave them a wave. After waving back, they passed through the intersection. "They''re doing pretty good," Ronald commented. "Yes," Irene nodded. "I heard Oswald had gotten a promotion recently." "Again?" Ronald muttered. "That''s pretty fast." "Indeed, young Oswald was always a hard worker," Liam said. "It''s what made him the head knight at a young age." "I see," Ronald nodded. "Speaking of promotions, I believe Albert also got another one recently as well." "Really? That is great!" Irene lightly clapped her hands. "I have not seen his highness and Elaine since they have moved to that apartment for quite some time. I wonder how Maria is faring?" A few years after the Illyers moved into Kaomagi Earth, before this year, the former prince and his fiancee, Elaine, Irene''s younger sister, finally tied the knot and have since moved out of the Bell mansion and lived together in a high-end apartment where they recently had their baby daughter, Maria. It helped that Albert was able to finish his Kaomagi Earth education in record time and landed himself a lucrative starting job in the Conglomerate. "I''m sure they''re doing fine, our dear prince''s a good job," Ronald cooed. "Your father, on the other hand, has an unexpected yet unsurprising one." It was said that the older you are, the harder it was to adapt to new technology, maybe. Anyway, the aging duke and duchess had trouble fitting into modern society compared to the younger generation. Eventually, they found a calling in this brave new world they would spend the rest of their lives in. "Father had always trained the knights himself even until his current age," Irene explained. "Mother is the one who taught me and my sister our basic education. It is sort of a tradition in our family for the parents to teach their children instead of hiring a tutor." In the end, Allister became a PE teacher in a local elementary school along with his wife being a math teacher. The duke being a warrior pretty much subjected his students to pseudo-knight training which was still just as harsh according to his former knights, giving him a reputation just as you would expect. The students in that school ended up ruing the day of the supposed fun subject. Allister''s wife, Marisa, on the other hand, received a much better welcome. She was very patient when teaching as Irene recalled and often tried to make subjects interesting to learn. She was very much loved by her students despite teaching one of the most hated subjects. "Speaking of teaching, I believe my dad is planning to build a school," Ronald remarked. "Oh?" Irene perked. "That is new." "Well, we''re a conglomerate. We always branch out to other fields," Ronald explained. "Though by the looks of it, the school won''t be finished after I inherit the company so it''ll eventually fall into my lap." "I see, then you will get lots of work in the coming future then," Irene chuckled. "Pretty much," Ronald playfully sighed. SCREECH "Sir, my lady," Liam spoke up as he slowed the car down. "We have arrived." "Oh, we are home now," Irene quipped. CREEK CREEK Immediately, the gate guards, Clint and Alexa, opened the gates to let the car in. Even after four years the gates still showed signs that it was rarely swung open for decades - the Bells used to enter through the smaller entrance. Even the black car showed its age even after being fixed. "Anyway, the bowling arcade was quite entertaining," Irene said as Liam drove the car into the garage. "I hope we can go there again sometimes." For the past four years, Ronald and Irene have been doing what they always did in the single year in Spiri Raia together but with a new twist. Instead of just a private tea party, they were able to go out in the city; dining in restaurants, shopping in malls, watching in theaters, and most recently, going to a bowling alley. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Of course, Ronald shamelessly pinched his wallet but everything was higher quality than everything in Spiri Raia so Irene had yet to adjust her sense of values. However, that didn''t detract one thing. They were dating. Even though Ronald and Irene never made it official, everybody could tell they were fond of one another, all the way back in Spiri Raia. Their constant going outs reinforced it. "Before that, there is something I want to say," Ronald said under the afternoon sky. "Meet me at the top balcony after we are done bathing."
SCREECH "Man, the traffic''s really bad here. Should have taken the other road," Joshua groaned at the red light again, putting his car on neutral. He turned his head to the seat beside him. "How are you holding up, Willow?" Strapped on the other seat was a petite lady in light clothing with a flowery brooch hanging on her light-blue hair. She looked a bit tired, a product of sitting in the car for so long, but she wouldn''t pass out because of it though. "Y-Yes, I''m fine, sir Joshua," Willow muttered, stretching her arms downwards. "The doctor said so, remember?" "Yeah," Joshua tilted his head in a shrug. "But still, it''s the principle of things." While a certain unofficial couple went out to have fun, Joshua and Willow went out to help with the latter''s health problems which involved seeing doctors, going to hospitals, having physical therapy sessions, and even attending yoga classes. Even now was no different, just another of her scheduled checkup. "I know," Willow sighed. "But thank you for worrying about me," she smiled. "You''re welcome," Joshua replied as the traffic light turned green. VROOOM "You know," Willow spoke up. "It''s been five years since we''ve met." "Eh?" Joshua perked as turned into a converging pathway. "Yeah, it''s been a long time, huh?" "Yes," Willow nodded. "And I still feel like it was yesterday when I almost dropped the tray only for you to catch it. I was actually frightened with every step with the tray as those bandits threatened me to poison the drinks which I didn''t do." "Right." Joshua made a turn. "So those guys told you to gut the duke instead." "Yes," Willow smiled melancholically. "And I would have done a grievous sin if not for you stopping me." Looking at both of her hands, specifically her wrists. "Though it really hurt when you gripped me." "Eh, sorry about that," Joshua smiled wryly. "It''s alright, it''s all in the past," Willow shook her head. "After all, you did save my orphanage afterwards, but..." "..." With a trail off like that, Joshua was all but not expecting anything pleasant. "Well," Willow decided to explain. "After years living here, I have learned the culture of this land, and after hearing stories of your exploits I had realized one thing." Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Willow asked, "When you came to save my orphanage, that was the first time you have killed, isn''t it?" Stopping at another red light, Joshua merely sighed and said, "It... has something to do with her." "Who?" Willow blinked before realizing. "Oh..." "She''s the one who''s doing all the killing while Ronald and I just sit in the sidelines like chicken," Joshua continued. "...We were too ignorant of her pain until it was too late." "I see..." Willow lowered her head in downcast. "So, at that time, I agreed with Ronald to start killing as messed up as it sounds," Joshua groaned. "But, we did it to try to understand her." "...How was it?" Willow asked, pressing her lips afterwards. "We felt absolutely horrible and swore to ourselves to never let our future kids do the same," Joshua deadpanned. "Oh..." Willow sobbed, no doubt feeling guilty for leading Joshua to this. "I-" "But, I wouldn''t regret it," Joshua then interrupted. "All of it was done because we wanted to and it was worth it. Sure, we didn''t get our original objective but at least we were able to protect the Illyers to the end and get to live together in here Kaomagi Earth." As Joshua slowly stopped the car in front of the Bell mansion gates, where the gate guards Clint and Alexa were there to greet them, Joshua turned to the maid to say, "And most importantly, I get to meet you." "I see..." Willow blushed. Closing her eyes with a smile, she then gave a "thank you..." "You''re welcome," Joshua smiled back as he unlocked. CLICK As Willow opened the door and was about to step out, she stopped. "What''s wrong, Willow?" Joshua asked, naturally confused. Pondering down, Willow kept this posture for a good couple of seconds. The gate guards were coming to her in concern. SHUT Then, the maid pulled her foot back in before closing the door and turned back to Joshua. "Sir Joshua," Willow said. "Before I go, I want to say something. I-I think I-" "Before that," Joshua interrupted. "I also want to say something to you too, although ough this place isn''t exactly the best to say it, it''s good enough."
Dressed in casual house wear, Irene peeked out of the balcony door to see Ronald already there, resting his arms on the railing and staring at the setting sun. "I am here, sir Ronald," she greeted him. "I hope I did not make you wait too long." Turning back, "No, you''re right on time," Ronald replied as he went over to her. "I see. So, what is it that you want to say to me?" Irene asked. "Especially when in a fancy place such as this." Ronald didn''t reply and simply kept going. Once he was right in front of the former noblewoman, he dropped to his knees and pulled out...
"Is, is that a ring?" Willow widened her eyes. "Yeah, it is. Not exactly saying but showing," Joshua chuckled as he held out an opened, little red box where a ring with a small diamond engraved to it laid to Willow. "But I digress. Willow, I..."
"...love you," Ronald confessed in front of Irene who covered her mouth in a gasp. "Will you..."
"...marry me?" Joshua smiled.
Kaomagi Earth Year 1999 Year 1402 in Manegia DONG DING DONG DING DONG Church bells rang as Elaine Kirash, holding her infant daughter, Maria, along with her husband, Albert Kirash, marched down the pathway, spreading flowers from a basket the flower man carried as they went. A bit unorthodox but permissible. CREEK CREEK The church doors swung open, revealing the bride-to-be accompanied by her father. "You are just like your mother on our wedding day," Allister, in a white suit, smiled at his daughter, wearing the most beautiful gown he has ever seen. "Ready to go, Irene?" "Yes, father," Irene nodded under her veil. "Let us." Nodding, Allister turned to his other side to see a more petite lady in the same dress as his daughter. "Willow," he said. "Despite your shortcomings and tribulations, you have grown so much from it. Even though your parents may not be able to watch you in this world, I am sure they are proud of you." "Lord Illyer..." Willow muttered, shedding a tear under her veil. "Thank you..." "You are welcome," Allister smiled. "And as such, allow me to accompany you to your groom as well." They marched along the flowered path, with the servants and former guards of Illyer and all of those who are related to the people in this place at the seats, where at the end of it, Ronald and Joshua were there beside the altar, clad in the finest suits the world has ever seen. "Ooh, my daughter has all grown up!" Behind the grooms, Marisa, Irene''s mother, squealed. "I was so worried Irene would never find her happiness." "I as well," Alan, standing at the opposite end of the Illyer matron, added. "Well, I''ll be," an older man beside Alan stated. Though his hair was greyed, it still held the tinges of its former crimson color. This was Thomas Bell, Alan''s father, Ronald''s grandfather, founder of Bell Conglomerate, and the first Bell Court Wizard. "I would have never imagined my grandson marrying a fine lady from another world if it weren''t for little miss Rose showing up as I was scraping for food." "Well, I still can''t believe this is what my son was doing all along," a middle-aged woman sighed, gripping her purse tightly. Jerking to the current leader of Bell Conglomerate. "I knew your offer to my son when you showed up in front of our doorstep was too good to be true. What''s worse you roped Joshua into that farce." "Guilty as charged," Alan smiled wryly. "Please excuse my son''s actions, misses Ruze," Thomas apologized with a chuckle. "Call me Matilda, dear," Joshua''s mother hushed. "But still, it warms my heart knowing my son was doing alright with someone to spend the rest of his life with to boot. I was worried for his future ever since my husband died, you know." "Oh!" Marisa gasped. "My condolences..." "It''s alright, dear," Matilda waved it off. "Besides, this is a happy occasion, no need to be so hung up on it." "Yes," Thomas laughed as if he were Santa. "Indeed." You know we can hear you guys, right? (Joshua) Yes, we are right in front of you. (Ronald) The two men smiled wryly as their future wives reached the altar where they stood. From then they know, this was the next chapter of their lives. And they exchanged vows. 5, 23, 29 Ronalds Collection Chapter 10: To Each of Their Ends Spiri Raia Year 909 Year 1402 in Manegia "Damn it, how did it come to this..." Van va Kirash, king of the Kirash Kingdom, sighed as he slumped into his chair, nursing his head with a frown. It was dead in the night inside his office with only a few candlelights lighting the room as it was a new moon. Van couldn''t sleep as a result of his growing stress of managing the kingdom. The kingdom he barely held onto by a thread. Ever since the greater water spirit Aquarius denounced him four years ago, going so far as to split her land into two with the great sea as the people had begun to call it, Van''s days as the king had been nothing but a struggle to keep his power. "It was nothing short of a miracle all of those nobles are still under my control," Van muttered, watching his twiddling hand. "Even then they are starting to slip from my hands." That and because Van was the only heir to the throne left after his father passed away shortly after the great sea''s creation and since he killed his brother, Albert, along with his only supporter, the Illyer duchy. Illyer. "...for so long I have sat idly by to everything against my blessed and I am frankly tired of it..." "Damn her..." Van cursed in blasphemy. The greater water spirit had always batted an eye to whatever happened to the Illyers, the family she supposedly blessed, because of her impartiality. Van had believed it''ll be no different when he eliminated them. As it turned out, greater spirits were not so different than humans after all. Just like that, Van''s reputation plummeted. His coronation was not greeted with cheer but with scorn knowing what he did to secure the throne and fear of the greater water spirit''s wrath and abandonment for letting him be king. Even his subordinates who were indebted to him were casting doubts. And that''s not even going over how the water spirits treated the royal family nowadays. "Hah..." Van sighed, leaning his upper body downward. "It will only get worse here..." "Maybe not, your majesty," came from behind. "Who said that!?" Van exclaimed, practically jumping from his seat, reaching his hand for a blade. "No need to be so alarmed, your majesty," he said. "I wish you no harm." Under the hidden moon was a hunchbacked figure, garbed in an old, decrepit cloak that covered his entire being. Van couldn''t see his features due to the dim light but he was sure this figure was an old man judging by his voice. "Greetings, your majesty," the old man gave a bow. "This one is called Typhon and I have come bearing a proposal for you." Van was skeptical of this Typhon. Not only did he manage to get past all the guards and infiltrate his office, he even had the gall to act like a suspicious man trying to trick a child into accepting his invitation.! There was no reason to trust this old man. Regardless, Van gave him the formality. "And just what is this proposal of yours, Typhon?" he nearly spat. "The greater spirits have wronged you, have they not?" Typhon stated, half sneering at two particular words and half chuckling. He refers to all of the greater spirits, strange, Van thought. Regardless, with a verbal tick, he truthfully admitted, "Yes, she did." "Then I believe my offer will interest you," Typhon chuckled, no doubt he was smiling ear to ear under that hood of his. "Once upon a time, I too have been denied of my birthright by the so-called greater spirits. Now, I live solely to wrest them of their thrones and I have just the means to do it." Knowing what he implied, Van gave the old man a scoff of doubt. "And just what do you think you have that can go against the greater spirits?" he sneered. "And why need my help?" Typhon merely snickered. "How about I let you see it for yourself?" he said and opened his cloak, pulling out something underneath it. GRRAHH GRRAAHH "W-What is this!?" Van widened his eyes. It was a small cage, housing a purple... entity growling and thrashing about. It was clearly malevolent, an anomaly in the world, a complete abomination to everything good in Spiri Raia. It unnerved the young king, he wanted to lurch out his dinner at the sight of it. "This, your majesty," Typhon presented. "Is the key to secure your power and exact revenge upon the greater spirits." In every fiber of his being, Van knew this was wrong. He was treading dangerous grounds here and one false step could lead to disaster. By all means, he should have called the guards to arrest this man or better yet, slay him then and there, and yet... "Tell me more," Van deviously smiled.
Kaomagi Earth Year 2002 Year 1405 in Manegia Winter "Willow is... dead!?" Ronald widened his eyes. "Yes," Joshua sobbed as he looked downcast from the hospital waiting chair. In his hands was the flower brooch his late wife had always worn on her hair. His mother, Matilda, was beside him, comforting him. "The childbirth''s too much for her." "No..." Ronald palmed his head in frustration. "Two of my children didn''t make it and Alicia barely did. Now it''s her." "I shouldn''t have let her get pregnant," Joshua lamented. "But she really wanted us to have a kid together." "Is this our punishment for rescuing the Illyers?" Ronald slumped to the opposite metal chair with an audible thud. "For violating the world order so much?" "Is it really...?" Joshua contemplated. "Now don''t you young men believe that," Matilda scolded. "There is nothing wrong with saving others. This is none of your faults." "Thanks, mom," Joshua smiled a bit. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Right, misses Ruze," Ronald nodded. Looking at Joshua, "then, what''s his name, Joshua?" he asked. "...Owen," Joshua answered. "Owen Willows Ruze. Honoring our friend... and my wife." "Yes," Ronald agreed, just as he named his daughter Alicia Emilia Bell. Just as they named what Emilia Willows left behind.
Summer "You called, lady Bell?" Tia said as she entered the room. "Ah," Irene noticed while on her seat, turning to the young maid. "You are here, Tia. Come over." "Right," Tia nodded, filing into the room. "Eh, ye!" A giggling sound came from the crib that was beside Irene. Inside was a baby girl, all snuggled up in red wool. She has a vibrant red hair like fire, an irony given her mother''s background, and bright blue eyes like water adorning her round face. Tia had to hold herself from cooing at the infant inside the crib, it would be very unrefined of her. "What is it that you wish for, my lady?" she asked. To that end, Irene simply answered while caressing her daughter, "Well, your sister, Mia, had always accompanied me as I grow up." There was a pang within Tia''s heart hearing her dead sister''s name while knowing what the Bell matriarch was going to ask for. Putting those feelings aside, she soldiered on. "Very well, my lady. If that is your-" "Wait," Irene gently stopped her, making the maid blink. "Before you answer, allow me to explain. Sit there," she said, pointing at the other chair in the room that was prepared for the maid who chose to stand instead. "..." Tia silently sat as her lady commanded. "When I was born," Irene began, still caressing her child. "My parents knew because we were a ducal family, we would be almost untouchable. They were worried if I would grow up having no one with me other than my family." Looking at Tia solemnly, "that is why they decided to hire your sister, not just as my personal maid, but also as a friend." "...Ah," Tia muttered. It was a simple but earnest reason and that alone fully explained to her why Mia had to be separated from her when they were children, why Mia had to go with the duke to work as a maid-in-training. Sure, Mia visited her family from time to time, but the point still stood. "So when Mia died to save me," Irene continued, "I..." until she couldn''t. "I..." "I-It''s alright, lady Bell," Tia tried to hold back her sob, understanding what Irene was conveying. "It''s alright..." "...I see. Thank you, Tia..." Irene wiped her tear. Looking back at her daughter, "so, when I see my daughter, I have a feeling that she may end up just like me, but worse. After all, she might be my only child." "..." Tia pursed her lips, knowing full well why Irene said so. "While there is Maria, it is not like they will see each other every day and they are still cousins," Irene continued. "And I am not confident of Willow''s child with sir Joshua." "I see," Tia nodded in understanding. "But, this is also for you," Irene then said. "...Huh?" the maid blinked. "It is not like I did not notice how Mia''s passing affected you, Tia," Irene smiled in melancholy. "Ah," Tia realized. Yes, ever since her sister''s death, Tia has become increasingly rigid, taking orders and doing her work like a lifeless doll. Even now she was going to accept Irene''s supposed request to be baby Alicia''s personal maid without a second thought! She knew what she was heading down to, but she can''t help it. She didn''t know what to do ever since Mia''s death. "You would be in a larger age gap with Alicia compared to me and Mia, but that is fine," Irene continued. "So..."
"...I want to personally ask you, miss Mia," Allister said to the little girl. "Will you..."
"...be Alicia''s friend?" Irene smiled. It''s just like when lord Illyer asked Mia, Tia gulped. Looking at Irene''s expression patiently waiting for an answer, she felt... conflicted. Eventually, like always, she gave her answer. "...When lord Illyer came to our house all those years ago, it was very surprising for us. We would never think that the duke would visit our home, much less giving big sister a job proposal." "I suppose it would," Irene chuckled. "Though I wonder why father chose Mia of all people? I never know why." "Oh, lord Illyer bluntly stated that big sister was just a bit older than you and was the first person chosen at pure random," Tia deadpanned. "I-Is that so?" Irene smiled wryly. "Anyway," Tia continued. "Lord Illyer told my big sister that she can quit the job whenever she wants, so she tried it. Well, as you know, she ended up staying." "Yes," Irene muttered and she was thankful for that. Before Layla, before Elaine, there was Mia when she was alone. Irene couldn''t have made it without her. "Every time she comes back to visit us, she mostly talks about you, my lady, and she always seems very happy about it," Tia then said, earning a raised eyebrow from the lady. "That''s why I signed up to be duke Illyer''s maid. I wanted to know what is it that makes big sister want to continue to work in the Illyer mansion and it couldn''t be the money since daddy has always been providing us enough food for the table. "But most importantly," looking at Irene straight in her face, "I wanted to know what big sister sees in you, lady Bell." "..." Irene said nothing, just listening to Tia''s confession. "But, looking at young mistress Bell, I''m beginning to understand why," Tia then said, watching the infant falling asleep with twinkling eyes. "Does that mean...!?" Irene beamed up, slowly standing from her seat. "Yes," Tia stood from her seat as well. "I would like to know how it''s like to be Alicia''s friend!" she smiled.
Kaomagi Earth Year 2010 Year 1413 in Manegia "So, how''s it going, Ronald?" Joshua greeted as he put his can beside him on the bench. It was a quiet evening in the public park, so Ronald decided it would be a perfect time to have a private talk with Joshua about everything that has been going on for the past couple of years. With real-life catching up on both men, they hardly had an opportunity such as this. "Yes, all things considered," Ronald replied, sitting next to his tall friend. "Do you have another can?" "Yeah, I bought another one so we can drink together." Joshua pulled out another can from the plastic bag hanging onto the bench. "Here you go." "Thanks." Ronald received the can and opened it with a CLICK and HISS. After gulping it, he said, "so, it''s been a while since we can talk alone like this, huh?" "Yeah," Joshua agreed, taking another sip of his canned drink. "We sure have been busy, haven''t we? Even though we barely show up in the Otherworldly Court nowadays." "Never mind how we swore to never talk about it in front of our kids either," Ronald smiled wryly. "Yeah," Joshua smirked back. "And even then, a lot of things still happened over there." "True," Ronald looked up at the evening sky. "We were recruited right at the end of our generation, after all." "Yeah, it really sucks seeing our Masters we know and love passing on one year to the next," Joshua said in a somber tone. "Still, I don''t really get how we get to retire because of that. What if I was recruited one day before the next generation hits? I can immediately show up for work once a year after that?" "That''s what happens when you deal with something really old, even though the Otherworldly Court only exists for over three hundred years," Ronald chuckled, gulping his drink afterwards. "You always said that." "You got that right," Joshua chuckled back, shoving his can near Ronald on reflex. "Still, who knew Aqua of all people would take Master Gertrude''s spot? She''s a water spirit, a water spirit!" "Well, as you said, the Mother Souls work in mysterious ways," Ronald remarked cryptically. "Quite a surprise in the new year after your son was born." "Yeah," Joshua sighed, taking another round. "...Hey Ronald, was it a good idea that we don''t tell our kids anything about this at all?" "...Hm," Ronald looked away. "I still believe so. It''s better they are spared through all of the trouble we went through. Let them lead a normal life." "Sure," Joshua said, leaning forward. "But I don''t think that''s gonna last forever." "Hm?" Ronald turned his head to Joshua. "Remember," Joshua explained. "Even if we never tell our kids about the Otherworldly Court, our existence alone means they''ll eventually-" CRACK ""...!"" Ronald and Joshua both heard an awful sound right behind the bench they sat upon. CRACK "Rupture!" Joshua exclaimed, shooting up from the bench, dropping his can of drink to the bench. Ronald followed suit. CRACK Both men looked behind their backs as they retreated, seeing the unnatural crack in reality just behind the bench. It seeped out an array of colors, before settling on black like the polluted sky. BOOM The crack exploded into a wormhole and it began to draw in everything in its wake. The only witnesses to this dreadful phenomenon gritted their teeth. WHIRL WHIRL SNAP The bench bolted to the ground was ripped apart, being tossed into an unknown world along with the drinks on it. Soon, Ronald and Joshua would join it as they had nothing to prevent them from- CREME~ CREME~ "What the!?" Ronald exclaimed as he felt a cold sensation below him. Looking down, he found from his feet to knees encased in layers upon layers of ice maneg, firmly implanting him to the asphalt ground. Knowing the creator of this Order, he immediately turned to him. "Joshua!" he then screamed, reaching his hand out. Unfortunately, Joshua was off the ground and the rupture spared him no more time to improvise a new Order. Not even continuously ordering [Eject] can let him outrun its pull - many Court Wizards had tried this before and failed. All he could do was to catch the hand of his junior he saved first. "Ronald!" he exclaimed, swinging his hand to Ronald''s. He missed. "No!" Ronald screamed, leaning forward as much as he could, desperately reaching his partner''s hand. "Damn..." Joshua, on the other hand, sighed in resignation. "Take care of Owen for me," he smiled before the vortex consumed him. BOOM The vortex collapsed, its force blowing Ronald away as the [Ice Layer] disintegrated with the loss of its Court Wizard. "Joshua..." was all Ronald could say as he weakly lifted his body to see what remained of his long-life partner and friend. That was eight years ago. 5, 23, 29 Mid Collection Chapter S: Regarding Aqua Becoming the Fire Guardian Spiri Raia Year 913 Year 1406 in Manegia "I can sense the Mother Soul, it should be close by," Ronald narrowed his eyes as he marched through the land of the water spirits once again. "Yes," Rose Bloodlight, the vampire Fire Court Wizard beside him, confirmed. "I wonder who our new Master will be?" It was one loss to the next. The fifth generation of Court Wizards had a good run, but it''s now coming to an end starting with the Earth Guardian''s death five years ago. The Earth Guardian was replaced by Xiao Yong Gang, a kid from the Eastern Dynasty - there''s always one Guardian from the Four Nations of Manegia. From then, the rest of the Guardians slowly died one by one from old age. Today''s no different. A few weeks ago, just the year before, Gertrude died peacefully with the Fire Court Wizards at her side. At the turn of the new year, they all sensed the Mother Soul of Fire had picked her next host. To ensure that there''s no trouble in recruiting the new Guardian, the Mother Soul always find a host in worlds Court Wizards had already encountered before and sent a [Telepathy] which world it had gone into to her Court Wizards. And the Fire Mother Soul happened to pick Spiri Raia, the site of the last operation before the start of the sixth generation. That was why Ronald was here again because he was familiar with these lands - his first mission was even in this world. Joshua would have come too for the same reason despite being an Ice Court Wizard, but recent events before Gertrude''s passing prevented him from going, so Rose came instead, being the most experienced Court Wizard still showing up for work since the fourth generation. "But I wonder why we''re picking the signature in the middle of nowhere," Ronald said, feeling there might be something wrong in the crossroads of the Kirash kingdom, the location of the signature. A lot has changed since Ronald and Joshua saved the Illyers all those years ago. For one, there was a literal ocean splitting the two nations of the water territory. Technically, it''s an oversized pond, but that didn''t stop people here from calling it the ''great sea''. It was his and Joshua''s idea to the greater water spirit as the last-ditch effort to prevent prince Van from having his war with the Fichs seeing the countries of the water territory don''t have warships, ironically. Speaking of prince Van, he did become king, so it should be king Van, but his throne was shaky at best. Ever since the greater water spirit denounced Van, he spent most of his reign trying to keep his power. Many of his allies were afraid to work with him fearing the greater spirit''s wrath. It''s only because Van had laid out a solid foundation there wasn''t an open rebellion. Even so, the Court Wizards were able to manipulate behind the scenes to get a Bell Conglomerate-aligned (or was it Otherworldly Court-aligned?) magistrate to take over Illyer''s former territory as promised to the Illyers. The Bell Branch so far was also doing pretty good, albeit stuck in its territory and have to rely on traveling merchants for information. "Yes," Rose nodded in concern. "Even without tensions in this kingdom, I highly doubt our new Fire Guardian would go out to this fields, not when they are experiencing what we had when we received our Maneg Souls." Furthermore, this was still the middle of nowhere, its routes not leading to the nearest town. No human would waltz around this place, especially with tensions in the Kirash kingdom. The only being who would walk around these parts were only spirits... "What the...?" Ronald froze in place. "Oh my!" Rose gasped with her hand over her mouth. In front of them was a middle-aged woman with a long wavy hair wearing a roman toga along with two spherical liquids floating around her. Now normally, her skin would be glowing blue, however, what Ronald and Rose were seeing now was a red spirit who was definitely the greater water spirit, Aquarius. "Hello, you two," she greeted but not in a jovial manner with her arms crossed with one finger tapping her upper arm. "Do you mind explaining... what in the cursed dragon has happened to me!?" Talk about escalating too quickly fifteen years ago.
Manegia Year 1421 "Do you know what it feels when you are in the annual meeting with the other greater spirits when suddenly, your skin turns red!?" Aqua ranted as her red skin flared up from the couch. "It was right in the middle of my talking concerning the fake ailments befalling me when the Mother Soul decided to take me over!" "LMAO!" "Eheheh..." Alicia smiled wryly. "My... condolences," Jillianis Speris, a knight from the world of Irongrad, stifled a burst of laughter. "Fufu," Rose giggled from her wheelchair. "I still remember you pulling Ronald''s shirt, you were quite unamused with the situation, Aqua." "Of course! Ignis could never stop teasing me being red like him ever since!" Aqua exclaimed. "Even more so when I never noticed the Mother Soul merging with my soul when it is the only thing I have left! Now I feel what we have been seeing in you Court Wizards." "And it''s a pretty interesting phenomenon too!" said the voice coming from the balcony. "Aah! Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" "I''m the Maneg Scientist," Amelia Rickens tutted as she waltzed into the chamber. "Not some inane egghead, [Avatar] construct." "Amelia, please do not call Voice as if she is a robot," Alicia complained. "Also, how did you come from the balcony?" "Yes," Aqua stated curiously. "There were no sounds of [Eject] and yet your signature suddenly appeared in the balcony." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "I got my ways. Way better than big brother''s!" Amelia smirked. "Want a demonstration?" "I do not wish to know about it," Jill immediately shook her head. "Boo, anyway," Amelia continued as she pulled the whiteboard to the center of the room. Where did she even get that!? was everyone''s thought. SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK "As you know," Amelia began, drawing a crude approximation of Aqua on the left before crossing a line in the middle. "Aqua is one of those people who own part of their world''s Fantasy Law." She circled the Aqua and wrote the word ''origin'' above it. "We informally call people like her the ''origin'' of that part of the Fantasy Law. We still haven''t found a term that sounds good." "Ah, yes. I remember Aqua told me about it before," Alicia recalled, never minding the last remark Amelia gave. That was during the Fantasy and Scientific Law lesson Aqua gave to her and Rin Fujiwara. Speaking of Rin, the little girl was still gathering her thoughts back in her homeworld, Rakarok-Earth World Merge, ever since the mission in Geron Yor. Alicia was still worried for her. Then Alicia remembered, "Oh, I also recall something about a copy of the Fantasy Law or something..." "Yeah," Amelia nodded, having already written ''Spiri Raia'' on Aqua''s side of the whiteboard. "Aqua''s the type that when applying part of the Fantasy Law as an origin, she gets one on her person too." She dragged a line from Spiri Raia to the word origin. "Yes, it was after our war with the cursed dragons and the subsequent reformation of our former world into Spiri Raia that we had an opportunity to reform the Laws of the world to our liking," Aqua explained. "This includes our nature as spirits itself." "Wait a minute! Didn''t you say you and the boys and girls created Spiri Raia!? Not just slap your world a new name and Fantasy Law and leave it at that!" "Does that not count?" Aqua asked with a straight face, a figurative question mark popping above her head. "I and the greater spirits did rewrite our reality, after all. Granted, we based it off of the old Fantasy Law our former races used before becoming spirits, but it is still our own. Is there a problem with that?" "No," Jill replied. "But when you worded it that way, it sounded less impressive than what you boasted before, I will be blunt." "Yes," Alicia nodded. "The impression Rin and I got was much grander when you left the details out." "I agree," Rose nodded. "You should be more specific like that next time." "Boo..." was all Aqua said in response. "Anyway," Amelia drew an arrow from Aqua to the other side that''s been labeled ''Manegia'' and explained, "thanks to this, when Aqua goes over here, her spirit arts aren''t degraded or upgraded weirdly trying to fit in with the Laws of this world much like our Orders though not applied to the world. This includes her being a spirit for the same reason." She wrote the word ''Same'' at the end of the arrow. "Yes," Aqua cupped her cheek. "It was actually a cause for concern, you know? That my existence here might be jeopardized because of differing Fantasy Laws." "Yeah," Amelia grinned. "Heck, you can even bring other water spirits here as long you exist to provide the Laws. And since you don''t force it on the world, the native Fantasy Laws wouldn''t even do anything to it as long they don''t contradict, unlike our Maneg System," she rolled her eyes. "Yes," Aqua continued. "It was fortunate that was the case, but I highly doubt it will be the same for Layla once she takes my mantle. I might even be the only spirit Court Wizard. "Speaking of Layla," Aqua looked to Alicia. "You should visit Spiri Raia sometimes, Alicia. She is raring to see her namer''s daughter." "I see," Alicia nodded. Of course, after the masquerade fell, she has been hearing stories of the spirit named by her mother who was quite ecstatic to hear the spirit was nominated to be Aqua''s successor. "I will look forward to it." "Yeah! Yeah!" "But Layla could inherit your Law segments," Amelia suggested after yet another detour in the conversation. "We all know the Mother Souls are the ''origin'' of each of the Elements making up the Maneg System and all instances of the System in every world is tied to them." Then on Manegia''s side, Amelia wrote the word ''Null'' which was immediately crossed out. She also did the same on Spiri Raia''s side. "And we all know what happens if a Mother Soul gets destroyed," she looked at everyone. "Yes, a very unpleasant consequence," Jill said sarcastically. "Of course, I do need to keep this Mother Soul safe," Aqua cupped her cheek. "Lest we all die." "True." Rose calmly sipped her tea as if the topic wasn''t all serious. "And what happened to Null, and its Users, really screws ordering a lot since maneg is supposed to return to that Element after an Order," Amelia continued. "Even the Mother Souls we have today are totally kaput, screwing our privileges. Kinda a surprise the Fire Mother Soul was able to assimilate you pretty quickly, Aqua. It took years for Master Zekie''s hammer to be his Cherished Armament." "True," Aqua sighed. "It must be my age, or the Laws we built was weak. Both of them are not good thoughts." "And I am still uncomfortable seeing the legendary hammer violated like that," Jill sighed too. She stretched her arm and willed her Armament to existence. "Much like mine that was forged by it." Then, she dismissed it. "And who knows, if the hammer gets destroyed, the Law part where everything that thing touches disintegrates to atoms if it''s remotely a weapon is gone forever," Amelia suggested. "Much like if something happens to you, Aqua, before passing your title and part of the Fantasy Law to your protege, water spirits and arts cease to exist." "Let us not believe it will come to it," Aqua smiled wryly. "I am only one of the first few examples of ''origins,'' after all." "Yeah! Don''t be so scary, Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" "Yeah, yeah," Amelia waved it off. "Anyway, I really need to finish that project of mine. Really hate saying part this part that." "Hm?" Alicia perked up. "What project?" "Oh, you know," Amelia explained. "A better model to classify Fantasy Laws so we don''t have to vaguely call one part of it as well as to make a rough standard how someone following one Law react to another. It''s just the degradation, for now, anything new that gets tacked on in a similar Law is a whole other can of worms."
Manegia Year 1406 "Okay, I''ll put your name as Aquarius," Ronald said as he began to type on the old computer. "First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia," Aqua stated. "Um, what?" Ronald looked at her. "First Greater Water Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia," Aqua stated again. "Write it as such." "Aqua, that''ll be too long on the sheet," Ronald explained. "I can put it on the archives, but on the card, it''s usually first name and last name. Anything else is omitted." "Put it on both," Aqua insisted. "There is no problem with that, is there? I am the Guardian, after all" "Wha..." Ronald leered at the screen then back at Aqua. She''s still not happy with her recruitment... "Fufu," Rose chuckled. "I do not think our new Master will take no for an answer." "...Fine," Ronald relented, entering the unreasonably long name. "Thank you," Aqua puffed her chest. "Alright, how old are you?" Ronald then asked. "Make it nine hundred and thirteen," Aqua replied. "The same year in Spiri Raia?" Ronald raised his eyebrow. "Aren''t you older than that?" "Well, we never keep track of our ages before when we were fae," Aqua explained. "So just assume I was born when Spiri Raia was as a spirit." "Okay then, and I''ll assume the date is at new years," Ronald typed that in. "Obviously, you''re female." "Actually," Aqua interrupted again. "Ever since we are spirits we are physically genderless, but we do still identify in one as you can see. It is just that writing only female is wholly inaccurate." "...Ugh," Ronald groaned, slowly slamming his head on the keyboard. "This is going to be a long day. Is this why everything is manual typing?" "Fufu," Rose giggled. "What an interesting Master we have."
Name: First Greater Spirit Aquarius of Spiri Raia Age: 913 Sex: Mentally female (technically genderless) Species: Body-less Soul (Greater Water Spirit) World: Spiri Raia Element: Fire Element Color: Red Cherished Armament: - Rank: New Wizard/Guardian "Body-less Soul?" Aqua read. "What is this?" "How the Otherworldly Court tries to make a universal naming for similar races," Ronald deadpanned. "Also, only the First Guardians get to use their race names. Besides, what you call yourself is already in the parentheses and that''s what we will call you. We never use the Court term." "Do not worry, Aqua, I know your pain as well," Rose consoled her. Secret Nation Chronicles Pilot: The Fake Slave Trader 1 In the ashes of the Great War, the races of Erdale gathered together beyond the Forest of Demons and found a book.
Fia''s life was miserable as far as she can see. She was just a simple villager living peacefully with her parents in the forests of Elvarn, the elven kingdom. She remembered the times where she grew up there, running around the forest playing with the other elves. She wasn''t popular or anything having a shy demeanor and all, but she was, in fact, the village beauty, and she was very conscious of it, as boys would line up trying to woo her when all of them has become of age. But that all came to an end when her village was attacked by the Holy Erdal empire, the largest human empire of Erdale which the empire was named after, as they invaded the kingdom. Fia still has nightmares of her burning village as imperial soldiers torched her home to ashes. Father... Fia internally sobbed, vividly remembering her father, who often took her out on his huntings, skewered by the imperials trying to defend her and her mother. The imperials threw her and the surviving villagers into cages like animals and even strapped them with collars to boot. It was clear what the imperials were doing to them. Mother, I miss you... Fia cried to herself remembering the moment she was separated from her mother as the villagers were being bought up by various slave traders. Because of her looks, she was immediately sold off and her mother couldn''t do anything as her buyer refused to buy her too no matter how much she begged. That was half a decade ago, more or less - Fia couldn''t keep track of the time. Although it was a short time for elves, it felt like an eternity to her as she was systematically sold off from one slave trader to the next, her price getting higher each time. She would be in one cage where she would get acquainted with her fellow slaves for a couple of months before being sold off and thrown into another cage with strangers. It was a string of luck, all things considered, that all of her buyers were other slave traders. Most likely, they saw her looks and thought they could make a bigger profit from her. It was ludicrous, that Fia has been passed off left and right like that, but that was what happened. However, her prices can only rise so high. Eventually, she would be bought by a ''proper'' buyer and that was what she was dreading for hearing stories of what slaves like her were used for. If she''s still lucky, she might only be some servant of a female noble, but if not, she doesn''t want to imagine it. RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE Spirit deity save me! Fia prayed as she marched with the other slaves chain-linked together onto a wooden stage in the heart of the Erdal empire, Erda. This was her second time being here, the first when she was captured and separated from her mother. It really came full circle. "Alright, folks! I got here..." the slave trader started talking to which Fia has heard countless times already. She always filtered it out at this point. Looking at the crowd, Fia was quite aware of the skimpy rag, which can get cold in winters which was a miracle she never froze to death, she was wearing revealing her figure for all the world to see, and so has grown used to the stares she got from men lusting over her. The slave traders who bought her at least saw her as a huge gold pot. RATTLE "Uuh..." Fia felt her left arm being held along with a whimper. She looked down to her left to see Chloe, a young cat beast girl who, judging by her stature, could be no more than nine staring back at her with her obsidian eyes. Damn the empire for daring to enslave a child. "...Stay close to me," Fia told her to which she obliged. The elf couldn''t give her a word of reassurance given their position. Still, she needed to do something for the little girl whose ears were twitching above her short black hair and tail shivering from the cold breeze despite her clothing covering more than what Fia wore. The slave collars on their necks were at least decent scarves. "...her price starts at three-hundred gold erum!" the slave trader yelled as he waved his arm towards Fia. "Th-Three-hundred gold erum! That''s three hundred million erum!" "I get that she is pretty, but three-hundred gold is too much! That''s almost ten times the price of even the most prized slaves!" "With that kind of money, you don''t even need to work for years!" Of course, with that declaration of a starting price, the crowd would throw a fit. No slave ever reached triple digits in gold. That was why Fia was being sold here in hopes of having a buyer, as some of the crowd looked gaudy so they must be imperial nobles. Even then, the merchant had the gall to auction her with the amount of money he charged first. Naturally, most of them hesitated, much to the trader''s visible chagrin. Even though they have deep pockets, three-hundred gold erum was still too much money for a single slave. Most likely, it''ll be the same as every other ci- "I will buy her!" The crowd turned their attention to their middle. As they give space for the speaker, Fia saw the most rotund man she has ever seen. She never knew there would be someone with a barrel for a body but here he was, raising his hand beside his plump chin and balding hair while dressed in a gaudy gold outfit. "Ooh! Count Hamburg!" "He always buys the highest quality slaves!" "Oho, I see you have good taste for beauty, my lord," the slave trader smiled while rubbing his hands together. "Of course, mister trader," count Hamburg said proudly as he marched to the front with the crowd giving way. "That silver hair of hers is very rare among elves and it pairs nicely with her turquoise eyes. It would be a shame to pass up because of your price," the count rubbed his chin as he stared holes at the elf. "And her body is well proportioned in the right places too. Ooh, she would be very excellent in bed," he murmured with a smirk, something Fia caught with her sharp ears. In response, Fia squeezed herself, trying to make herself small. It wouldn''t work as her long silver hair did indeed make her stand out among the crowd. All she could do was hold Chloe, who no one seemed to bother, tight as the fat noble looked at her with lust. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Very well then," the trader said happily, practically skipping. "I''ll get the documents for your purchase." "Pleasure doing business with you," the count twirled his nonexistent mustache. Ah... So this is it, Fia thought. The trader didn''t bother to ask anyone if they would raise the price. Who would? Her price was already outrageous as it was. Regardless, after years of trading slave traders, she was finally bought out by some fat noble. It must be punishment for evading this fate for so long. She was, of course, scared that this will happen, ever since she was enslaved, in fact. But now that it did, she felt... resigned. It must the cynical part of her that grew as a slave telling her that it was inevitable for her to be sold as a- "Three hundred and one gold!" Everyone was surprised by the sudden voice. Looking to its source, they saw a young man coming from the other corner raising his hand. He was nothing special, really, having short brown hair and eyes of the same color on a face that''s common throughout the empire. But what really set him apart from others was his blue vest over his ordinary merchant clothing. "He''s a merchant from the Blue Doves!" "Blue Doves? Is that a merchant guild?" "Yes, my lord. They are quite prominent, and I believe they also sell goods to the nobles." "Now that you mention it, I do remember buying jewelry for my wife from them." The Blue Doves merchant guild. Fia has heard bits and pieces of the guild from conversations she has overheard. Apparently, it''s a famous merchant guild that has only existed for around a century and yet has become more prosperous than older guilds thanks to special commodities they sold no one else has or something. And the blue vest also makes them stand out a lot, Fia thought, remembering a couple of Blue Doves merchants she had seen before. "Um, what do you need, sir?" the slave trader asked the Blue Doves merchant confusingly. "As I said, I want to buy her," the Blue Doves merchant said callously, pointing at Fia. "And I''m raising the price to three hundred and one gold erum. This is an auction, is it not?" That surprised everyone once it registered, to say the least. Though the Blue Doves merchant being here should have already explained that already. "So they trade slaves as well." "Not really? I''ve only seen them buying slaves, but never sell them. My guess is they want cheap labor for the products they make." "Is that so?" Right, they also do that, Fia remembered. She has seen many of the blue vests who bought quite the number of slaves while on stage, but not her for obvious reasons which begged the question, why now? "I will say it again, I want to buy Fia and I''m bidding for three hundred and one gold erum," the Blue Doves merchant repeated. "Is there a problem, trader?" "No! Certainly not!" the slave trader fumbled. Clearly, he didn''t expect someone to bid on the already outrageous price. Even if it''s just one gold higher, a single gold was still worth a lot. "Well then, the purchase of Fia now goes to the Blue Doves merchant for three hundred and one gold!" "Hold! What business do you have buying a pleasure slave, merchant!?" count Hamburg confronted, stomping to the brown-haired man with a visible tick. "One set for me, count Hamburg?" "He''s right though. I''ve never seen the Blue Doves using slaves like her, but they do still buy them. I don''t know why." "That''s probably just the Blue Doves, they''re quite mysterious. They never made ties with any of the established guild and yet still prosper much like the merchant guild Bell Congolo-something that''s also on the rise." "Yes, I also heard very few could ever join the guild. Those that do are people I''ve never seen before and they don''t seem to be greenhorns either." "Bah! They probably have a..." Are my eyes tricking me? Is he? Fia, on the other hand, didn''t listen to the crowd as much as her keen eyes spied on the Blue Doves merchant''s face that seemed to be holding laughter. Was there something funny? "The Blue Doves has a client who wishes to purchase this slave specifically, count," the Blue Doves merchant answered, reverting to a straight face. He seemed to be avoiding addressing the count''s name. "I am here on the client, my client''s behalf, with the necessary money prepared." Oh, so that''s it, Fia thought. It was the same, just with a potential master, who was most likely another noble considering the gold involved, she hasn''t seen yet. One who apparently hired another merchant to deliver her. "Hmph! Such impertinence!" count Hamburg scoffed. "Why does your client not come themself?" "My client has circumstances that I''m allowed to tell," the Blue Doves merchant merely explained. "But rest assured, my client has placed much importance in acquiring her. So, will you bid or not?" "Grr! Fine then!" count Hamburg growled. "Three hundred and two gold!" "Three hundred and three," the Blue Doves merchant countered. "Three hundred and four!" "Three hundred and five." "Three hundred and ten!" "Three hundred and eleven." It was quite the sight to behold. A noble and a merchant going back and forth bidding for an elf slave for an exorbitant price that was still increasing bit by bit. The noble would try to hike the price to scare the merchant who simply bid one gold erum more. Suffice to say, a bigger crowd than initially before gathered. "F-Four hundred and fifty!" count Hamburg spouted. He was visibly sweating, panting over shouting too much. "Four hundred and fifty-one." Yet, the Blue Doves merchant still stood. "Y-You! Surely you do not have that much money, do you!" the count growled. "What with bidding just one gold higher than I! Are you mocking me!?" To that end, the Blue Doves merchant simply replied, "My client is prepared to even reimburse the Blue Doves should we purchase the elf Fia more than the money we were given. So, are you going to bid or not?" "Of course! Fi-" Count Hamburg stopped. "Fi-" He tried again, but the five hundred gold bid couldn''t escape his tongue. Gritting his teeth, his glare at the Blue Doves merchant mellowed out. THUD Then, the count fell on all fours. "I give up," he muttered. "Then the slave Fia goes to the Blue Doves merchant!" The slave trader raised his hand to the Blue Doves merchant while smiling ear to ear. His investment really paid off. CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP The audience started clapping, seeing the bid as though it were a great spar. They didn''t say anything as they were quite speechless with the debacle. Fia herself was at loss for words, not that she should utter one anyway. Just who was this client who wanted her so badly that they are willing to pay more than one and a half of her original price? "Grr! Damn it all!" count Hamburg punched the ground as he stood up, dusted himself off, and stomped the ground as he left with his pride shattered. "Well then, sir," the trader turned to the Blue Doves merchant. "As you are on your client''s behalf, I will need your name for the purchase." "Zack Smith," the Blue Doves merchant answered. "Very well, mister Smith," the trader nodded before turning back. "I will prepare the documents." So now this is it, Fia repeated that thought. It was an interesting event, but now it was truly time. She could ponder all the years that led her to this, but it doesn''t matter. "Fia..." "...Ah!" The elf widened her eyes as she turned to the catgirl still holding her arm. She''d almost forgotten her. It''s happening again... Because of her high price, Fia stuck around the current slave trader''s cage for much longer. During that time, she can admit her time with Chloe made them close. Furthermore, the young cat beast herself was in a similar situation that Fia could relate to; being separated from her parents and forced inside this cage for years, just without the trader swapping as no one wanted to but a scrawny catgirl. Suffice to say, Fia being separated from Chloe was almost in the same effect as being separated from her mother and vice versa. Fia had developed genuine care for the little girl and now the separation''s about to happen ag- "Aah...!?" Fia quietly yelped as she broke her line of thought. Looking down from the stage was the Blue Doves merchant, Zack, right in front of her. However, he wasn''t looking at her, but rather the person holding beside her. "Uuh..." Chloe increased her grip on Fia''s arm nervously as the brown-haired human stared at her. Zack, on the other hand, broke contact with her and turned to the slave trader who had finished the documents for Fia''s purchase and said, "Trader, I''m buying this cat beast as well. How much does she cost?" Secret Nation Chronicles Pilot: The Fake Slave Trader 2 "Trader," Zack, the Blue Doves merchant, said. "I''m buying this cat beast as well. How much does she cost?" Audible gasps were heard as the slaver trader was similarly shocked. "Y-You are buying again?" he stuttered. Even though he would welcome additional purchases, after four hundred and fifty-one gold, that would unexpected. "The purchase of the elf Fia is a request from my client," Zack explained. "I''m also told to buy slaves for the Blue Doves while I''m at it. Conveniently, the purchase of Fia has left me more or less the usual budget. So, how much is the cat beast?" "T-The cat beast is five gold," the slave trader exhaled. --- Strange, was Fia''s thought. The Blue Doves merchant bought all the slaves Fia was with on stage. Whether it was because the other customers were intimidated by Zack''s intent on purchasing again after lumping out almost a bag''s worth of gold erum or something else, it meant Fia was not separated from Chloe, for the time being. Now, they were in another cage on an open field fenced by brick walls with a double-gate as exit behind the headquarters of the Blue Doves guild which notably had a strange metal tower on top of it. However, unlike other cages, this one was... spacious, to say the least. Rather, this cage was larger than the previous as there were the same amount of slaves in this cage as the previous, making it less cramped in comparison. It wasn''t like there weren''t enough slaves to fill the cage to the brim as literally beside it was another cage filled with a similar number of slaves. It''s all been strange since I arrived here, Fia thought. Especially what the merchant asked me yesterday... --- "Where are you from, miss Fia?" Zack asked. "Huh?" Fia raised an eyebrow. "..." Zack crossed his arms and waited. Gulping under her collar, Fia answered, "R-Rosa village." "Fia of Rosa village," Zack nodded. "Fia Rosa. Alright." --- Why would he ask about my ruined village...? Fia wrapped her arms around her knees as she contemplated the question made by the merchant before he brought her and the other slaves to the Blue Doves. She really wanted to know why but she can''t exactly ask. Is it because this client was looking for me from my village? Does that means he is one of the...! Before Fia finished those thoughts, she felt her arm held by a pair of tiny hands. She looked to her left to see Chloe looking at her in concern. Clearly, the little girl has seen her visible distress and was worried. "Fia?" Chloe softly muttered. "...I''ll be fine, Chloe," Fia assured the cat beast, gently patting her between her ears. "Thank you." "Mmm..." Chloe purred. "Hey, Jack. Why we''re going this early again?" a voice said in a laid-back tone. Overhearing this, Fia turned her head to see two young men at the walled corner of the field, one with a sword and the other a spear strapped behind their backs talking to each other. Judging by their other equipment, they must be adventurers commissioned by the Blue Doves. "It''s because of the count, Mitch," Jack, the adventurer with the sword, answered. "Oh right. Literally, because Hamburg Steak," the adventurer with the spear, Mitch, snickered mentioning the count''s name, without proper addressing. Seriously, what was so funny? Also, what''s a ''steak?'' "Couldn''t keep it in his pants." "Ugh... Hamburg''s a place first, then the steak, Mitch. Why does everyone think of that first?" Jack groaned. Oh, was it about the count''s name? What does it have to do with this ''steak?'' "But yes, that''s why it''s dangerous for the headhunt target to be here." Headhunt target? Her? "Yeah," Mitch nodded. "He sure is a sore loser coming back to Zack for round two." --- "Tell you what, boy. I will take that elf for double, no, triple the price you paid for her!" count Hamburg offered. "The elf Fia is for my client," Zack deadpanned. "Then tell that client of yours that I am buying the elf from him," the count huffed. "No, my client wants her specifically," the Blue Doves merchant shook his head. "No compromise." "Then say you cannot secure her!" the count tempted. "I am not damaging the credibility of my guild for momentary gain," Zack rejected with a no-nonsense tone. With that, the noble stormed away again, angrily declaring, "Mark my words! I will have that elf!" The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. --- "Wait, why can''t he just use his noble privilege to nab miss Fia from the get-go?" Mitch wondered. Fia also wondered why he addressed her, a slave, respectfully. Now that she thought about it, even Zack addressed her as ''miss Fia'' when he asked where she was from. But when count Hamburg came back, he called me ''elf Fia'' like before. So is it when the count wasn''t around? she pondered. In fact, the Blue Doves merchants have been nothing but respectful. They didn''t treat her and the other slaves roughly after coming under them even when putting them into this cage. It was like they saw them as living beings and not commodities that can be handled slightly carelessly. "Right, you''re still new here," Jack sighed before lifting his finger. "One, this is the capital. The emperor here is in control, not some count. It''ll be a different story if we were in his territory. "Two." He lifted his second finger. "Nobles wouldn''t raise a fuss over slaves especially miss Fia who are bought legitimately, it would be ''unbecoming'' of them. Also, the Eria Faith teaches against committing depravity and Erdal nobles are supposed to be prime examples of her believers, but you and I know that''s never the case." "Please, a fat noble clearly screams having done every sin in the book," Mitch sneered. "Damn heretics." Eria Faith. After years of ''traveling'' in the Erdal empire, Fia has no excuses for not knowing the empire''s state religion. The deity Eria of the faith''s namesake was the patron deity humans worship, much like the Spirit Deity elves and beastman worshipped. Supposedly, Eria preached to do good, simply put, but her followers were anything but that. Although... Heretics? Fia tilted her head. To Fia, Eria was an ignorant deity that allowed her followers to enslave other races like her, plain and simple. But what''s with the adventurer with the spear calling the count a ''heretic?'' Wouldn''t hypocrite be more accurate? "Anyway," Jack continued. "Even if all of that fails, we did spread rumors to the upper class that any noble going after us find themselves being ruined. Mostly it''s us having a ''higher'' backing." "With evidence to back that up, right?" Mitch asked, tilting his head over to his conversation partner. "Essentially," Jack shrugged. This is just strange, Fia lowered her eyelids halfway. With the facts overheard, there was a lot of reassessment. One, the way these two men talked was as if they weren''t adventurers from the Adventurers Guild, but private guards of the Blue Doves that had gone against nobles and won? Also, the merchant guild was brave enough to lie about having a high-ranking noble backing them which would spell serious trouble if that were to be exposed. Clearly, there was more to this merchant guild than it seemed. And these men were really casual talking this outside, Fia noticed, being one of the people who could hear them. Then again, Fia found the street in front of the merchant guild''s backyard to be relatively quiet. They must be confident to carelessly reveal those facts in public. "Still, we can never be too careful," Jack continued. "Which is why we''re preparing to leave now. Hopefully, the large caravan will make the count think twice." "As well as bandits and monsters," Mitch added. Evidently, Fia looked around her seeing humans walking in and out of the headquarters carrying boxes of various goods that they load up to their respective transports. Although the workers have done it professionally, they were clearly in a rush to leave. And all of this was because of her. Was this client really that important? Fia thought. That they don''t want any chance for count Hamburg to take me away? This was getting stranger and stranger. --- CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP Typically, a caravan was a group of merchants traveling together for safety in numbers against bandits and monsters. Usually, there would be a ''lead'' merchant hosting the caravan where other merchants would join in, for a fee. If they brought their own guards, they can also join free of charge. Regardless, the merchants gather together with the goal of equally protecting their goods. However, as far as Fia and the other slaves realized, this caravan was for the purpose of protecting them, much to their confusion. This was on top of bringing Fia to this client at all costs. "Mmm..." Chloe mumbled nervously, hugging Fia tightly. Even she knew this was wholly different than before. Fia could see the cage she was in between two wagons front and back, the cage beside hers was also similar. In other words, there were six vehicles in two columns of three with the slave cages in the second row, and each of them was pulled by two horses. Surrounding the entire caravan was a dozen guards, be they private or hired, each on horseback - meaning there were two dozen horses in total - which was unusual, caravan guards would normally hitch a ride on the wagons, not riding on their own horses especially when all of them do. Incidentally, all the wagons ''guarding'' the slave cage have two identical crests painted on both sides of their bonnets; a small blue dove flying behind a bigger one, marking them as the Blue Doves''. "Alright, we''ve traveled far enough," Zack, the merchant who bought Fia, announced. To already enforce the argument, the merchant happened to be the leader of this caravan and was pulling the cage Fia was in. "We''ll have lunch before crossing the Great River." All the merchants and guards got off their respective mounts and went off to their business; feeding the horses, setting up the campfire, taking out ingredients from one of the wagons, etc. It was very orderly as not one wasted their time idly by, all of them were doing something to contribute. It''s as if they do this many times before, but why? Fia wondered. She had watched the goods the merchants had loaded up into the wagons, they don''t seem to be the exotic goods their guild was known for. In fact, those same goods were being taken out for lunch. In other words, those wagons were there for the sake of adding the numbers, and carrying supplies for the journey - Fia knew this because she has sworn she overheard Jack, one of the guards, bluntly admitting to it. Why go this far just to transport us? And me... Fia pursed her lips. Sure, slaves were pricey, but the empire always procure more of them so they were easily replaced. She saw fellow slaves dying in front of her eyes and the slave traders simply click their tongues and discard them off the road like spoilt milk. I remembered the last slave trader throwing out some of us as decoys in a monster attack, Fia grimly recalled. I had to hold Chloe tightly to dissuade him from sacrificing her as well. "Here you go." One of the merchants slipped a bowl of porridge into the cage. "Pass it to one another. There''s enough for you all," he said as he slipped another in. "As always." Case in point, slave traders cared little for their slaves since they''ll be sold. Also, slaves were usually fed scraps, not hot meals these merchants cooked from the pot, they also eat the porridge as well. This was the same since being under the Blue Doves'' ownership, not that they would complain, but it was still unnerving to be treated decently - the roomy cage being self-evident. THUP "Nn?" Chloe turned to her side as she heard a sound while quietly eating her meal. Fia also looked to see one of the guards, Mitch, slipping his hand into the cage and putting a small pouch before opening it. Taking a closer look, it was filled with colorful candies the likes Fia has never seen before. "Here, take some, kiddo," Mitch whispered. "Don''t let the others know, you''re a growing girl, okay?" he winked while putting his free index finger in front of his mouth - his spear was resting on his shoulder. Turning to the elf, "you want some too, miss Fia?" he offered. Truly, these people treating them this nicely was unsettling. Secret Nation Chronicles Pilot: The Fake Slave Trader 3 "Hey, Jack. How come the girls don''t wanna take my candy?" Mitch whined while stuffing his mouth with porridge. Just as suddenly, his spoon seemed to be stuck in his mouth before spitting it out. "...Wait. I''m not being a creepy stranger luring kids with it, am I!?" "It''s the most stereotypical stranger thing you just did," a different guard, a young woman who wielded a magic staff, confidently stated. "So yes, you are being a creep, creep." "You''re not helping me here, Lisa!" Mitch cried. "Settle down, Mitch," Jack calmly said as he ate his meal. "You really should have known that already from the PSAs we''ve watched as kids." "I don''t wanna hear it from you, mister I-got-this-job-way-before-my-two-friends-did!" Mitch pointed at Jack accusingly with his spoon which didn''t have any porridge left on it, fortunately. "I just thought the kids will like the candies, okay!? The government told us to do the exact opposite of what their own PSA says!" "Well, candies are supposed to be a luxury exclusive to nobles. In fact, we sell those candies to them," Jack explained. "The girls would hesitate if you offered them one, not to mention it is suspicious at best." "Yes," Zack agreed. "Although it is a nice gesture, the giving of candies to enslaved children is something the government needs to reconsider for obvious reasons, however minuscule chance ''that'' could happen - they seem to forget they''re not ''everyday'' items outside. Furthermore, there''s still count Hamburg to watch out for." "Bah! Whatever! It''s not like ''that'' is gonna happen in our lifetime!" Mitch gave up. He would''ve thrown his hands up but that would have launched his porridge to the air. "Besides, once we cross the Great River, we''ll be outta Hamburg Steak''s hair in no time!" The guards and merchants around the campfire at some distance to the caravan snickered at the spear guard''s remark with a few groaning while rolling their eyes. This does not stop some of the guards from keeping an eye out as Fia noticed. These people really are strange, Fia narrowed her eyes as her sharp ears caught all of the conversations - many underestimate how great an elf''s hearing was. But this makes them even stranger. This new information suggested that the Blue Doves worked for a ''government'' meaning a kingdom that regarded luxury items like candies as ''common,'' interested in slaves while treating them decently in their transport which they took their security very seriously? What was this kingdom trying to gain? What was this client who wanted Fia trying to gain? It was a conspiracy at best, but Fia can''t do anything about it being a slave. I hope nothing worse is going to happen to us. To me... Fia thought as she ate her meal. Her melancholic thoughts did not escape Chloe''s sixth sense because of being together for a short, yet long time. Contrary to what the spear guard suggested with what he whined earlier, she and Chloe did take the candy. Actually, at least all the child slaves took one. Fia was pleasantly surprised to find it very soft to chew. Also, what were these ''pee-essays'' the guards were talking about and this government was being hypocritical of?
COUGH COUGH "Ugh..." Chloe groaned. Her ears were slackened and her tail was lowered. "There, there," Fia caressed the catgirl''s back. "You''ll be alright." It wasn''t uncommon for slaves to catch diseases. Being cramped in a relatively small cage with people, including yourself, who never had the chance to clean themselves and asking for no sickness was too much with the several cold cases Fia caught. Even though this cage was more spacious, it did not render the threat null. After the Blue Doves merchants finished their afternoon lunch, they traveled to a port town where they crossed the Great River that separated Erdale into two halves via a ship owned by the Blue Doves. That was where Chloe got sick despite crossing the channel for only a short time. Having a scrawny stature certainly didn''t help. That was a few days ago. Also, at this point, Fia doesn''t know where the merchants were going. All she knew was they were going south, where the Forest of Demons was at the end - not that these merchants were going there, it''s most likely one of the empire''s vassal kingdoms north from it. "Here you go, miss Fia," Lisa, the mage guard with a magic staff, steered her horse closer to the cage and handed a glass jar filled with liquid along with a wooden spoon into the cage. "Just one spoonful for miss Chloe as usual." "Okay," Fia nodded as she received the jar and spoon. And as if they knew this would happen, the Blue Doves provided the catgirl medicine for her illness. It was a very effective drug too as Chloe gradually coughed less violently with each dose. Fia''s hands were still shaking holding this expensive jar as the first time the mage guard Lisa handed it over.
"It wouldn''t do if you catch a disease," Zack stated. "Nor having it spread to where we''re going." "Yeah! Our bosses ain''t gonna like it if we let the little miss stay like that," Mitch stated. KA-THUNK "Ow!" Mitch cried. "Mitch! You''re not supposed to say that in front of them!" Lisa hissed into his ear, something Fia still caught with hers. "You could get yourself fired!" "Just hand it over to Lisa afterwards," Zack continued. "She''ll give it back for another dose periodically."
Of course, Fia wouldn''t be trusted to hold the medicine herself, but even then it was already too much. She doesn''t even need to see the other slaves'' expressions to know how they feel the treatment the Blue Doves gave them thus far. Whoever is in charge of the Blue Doves must have a really interesting agenda they''re trying to accomplish, Fia internally mused as she pulled out the spoon formerly filled with a rather colorful medicine from Chloe''s mouth. And does the ''you'' refer to all of us or me for the client? KETOPLAK KETOPLAK KETOPLAK KETOPLAK Before Fia could give the jar and spoon back to the mage guard, she could hear sounds of galloping that were getting louder and louder. "What''s that sound!?" Lisa yelped in alarm, pulling her horse away from the cage. "It''s a cavalry!" Jack looked back and exclaimed. "A large one coming in right behind us!" "Stop the caravan," Zack commanded, lifting his hand in a stopping motion. "We can''t outrun them. We''ll have to meet them head-on." With that, everyone tensed up. While the slaves were softly murmuring amongst themselves, all the guards were reaffirming their formation, realigning their horses to block the caravan as much as possible while drawing out their respective weapons. The merchants stopped their wagons, horses neighing at the sudden pulls, putting the caravan to a halt. KETOPLAK KETOPLAK KETOPLAK KETOPLAK As if the merchants were right, they found themselves surrounded as the cavalry split into two and encircled them. They bore no crests, but their equipment and horses suggested they weren''t simple bandits. "I see you have halted at our presence, merchants," the leader of this cavalry, noted by his shinier armor, spoke in a haughty tone. "A wise choice." Zack, facing the cavalry leader, showed a hardened face. "What do you want, sir?" he narrowed his eyes as he asked. "I''ll keep this simple. Give us the elf slave and we''ll cause you no further trouble," the cavalry leader declared, eyeing on Fia being at the edge of the cage with Chloe. Ah. So that''s it, Fia mused. Despite the lack of identification, it was clear who sent this cavalry. Admittedly, she was impressed with count Hamburg''s determination to get her, one would think he would give up after she was at the other side of the Great River. At any rate, it looked like she will be taken away by the count''s men as the Blue Doves, Zack Smith, certainly wouldn''t risk their lives to- "Ugh, the count can''t be that horny, can he!?" Mitch scowled, rolling his eyes. ...Did he just? Fia widened her eyes. A sentiment shared with the other slaves and the cavalry. The latter clearly outnumbered the Blue Doves guards, and Mitch blatantly antagonized them. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Shut your tongue, knave!" the cavalry leader snapped. He pulled his sword and pointed at Mitch who was guarding the front carriage at Fia''s column. "Do not insult count Hamburg if you know what''s good for you!" he growled, not even bothering to hide who sent them despite having no crests. "Whoa, he even decked them with Magic Ores!" Mitch whistled. "Man, Hamburg Steak''s loins must be on fire!" Magic Ore. Crystalized mana of Erdale buried deep beneath the earth. It''s a prized mineral that after being refined not only powered various magic tools but also allowed magic-less people to use magic by putting them on weapons like the one on the cavalry leader''s sword''s guard. For people who were gifted with magic, these ores can further enhance their power such as the ore on Lisa''s staff. It was this ore that allowed the empire to become so powerful, and its nobility to be powerful mages (which count Hamburg should also be one despite his looks), as it has a monopoly of half of Erdale''s Magic Ore mines and was hungry for more. However, mining the ore was not easy and required heavy labor which was why the empire raided Rosa and many other villages and towns for slaves. All of them seem to have these accursed ores, Fia observed the cavalry with gritted teeth - the empire''s greed for these ores was what caused Rosa village''s destruction in the first place. An elf such herself can sense concentrations of mana such as Magic Ores - the few magic spells Fia knew can''t help her escape, unfortunately, as she had just stopped growing before being enslaved and hadn''t had the chance to learn more in addition to the ''conditioning'' she shuddered to remember that forced her to not even think of escaping with or without magic in the first place - and she felt all of count Hamburg''s men having one. With how expensive Magic Ores were due to its extraction, on top of the pay for skilled artisans to refine them, be it for enhancing or performing magic spells, to their highest quality, only the aristocracy can afford to supply these men with their own Magic Ore on their weapons - this was true back in Elvarn as well. The cavalry leader even had one on his breastplate, boosting his armor''s defense! This put the Blue Doves at an extreme disadvantage. As far as Fia can sense, only Lisa and another mage guard possessed Magic Ores on their staves, and those were of low quality in terms of capacity and output in comparison to the cavalry''s Magic Ores with their limited funds. It didn''t help the empire also restricted access of Magic Ore to its common folk, especially non-imperials; even Rosa village had a few, albeit crude, Magic Ores to light it up at night, a luxury only imperial nobles enjoy or so Fia had heard. All of the above were only known to Fia from the limited lessons the elders of Rosa village taught her and her attentive ears being inside a cage for years. Case in point, the cavalrymen can easily decimate the guards with a few magic spells shot from their weapons, and yet despite it, Mitch was not intimidated in the slightest. Instead, he fueled the fire even more and the other guards and merchants did nothing to stop him either! It was both scary and confusing to Fia and the slaves. "Tch! Such insolence!" The cavalry leader clicked his tongue before turning to Zack. "Trader, tell this brat''s superior to discipline him! Now, hand over the slave at once and I''ll ignore this transgression!" he demanded. Quite the discipline he has himself to not just cut Mitch then and there. Fia looked to the merchant... no, slave trader right now and found him sporting an impassive face. Wait, his eyes are moving left and right. Is he looking at the scene? she observed. And is his hand giving a signal? After a brief pause, Zack answered, "The Blue Doves implores to transport all races, free or not, in our hands to their destination. While miss Fia''s transportation has a higher priority at the behest of our client, all of them are just as important." Fia noticed he dug his hand into his vest. "So no, we will not hand over anyone to you." I... While all the slaves was equally stunned by Zack''s declaration, Fia was of a different kind of reaction. By all means, she found acceptance in her position, so she should feel indifferent if the Blue Doves gave her up to count Hamburg. However, the feeling she has now was... hope. Why do I feel hopeful, that Zack and everyone will bring me to this client? Is it because of how they treated me, treated us? Is it because they allowed me to stay with Chloe a bit longer? Fia contemplated as she also realized she has been clinging to Chloe so much the catgirl nudged her. Why do I feel like I look forward to seeing this client who was to be my master? Before Fia could wonder any further, reality was still ongoing. "Hoo!?" the cavalry leader ticked with an angry smirk. A vein popped in his forehead. "So-" "Fire!" Zack shouted. CLA-CL-NK-ANK-CLANK CLANK-CL-CLAN-ANK-K As they were prepared to catch the cavalry off guard, all the guards and even the merchants pulled out a strange contraption from where they pocketed their hands beforehand. Some of the guards even ditched their weapons in favor of it. The contraption itself at first glance doesn''t seem dangerous. It was small, smaller than a dagger, and from its grip wasn''t a blade but a long metal tube attached sideways to it. However, what Fia had noticed was that they were brimming with mana, particularly in the area near the grip which was bulkier. How did I never sense them before!? Fia widened her eyes. Regardless of the other party''s confusion, the merchants and guards quickly aimed the end of the tubes onto the cavalry and pulled the lever on the grip. BZANG Fia had only but a moment to see the sight of the cavalry leader falling from his horse after taking a bolt of magic released from the end of Zack''s contraption''s tube straight into his forehead uncovered by his helmet. THUD "Wha-" BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG Then, the rest of the cavalry met the same fate as the Blue Doves shot the smallest projectiles of magic she has ever seen at such speed she could barely keep track of. They were so loud and bright Fia could barely hear or see the cries of the cavalry being shot down. "Aah!" Chloe screamed as she dug herself into Fia''s chest, frightened by the ensuing chaos. Fia wrapped her arms around the little girl and closed her eyes. No doubt the other slaves were cowering until this was over. BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG BZANG What kind of magic is this!? the elf inwardly screamed. Not even the imperial soldiers who raided her village unleased small yet destructive spells such as that. What are those contraptions they used to unleash it!? Their design was unlike anything she has seen before. They have the relative size of wands, but they were L-shaped instead of being straight and their magic circles were at their grips instead of their tips. Their Magic Cores must be small enough to fit inside them and yet they were able to unleash such powerful spells although the size of the spells was within expectation. Most importantly, their Magic Ores don''t seem to run out of mana for their size despite the Blue Doves firing their spells repeatedly. They were absolutely foreign to the young elf. She couldn''t discern how such objects were even created in this world. It was as if they were... Forbidden Artifacts!? she concluded. Fia remembered one story she heard from the elders of her village. During the Great War over four centuries ago, before she was even born, beings not from Erdale, not from the deities, came to the world. They were mostly human, surprisingly, while the rest were races that were both familiar and foreign. They called themselves ''Soul Weavers'' for they wielded the power of the elements within their souls, or so the name would suggest. In actuality, each Soul Weaver only controlled one element, but they do so to a degree of mastery and beyond. One of the elders had sworn he had seen one of them, who had the head of a bird, healed themself with flames, it was surreal sight according to the elder. That said, the elders also told her to be wary of any possible descendants of them after they were gone and for a good reason. When they came to the world, they brought with them their own war when Erdale was having its. They were split into factions of their element, fighting each other for reasons only they would know, and dragged the people of Erdale into its conflict, even granting them the same power they have through means they won''t share outside their circle. I wonder how many of our brethren joined them, willingly or otherwise? Fia wondered, she knew the chance to wield magic would be enticing to elves who were unlucky to be without it. The elders don''t seem to like talking about it. The opposite held true as one elemental faction would offer their service to a kingdom, be it for recruits or anything to an advantage over another faction. This amplified the destruction of the Great War as Soul Weavers in one kingdom would raze cities to the ground while another would encase them in eternal permafrost. However, it wasn''t just their mastery of elemental magic that made them dangerous, but the Forbidden Artifacts they brought with them to Erdale. The elders were hushed about them, either they don''t know much or they don''t want to talk about them. Whatever it was, they were items that were absolutely foreign to Erdale and although they weren''t as destructive as the Soul Weavers'' elemental magic, anyone can use them. It was clear what they would do in the Great War. "Hold your fire!" Zack commanded and the firing stopped. After the Great War was over and the Soul Weavers abruptly left Erdale, bringing every Erdalian Soul Weaver with them, the Forbidden Artifacts left behind were given their name and were mostly destroyed from the face of the world with no records as the deities declared them heretical or another reason Fia scarcely remembered. That said, it wasn''t forbidden to be inspired by them. And really, it was the only thing Fia could make of these contraptions the Blue Doves used to destroy the cavalry. The elders claimed the Holy Erdal Empire was especially inspired by the Forbidden Artifacts, but do so subtly that Fia couldn''t know which magic tool or weapon was inspired by them. These contraptions, on the other hand, were rather blatant in that regard. "Hii...!" Chloe shrieked, seeing the aftermath of the battle. Without so much of a fight, the mighty cavalry were all decimated by a bunch of merchants and caravan guards. Fia herself held her stomach seeing the cavalrymen riddled with holes that busted through their armor. There was still white smoke rising from these holes where the magic bolts hit them. "Man!" Mitch was the first to speak. "I thought he''d slice my throat after calling their lord Hamburg Steak!" he stretched his arms holding two of the contraptions one on each hand. "Don''t put it lightly, Mitch!" Lisa snapped, pocketing the contraption she held with two hands. "You, sir, could have got yourself killed!" They are quite... casual about this, Fia thought. They seemed to have done this a couple of times before. Whether that thought was bad or not remained to be seen. "Yeah, yeah," Mitch waved it off as he got down his horse to pick up his spear. "But, urk!" he cringed at the sight of the dead bodies. "It''s totally uncomfortable if you see it for real." "Yeah," Lisa nodded, feeling a bit queasy herself. "No amount of preparation can help us with this." But not these two, Fia noted. "You guys will get used to it," Jack said as he got down from his horse. "Now help us clean the bodies." "You heard him, the sooner we clear this place out the sooner we leave," Zack added as he too stepped down from the wagon carrying the cage. "Get to everyone, we have no time to waste." Fia has nothing more to say, internally, comforting Chloe who was spooked, to say the least, by the one-sided battle as she watched the Blue Doves picking up the fallen cavalrymen and leaving them at the side of the road with their horses that didn''t run thanks to their training. Once again, they only looted their Magic Ore weapons and the cavalry leader, the part of his armor that contained the ore, and nothing else which was strange in its own right as one would normally strip the fallen bare not just the Magic Ores they seem to be only interested in as they did take the time to pry off the cavalry leader''s breastplate for it. From the treatment of slaves to this, these were strange days indeed. Secret Nation Chronicles Pilot: The Fake Slave Trader 4 CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP It was as if the altercation with count Hamburg''s cavalry was but a dream as the caravan marched further south in the eastern half of Erdale. By this point, the caravan had passed all human kingdoms Fia knew of from what the Rosa village elders taught her and her first-hand experience as a slave tossed around the better part of Erdale''s land. It must be a kingdom further south the elders didn''t know. The map they have is old by human standards, Fia mused. What kind of kingdom would- "I-Is that the Dark Forest?" one of the slaves in Fia''s cage, an elderly elf, not the same elder in Fia''s village, whispered in alarm. In an instant, Fia jerked her head towards where the caravan was going and widened her eyes. Green leaves that were so dark, you could mistake it for black adorning the thick wall of trees leaving no light shining below it. One could easily spot it from afar under the sunlight that when one looked at it, one could only describe it as nothing else than a ''Dark Forest'' and was named as such. However, it was a name people like the elderly elf would remember. If you break through the forest, you will find a peninsula; go further south to the end of it, and there, at the edge of the sea, you can see an island. An island of demons. "The Dark Forest? ...T-The Forest of Demons!?" "The forest that''s all but black where demons hide!" "By Eria..." During the Demon King''s Invasion, the demons used the peninsula behind the Dark Forest as the staging ground for their invasion. When the hero party led the final charge to drive the demons out of the continent once and for all, the demons used the forest as their natural wall, hiding in darkness as their eyes can see through it. It was the bloodiest battle of the invasion before assaulting the Demon Island itself. One of the elders of Rosa village who participated in that battle told her how the demons used the shadows to infiltrate their ranks and ambush them, cutting their allies before sinking back into the darkness. Anyone who could provide light, magic or not, was particularly prioritized to maintain the darkness. It took everything the hero party had short of burning the entire forest, which was considered multiple times, to punch through the demons'' last line of defense before finally expelling them from the peninsula. And the merchants are going into the forest!? Fia almost let an audible gasp. Sure, the demons may not be lurking in the forest anymore, but... "A~nd they''re panicking," Mitch said cooly on his horse. "Are they always like this, Jack?" he turned to his friend. "Only if there is someone who recognizes the forest," Jack shrugged. "If not, it''ll be when we''re going in." Fia felt the chain around her neck tightening. Hearing the two guards'' banter, she had a bad feeling about this. Chloe also sensed an awful foreboding and clutched to the elf tightly. BZZT "This is Special Immigration Agent Group number eleven," Zack discretely spoke. "We are reaching the Dark Forest border, requesting access." Fia turned to see him repeating what he spoke before ending it with an "Over" to a small black box along with some buzzing sound. If that wasn''t weird enough, what he called the caravan would be. Special immigration? What''s that? she thought. And he calls the forest by its true name? "Access granted, proceed through channel fifteen. The border guards will escort you." Answering Fia''s question, the black box let out a reply, also repeated, much to her surprise. What kind of magic tool was that? "What''s the status of the immigrants? Over." Immigrants? Them? "We have one visibly sick immigrant, a cat beast girl around nine years old," Zack continued to speak to the box. Chloe? "Otherwise, all immigrants are accounted for. Priority immigrant Fia of Rosa village is secured, notify the commissioner. Over." "Affirmative," the black box replied. "Also, welcome back. Over and out." CLICK Priority... immigrant? Fia blinked. This was getting stranger. If what she heard was correct, not only will Chloe be treated by a doctor but the merchant also called her a priority immigrant. Was this ''commissioner'' the client? RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE Fia had no time to ponder these questions as the caravan reached the forest. A sound of foliage was heard as there was suddenly a pathway wide enough for the caravan to go through appearing inside the forest. Then, a figure emerged from the forest wearing all black, at a position that allowed Fia to see them despite a wagon in front of her cage. It looked rather form-fitting than the cloaks rogues would use to hide in the shadows, though it didn''t hide the bulkier parts where their tools were held. On the figure''s hands was a black staff, but said staff had two appendages, the smaller one the figure held with their one hand while the other hand held the body of the staff; there was no Magic Ore at the tip, but rather a tube much like the contraptions the Blue Doves have. However, those weren''t important. When looking up at the figure''s face whose lower half was covered in a black cloth, there was a strange pair of goggles resting at the front part of the figure''s rather intricate black helmet. But it was the helmet itself that was to be paid attention as it... "I-It''s a demon!" ...has two protruding horns, a common trait of the most widely recognized demon sub-race, the horned demon. "Fia...!" Chloe whispered in fear, clutching to the elf''s arm. Her ears were folded and her tail was curled up, trying to make herself as small as possible all while shivering in fright. If the presence of the Forest of Demons wasn''t enough, then seeing an actual demon would get the slaves to murmur in nervousness. They can''t help it, from their treatment by the Blue Doves to the annihilation of the cavalry to this, it was an overflowing dam that was about to break. Fia herself was no better, especially with the added information she doubt other slaves wouldn''t overhear. Why is there a demon here, escorting the Blue Doves!? Are they in leagues with them!? Making the situation even worse, another figure, another border guard, emerged from the forest after the front wagons entered the forest. The guard wore the same black garb as the demon along with the same weird stave. Looking up, the guard wore the same black cloth, the same strange goggles resting at the front of the same black helmet except it had no protruding horns, and a pair of elongated ears, a common trait of one the most widely recognizable races, the elves.
Though the trees were cut down to create a pathway wide enough for two wagons to fit in, the road to the other side of the Forest of Demons was still shrouded in darkness as the trees at its sides shielded it from the light showing how dense the forest was. Even so, the journey was relatively short and uneventful, much to Fia''s confusion. The border guards cast light magic from their staves as they escorted the caravan to the other side of the forest quite civilly. Fia doesn''t know what to make of it as an elf was guiding the caravan with a demon, all the while there were two cages with enslaved elves inside. Fia couldn''t discern what the elf border guard was thinking with their face covered. SHIING Regardless, once the caravan exited the Forest of Demons, the border guards retreated back into the forest, the border of a kingdom in the peninsula near the Demon Island with said demons living with elves and humans. Where do Fia and the rest of the slaves fit in? Then again, humans even enslaved fellow humans. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Alright, home sweet home!" Mitch said happily. Then, Fia laid her eyes upon the first town of this kingdom except, it was even bigger than a city. The walls stretched for what must be miles away, and they looked better fortified than most cities. Passing through the gate, it was as if Fia was brought into a different world. For one, there were horseless carriages, for a lack of a better term as it doesn''t even look like a typical carriage, running on magic as Fia sensed, never mind how they have enough mana to do so, all over the smooth black road with white stripes painted on the middle of it. Then there were all the buildings with architecture she has never seen before, some were even taller than the walls, along with all the magic tools she sensed that would put noble districts to shame. "Ooh..." Chloe muttered. Even she couldn''t hold her awe. CLIP-CLOP CLOP The caravan had stopped after only traveling a short while into the city, and Fia looked to where it had halted. It was a large, rectangularly-shaped building that looked as if it has been renovated multiple times with multiple rows of glass windows lined up which was surreal as Fia has never seen this many glasses on a building if any at all as a slave. In front of the building, but not directly in the way of the front entrance, there was a blue flag hanging on a steel flagpole, flying freely by the wind, showing ten white stars in an arc above an open book with a green cover surrounded by an olive branch. Above the entrance, there was a sign referring to this building''s name Fia doesn''t know what it meant. URT Immigration Center CLICK CREAK CLICK CREAK "All of you, step out in an orderly fashion and follow us!" Zack hollered as Fia was the first to step out of her cage along with Chloe - they were by the cage door. Surprisingly, the merchants didn''t chain them together as they got out, especially when it''s all of them that do - slave traders wouldn''t chain-link slaves with a rope or an actual metal chain if the trader wanted to inside cages to fit in more slaves, it''s only when a select number of them were taken out to be sold. Then again with the whole display, no slaves outside the cage would dare to make a run for it. Fia wordlessly stepped into the building, startled by the glass doors sliding open on their own, with Chloe by her side. Inside, she found a pleasantly white hall, where she saw a female horned demon wearing glasses behind a wooden front desk across the hall among other furniture. Is that a fairy!? Fia widened her eyes as she saw a petite girl with translucent wings floating to the horned demon with a bundle of parchments at hand, leaving a trail of mana as she went. No one has ever seen a fairy for the past century, not when every other race hunted these resurrecting beings down for the magic dust running through their bodies. Were the fairies thrown their lot to the demons? That fairy was interacting with the demon rather civilly. Following the line of thought, it looked like every race that was known to history was here. From the short trip to this immigration center alone, she saw humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen, the aforementioned fairies, demons, and even the sea-dwelling seafolk on the surface and the supposedly extinct dragonmen going about their daily lives in harmony, and that''s not mentioning the numerous half-breeds littering the streets. Fia even saw a completely unknown race that might be the descendants of Soul Weavers the elders warned about. They couldn''t be a sub-race of demons like orcs and goblins when they have plant parts sticking out of their lighter green than normal skin. The elders made it clear demons were not one of nature. "Miss Fia." Breaking her line of thought, Fia looked to who called her name and saw Zack right in front of her. "Look up," he told her. In reflex, Fia did as he told her, her ''conditioning'' as a slave kicking in. Why does he want me to look up for? she thought. "By the Constitution," Zack then spoke, "all slaves stepping into these lands and waters are considered free." SNAP SNAP TH-T-UD-HUD "...Huh!?" Fia lowered her head with widened eyes as the slave collar around her neck fell to the floor. She rubbed her neck with her free hand in disbelief as the chain marking her life in oppression for years was gone. "Uh, wh-wha?" Chloe gaped her mouth open as she was officially completely confused. "Well now, I hope your questions were alleviated after overhearing us for all this time. The same goes for all of you too," Zack warmly smiled at the surprised crowd. In his hands were a rather bulky pair of scissors he had used to cut Fia''s collar. "Yeah, we talked a lot," Mitch smiled wryly. "That''s your fault, Mitch," Lisa deadpanned. "Ergh!" A figurative arrow struck at the rookie guard''s ego. "Try not to ruin the moment, guys," Jack shook his head. Ignoring the banter, Zack spread his arms wide and said the most memorable words of Fia''s life. "Welcome to the United Races of Terra, our secret nation."
This ''United Races of Terra'' was an unusual king- Nation, Fia corrected herself, and a secret one at that. The immigration officer, as they called themselves, really emphasized the fact this URT was not a kingdom or empire of any kind and have a ''president'' elected by the people as the leader in their brief description of this place, but one of them did say that the seafolk kept their monarch as the regional government in their province whatever that meant. Also, as Fia had observed, URT was a place where all races can live together equally and because of that, they had hidden the existence of URT from the rest of the world since the end of the Great War when the nation was founded, as ludicrous as both, if not all of these statements sounded. Anyway... "Miss Fia of Rosa village, your ''client'' will come for you shortly." After every slave had their collars removed, they were ushered to a different room where they were given decent clothes to replace their rags. Fia right now was wearing a white shirt with some illustration she couldn''t begin to describe and the bottom half of a red dress that was barely below her knees. Along with a pair of black slippers and white socks, it was unusually simple clothing yet comfortable to wear. All the clothing people here wear was wildly different from each other, Fia mused. Some in the streets wear like what I''m wearing and then there''s the fairy from earlier wearing noble clothing. Well, it''s less gaudy than what nobles wear, but it''s more sophisticated than what the elders depicted her to wear. Then, they were led to a white room with beds with metal frames and curtains, and unrecognizable contraptions, magic and not, which was apparently a doctor''s room as doctors were giving them ''check-ups'' on their health while asking for their names and such. Chloe was still in that room the last time Fia checked as she was sick during the journey. Incidentally, Fia was asked for her blood for a ''Dee and A'' testing she couldn''t begin to understand even after the doctor explained it to her. She complied, but thinking about it now she realized it was suspicious at best and didn''t help the doctor who asked for her blood was a vampire. Whatever it was, a few hours later, an immigration officer, a goblin, taller than what Fia''d imagined - in fact, some of the people here were unusually tall -, in a similar outfit as the fairy''s led Fia to this room, having her sitting on a metal bench and telling her those words in a professional manner for his sub-race. And with those words, she was reminded of the client. Zack told us that we are no longer slaves, then what makes the client who wanted me? Fia pondered. Looking around, others were sitting on the other rows of the benches who were either ''immigrants'' or ''URT citizens'' based on what they were wearing - Fia did not waste the past few hours idle though clothing fashion wasn''t exactly a priority. It feels like they''re waiting for someone... "Miss Fia," the goblin interrupted her line of thought. "Your client is here." The goblin redirected Fia''s vision to where a woman just entered the room. It was an elf, wearing a white-sleeved jerkin that only extended to her waist and didn''t cover the middle over a light-green shirt with the white lower half of a dress that was above her knees and a pair of white slippers. The elf also carried what seemed to be a green satchel hunged over her shoulder and wore a white circular hat on top of her long silver hair and turquoise eyes. "M-Mother!?" Fia gasped in disbelief. Was her eyes tricking her or was the client who wanted her was her own mother whom she was separated from all those years ago!? "...Fia, is that you?" The woman too, stopped in place, checking if it was a dream. "That voice..." Fia recognized. Even though it was years since she heard her mother''s voice, she could never forget it. "It is you, mother!" "Ah... You''re really back. My little girl!" Fia''s mother held both of her hands over to her mouth as tears started to trickle down. Slowly, Fia rose from her seat while her mother took another step. Then, they both rushed to each other and embraced. "Mother! I missed you so much!" Fia cried, letting out all of her feelings bottled up to this very moment, hugging her mother tightly. "Oh, Fia..! My baby girl...!" Fia''s mother hugged her daughter back, holding her as if she could lose her again if she let go. There were still a lot of things Fia has yet to understand, and although the United Races of Terra had reunited her with her mother, she wouldn''t trust this nation just yet. Frankly, she was wary of it all and was didn''t like not knowing what it would bring. But for now, one thing was certain, Fia''s life was looking up from then on. The goblin immigration officer meanwhile warmly smiled as he recorded all of this on a smartphone as Fia would later learn.
URT Immigration Center @URTImmigration For five years, missus Dela Rosa was separated from her daughter, Fia, by imperial slave traders. Thanks to Special Immigration Agent Group 11''s efforts, they have been reunited. Never lose hope, you can still be reunited. #ProjectReunite Find more information on how to submit a request to the Immigration Center to find your loved ones here. Read full article here. (Picture of Fia embracing her mother in tears with the ''Project Reunite'' label at the bottom) 1h ago - 2k Likes Like - Share Comments The Cat @cat05 I can''t imagine the relief for missus Rosa to find her daughter back. It must be hard being in URT while separated from your loved ones. #ProjectReunite Dora Ores @DoraOres I know the mother personally. Missus Rosa''s husband was killed when the imperials raided her village in Elvarn that separated her from her daughter. She was the one who encouraged me to submit my request to the immigration center that I was able to reunite with my husband. Congratulations on your reunion, missus Rosa, your husband will rest easily seeing you two back together. Riser @RiserGaming Imagine knowing your child is out there in slavery for years not knowing still alive or not or worse and not being able to find them yourself. I applaud the Special Immigration Agents for doing great work reuniting the mother and daughter and countless other families and friends. vue @vueet I know I''m not the only one crying. It warms my heart knowing the mother never lost hope of reuniting with her daughter. Secret Nation Chronicles Pilot S: About URTs Founding and Court Wizards Manegia Year 14?? "Aah! Evil Mad Scientist Lady is there!" Voice, the short red-haired, palm-sized pixie in a red one-piece thrust her tiny finger onto Amelia Rickens with her red butterfly wings flapping violently as her master, Alicia Bell, the young woman with long red hair like fire and contrasting bright blue eyes wearing a red businesswoman getup along with a necklace Catalyst Amelia made for her containing disloyal maneg as she possessed none herself around her neck entered the main archive room with the huge holographic screen. "Oh, hey, Alicia!" Amelia greeted her, turning the swivel chair she sat on, ignoring the little pixie who may or may not be Alicia''s true nature''s jab at this point. "What brings you here to these still-wrecked data servers?" "Hello, Amelia." Alicia waved at her, going for the other swivel chair in the room. "I was looking into Erdale and I noticed the United Races of Terra does not have a Bell Branch when all the other major countries do. I figured I should find out why that is before I try to install one if the archives still have it that is." "Well, have you been very busy, Alicia," Amelia chuckled, turning her chair so that she could rest her arms and chin on the headrest. "Don''t you think you should slow down on the Bell Branches right about now? It''ll be a nightmare to maintain all of them." "Really?" Alicia tilted her head in confusion as she welcomed herself to the other swivel chair in the room. "I have not encountered any problems with it as of yet, not when the communication Catalysts you had improved a while back made it easier for the managers to send their reports without sending down one of us to fetch them." "Right... I did that," Amelia realized, slacking her shoulders. "Hah! Jokes on you, missy!" But seriously though, the fourth leader of Bell Conglomerate has been expanding her company''s reach to every known world to the Otherworldly Court ever since she took the rear support as she did. Amelia wondered if Bell Conglomerate could even be trust-busted being inter-world at this point. The Court sure can''t when the Conglomerate''s the one giving Court Wizards their paycheck. "Anyway," Amelia continued from where they left off. "Well, you''re in luck ''cause I''m in the last phases of restoring the pre-Incident files on URT and oh boy, there''s a lot to talk about it." "You are?" Alicia looked at the sheer coincidence right now. "Yep," Amelia smiled lazily, her head resting on her arms. "The specific dates and whatnots are totally corrupted, so I''m gonna have to visit URT for a history book, and there are also other things that we can only speculate. But other than that, we still got the big picture." "Then can you tell us about it?" Alicia requested. "Yeah! Like why the heck is there a modern country sticking out in a medieval fantasy world like a sore thumb!?" "Woah! Relax Voice, we got time. Why not?" Amelia calmed the pixie down before she began, straightening her head. "So once upon a time, Maneg Users barged into Erdale in the middle of their Great War." "...Wait, What!?" Incidentally, ''Maneg Users'' was the name Court Wizards used in place of Soul Weavers as Maneg Souls fused with Court Wizards'' souls nowadays wired even Alicia''s brain to turn hostile hearing the S and W words together. The maneg scientist herself had to compromise by crossing them out and writing the safer version after them in the archives. "Oh?" Alicia raised her eyebrow. "So Erdale was affected by the Eleven-Century War?" Amelia nodded, "Oh yeah, and we don''t even need an accurate report to know where this is going. With a war going on, it''s the perfect time for a bunch of Maneg Users with their Mother Souls to recruit more Maneg Users to one-up each other as they have always done for millennia! Also, really should''ve called it ''Eleven Centuries War''." "I know what you mean, Amelia," Alicia smiled wryly. "Anyway, with an existing war already going on, I imagine the Maneg Users'' arrival did nothing but escalate it further." "Yeah," Amelia confirmed. "From what I can gather, these guys helped kingdoms massacre armies in record time, destroyed other kingdoms overnight, and just caused a huge racket while dragging the locals into their fold; general stuff that''s constant in other worlds clapped by Maneg Users without getting into the gritty details. It''s a miracle none of the sapient species there went extinct, according to all known Erdale species in the archives." That was also why the First Guardians made it a rule to always hold back. The sheer destruction Court Wizards could still do even after the Mothers Souls were damaged, thereby decreasing the quality of Maneg Souls'' reserves and the strength they produce, was something they didn''t want to happen again. That and being a sort of world-keeping force would demand that sort of thing. In fact, much of the Rules of Engagement has its basis in the aftermath of the Eleven-Century War. "Then after all of that''s said and done," Amelia continued. "The Maneg Users left Erdale just like that, taking all the fresh recruits with them whether they like it or not since that''s what they signed up for." "And have anyone tried to refute that?" Alicia asked. "There''s got to be some, but after screwing up their own homeworld, I don''t think they''d last on their own against their former world-ers if they lagged behind. There''s really no escaping your faction of Maneg Users," Amelia shrugged. "Also, there''s pretty damning evidence I recovered that Maneg Users can transfer on their own, hence why other records say we used to be Wanderers. "But to make sure they don''t ditch their Mother Soul, they''ll lose all their disloyal maneg to the conservation of maneg without the final safety step provided only by the Mother Soul. In other words, us losing our disloyal maneg, except you Alicia, if we transfer without the Transporter Room is most likely a failsafe by the Mother Souls. That''s probably how the two rooms were made, using the functions of the Mother Souls." "Truly?" Alicia piqued her interest. "If you can rediscover how the Transporter Rooms were made then perhaps we can build more of them. It would make transferring more efficient with the load increased." "Yeah!" "Somehow, I don''t think your reason is entirely altruistic," Amelia deadpanned. "Now where were we? Oh yeah, when the Maneg Users transferred out of Erdale, they left a good number of their modern to high-tech stuff they''ve got to miss after salvaging them." "Oh, I guess that would happen," Alicia supposed. One of the First Guardians was a cyborg, so Maneg Users weren''t all medieval fantasy types. "Yeah, and it really threw Erdale''s technological progress out of whack," Amelia continued. "A lot of worlds affected by the Eleven-Century War do, actually. Speaking of which, you''ve mostly been to worlds that didn''t have Maneg Users on their doorsteps, right Alicia? You''re gonna need to see worlds that do. It''s really weird seeing stuff that should''ve been invented centuries later being used, even in a fantasy world." "Is that so?" Alicia smiled wryly. "And I suppose that is why we have that rule then?" "Yeah," Amelia nodded. "When you''re at war for the better part of the millennia, most of the things you bring are obviously weapons. And when you''re helping a kingdom to sic on another faction, you''d lend some of your toys to that kingdom''s grunts before taking them back. "And even though the Maneg Users took back their weapons, which the Erdale locals later call ''Forbidden Artifacts'' which is a story for another time, that doesn''t stop that kingdom from trying to emulate it. As it happens, the Holy Erdal Empire got the novel idea of enchanting their weapons and armor by sticking magic crystals called Magic Ores when it''s usually just on staves and lamps. Presumably, Erdal saw a laser sword with a core like a Magic Ore to get the idea or something. It''s kinda a stretch, but it still made Erdal the superpower of Erdale." And that''s the other rule. The First Guardians saw how destructive throwing off a world''s pacing of development by introducing advanced technology was and decided that a world should develop its advancements naturally lest an Erdal empire happen. "Were there any other enchanted weapons before that?" Alicia asked. "Just a few weapons blessed by the local deities, according to legends, and they don''t have Magic Ores on them. You''d be surprised just how many worlds with magic stones, which is a notable exception in Object Modules in terms of compatibility, never thought of placing them on weapons other than a long stick right from the get-go." Amelia shrugged. "It really shows how much of an influence Maneg Users can bring to a world, so if you''re going into a world affected by the Eleven-Century War, Alicia, you''re gonna need to watch out for sudden technology, unless it''s already that world''s shtick from the start." "I see. Well, it is quite the shame the First Guardians never see the benefits bringing technology to less-developed worlds would bring though," Alicia remarked, cupping her cheek. "True, the First Guardians focused more on how it would make an Erdal empire than how many lives could be saved with things like modern medicine which would be in line with our goals. That said, the next generations do see things differently," Amelia smirked. All the Catalysts in the Bell Branches should explain it enough. "And that brings us to how URT started." "Ah yes, that." Alicia almost forgot the whole reason she was here in the first place, except she still needed to hear the story of the country''s founding. "And does everything we have discussed so far have to do with URT being a modern country in the middle of a pre-modern world?" "Yeah! Kinda like that one isekai novel!" "Yes, it''s as you imagined," Amelia nodded. "Basically, in the last throes of the Great War, groups of humans, elves, dwarves, half-animals, and dragon-morphs all tried to escape from all of that bloodshed. And because of all that chaos, they all came to the desperate conclusion that the only safe place was to seek refuge past the Dark Forest they called the Forest of Demons where they all ran into each other. Something about the leaders of the groups getting messages from their respective deities to assure them." "So Erdale''s deities guided them," Alicia guessed. "Well, that''s the story anyway," Amelia shrugged. "And before they had a Mexican standoff, they noticed there''s like, a lot of books lying around the grass not far off and they''re not just any books, they''re modern Earth books and neatly stacked too." "So they read it out!?" "Exactly!" Amelia praised the little pixie, much to her realization and dismay. "Add the whole divination thingy and being sick of fighting after a world war they''re trying to avoid, that''s pretty much what they did." Amelia turned her back and fiddled with the screen. With a CLICK, the screen now showed a painting where a human noble, an elf scholar, a dwarf craftsman, a lion half-animal king, and a red-scaled dragon-morph prince surrounded a pile of books with the ones on top open with a glow as if it were divine along with people from those respective races watching. "Whether or not the deities saw some good in the Maneg Users, they must have seen how modern knowledge could fix things. And with a hero summoning system already existing in Erdale, they used it to summon not a hero nor a smart guy, but modern books from Erdale Earth." Amelia pointed a laser pointer she pulled out from somewhere and directed the red dot on the books though it went through it as it was a hologram. "At least, that''s what URT says which I''m inclined to believe. It''s not like a Maneg User is carrying a lot of modern books with them, probably just one to start it all." "So they isekai''d books!?" "Yep, and they''re all translated too," Amelia snapped her fingers in affirmation. "So, after presumably making camp and then reading the books for a while." Amelia circled the red dot around the five founders of URT, presumably. "These guys basically attained enlightenment." "I guess that is not exaggerating, is it not?" Alicia chuckled softly from her seat. "Well yeah, those books contain virtually everything in modern society we take for granted," Amelia shrugged her hands. "But to these guys, they were revolutionary. Also when I said those books have everything in modern society, I mean everything: science, history, technology, culture, politics, economy, medicine, geography, education, religion, and even fiction were up for grabs. By the way, this includes books published in pre-modern times and language books modified for Erdalians to learn. "Heck, it''s not shown here, but there were also CDs, cassette tapes with their players, and even a databank of the internet in all of its meme-ing glory! Don''t ask me how the deities know what the internet is, let alone have a server big enough to store all that data! Hah...!" "A-Are you alright?" Alicia was at the edge of her seat concerned for the maneg scientists panting after talking too boisterously. "Hah... Sorry," Amelia huffed, clutching her chest. "Hah... Need to catch my breath. Hah..." CLICK CLICK After taking a big gulp from a thermos before putting it back on the floor beside her chair, Amelia calmed down and then changed the screen into a painting that could no less be described as the founding of a nation with five white stars above an open book with a green cover resting on two sets of green olive branches intertwined with each other all in a blue background as its national flag. "As I was saying," Amelia calmly continued. "While all of the scientific knowledge of modern Earth was good and all, it''s the concept of equality and ideology that got these soon-to-be founders. And some of these guys were blue-blooded!" "Come to think of it, some of the founders in the paintings were wearing noble clothing," Alicia realized. "That is quite impressive of them." It''s the vices of Court Wizards to look down on nobles in general. "Yeah, the history books of Earth''s medieval ages gave them retrospect of the Great War and found parallels of imperialism, intolerance, religion in politics, and other factors causing all of that suffering - the Maneg Users simply amplified it. That disillusioned the founders of what they thought was good," Amelia said dryly. "But what really struck the chord was when they read up one country common in many versions of Earth: Indonesia." With that, she clicked the remote that was there to show the screen the red and white Indonesian flag. "Oh?" Alicia piqued her interest hearing the largest archipelago nation mentioned. Her father had once flown there on a business trip and was inspired by the local super app to create his version, BellDe, which operated even in Manegia. Kinda ironic her father didn''t get the inspiration from his home country which started it. "They were already having ideas of forming a nation that''s gonna unite all sapient species equally on Erdale and the blue-bloods were all prepared to give up their titles for it. But even with divine will, they weren''t sure it was going to work when Erdale is deeply rooted in countries segregated by race where its sub-races are only really united by religion and close similarities and must still have some cracks. It''s probably one of the catalysts for the Great War, really," Amelia explained. "And it''s something our homeworlds are struggling with even though all of us are humans, as much as we want to deny it; so it didn''t give the founders much confidence when they have multiple species. "But when they found out that the other world has a nation with six official religions and many more unofficial ones with several times more ethnic groups than their own all together under the ideals of unity in diversity, they got their answer. Sure, it has some rough edges and tumultuous history, as all countries do, but it showed the founders that it can be done, to set aside their differences and live together in harmony. It''s a stretch, but it was the push they needed to start a country where all races are equal. "And besides, our worlds at large are making great progress breaking those barriers, not in just a single country, and even with the reasons I stated before, some of the races on Erdale are a collection of multiple races called ''sub-races'' nowadays. Makes for confusing terminologies, but it means they were already united in some way, so they shouldn''t sell themselves so short." "Wow... That is, quite inspiring." Alicia gasped in awe. "Very awesome!" Erdale was a world with a history deeply rooted in nations separated by race and to a small extent among sub-races, similar to the factions of Elements in the Maneg Users days. Even the only known time these races were united was only to be against another race invading, so the idea of unifying all of them was not something that one came up with easily let alone push through it. In fact, Alicia''s father had regaled stories of the hard-fought struggles he and Alicia''s grandfather had installing Bell Branches in non-human kingdoms which got her interested in looking at Erdale in the first place. Even human countries were difficult for that one other reason. It was even more so when three out of the five founders were used to living with a silver spoon. It still took resolve for them to cast their privileges and titles aside for a country where everyone was equal. Switching the screen to a close-up of the early URT flag, Amelia continued, "And so, the United Races of Terra was born - the founders decided to name their country after the many versions of our homeworld, probably not to copy Erdal. Each star represents each major race, sub-races all included, in URT which is remotely similar to the states of the US, the first obvious nation that got the founders the concept of URT in the first place even though it''s not the one that sold the idea." Alicia nodded to go on. "And with modern books being their guidebooks, URT speedran through civilization," Amelia continued. "Which is what everyone would think, but it''s more complicated than that." "Of course it is!" "Pretty much," Amelia smirked. "Fortunately, the founders of URT conveniently just so happen to be some of the most level-headed and well-educated people of their time because one, they had caught on pretty early that since Erdale''s sister world only has humans as a sapient race, not everything in Earth books is gonna apply to Erdale like the solar system, and magic''s just fiction there. However, it still gives them the push to find Erdale''s version of those subjects and further the research on magic with fiction as their unreliable inspiration. "Two, not even the founders understood the books fully. Even though all URT citizens get free access to those books, it''s not like they, people from the Middle Ages, are gonna latch on to modern knowledge immediately. Also, low literacy rates." Amelia then switched the screen to a map of a part of URT''s territory, the peninsula. "And finally, at the time URT was founded, the country''s only just this peninsula split from the rest of the continent by a low-chlorophyll forest which is the ''Dark Forest.'' It''s not a place with many resources to work with, so development was mostly getting URT''s government and constitution up and running until after a generation or so when the First Guardians of the Otherworldly Court found out it exists." "Oh?" Alicia piqued her interest again. After all... "Finally! We''re getting to why heck there isn''t a Bell Branch on URT!?" "Be patient, geez!" Amelia frowned as she changed the screen again such that one has to wonder if she had always prepared these in advance, to a painting of some of the First Guardians and a few Court Wizards with the first five races of URT - only the elf, dwarf, and dragon-morph founder were there. The most striking part of this illustration, however, was the addition of two adult fairies, a man and woman, and a mature red-haired woman with two long horns on her head. "At first, the First Guardians were getting red flags seeing the few technologies early URT was able to replicate from the Erdale Earth books and then finding said books." Amelia pointed the laser around the Guardians before moving it to the URT founders. "On the other side, the people of URT were panicking seeing the Maneg Users seemingly returning." "But there was no hostile confrontation," Alicia suspected. "Yeah," Amelia nodded. "The First Guardians realized early on when going into a world affected by the Maneg User''s war, they should go in a group consisting of two or more Elements to show the formerly competitive factions together like a house on fire. So they did just that and managed to reduce tensions with URT." "And I guess it was... very successful," Alicia remarked, looking at the painting showing the end result. "Yes," Amelia smiled wryly. "It''s a long story, but thanks to one of the First Guardians being an Erdale fairy in addition to a demon Court Wizard also from Erdale, one thing leads to another and the fairies and demons joined URT." "And what about the books?" Alicia asked. "Dunno, can''t restore those records." Amelia shrugged in resignation. "But looking at everything that happened afterwards, it seems the First Guardians for whatever reason backed off from burning those books and just let URT have them," she speculated. "Well, whatever it was, methinks it''s definitely where our interpretation of the fourth rule started," which was only Court Wizards have to follow that rule and do largely nothing against any outside force spreading technology. "Is that so?" Alicia chuckled. Also, as long as the public doesn''t know, all the Catalysts can stay in the Bell Branches. Then, the maneg scientist changed the screen back to the URT flag, but this time there were eight stars. "And so," Amelia continued. "With the inclusion of the demons and fairies, URT added two more stars to its flag. While they''re at it, an eighth star is slotted in to represent the mixed races that are steadily rising in population just in case someone gets into any ideas," she muttered grimly. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I get the notion," Alicia nodded in understanding. Then, the maneg scientist fiddled the screen to show the map of URT once again, this time showing a large island off the coast of the peninsula. "URT inherits the Demon Island belonging to the defunct demon kingdom," Amelia switched back to the painting and focused on the red-haired female demon, "barely led by the current demon lord whose father once invaded the world, and even relocated the capital to the former demon kingdom''s. "The fairies," she then pointed at the two fairy couple, "led by the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, meanwhile, finally get a permanent residence to plant their Fairy Tree in the Demon Island after running around Erdale with it from virtually everyone wanting their grubby hands on it. Just so you know, the Fairy Tree allows the fairies to infinitely resurrect from and reincarnate when they truly die from old age - the fairy monarchs are truly immortal, by the way, and are considered deities in their own right." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding of the abbreviated story. "And what is the standing between us and URT then?" "Well, after the whole thing, it looks like we and the people of URT became awkward friends," Amelia stated. "They''re giving us the benefit of the doubt seeing as we''ve reformed and become united similar to them, but they''re still pretty damn suspicious of us. The demons have no problem with us as they weren''t involved in the Great War and by extension the Maneg Users. The fairies, on the other hand, were really grateful for helping them find a safe place to live - it helped that one of the First Guardians was one of their kind. They''ve mostly swept their grievances of us under the rug since we''re just another group among basically everyone going after them." And it showed the inextricable link between the Otherworldly Court and the United Races of Terra. Not just from one of the First Guardians belonging to the fairies of Erdale, but also how the chance encounter shaped the Otherworldly Court afterwards. And to the first rule, the Otherworldly Court was forever intertwined with the United Races of Terra aligned with the Court''s goals, showing that the Court Wizards do belong there. "So then, the reason why there is not a Bell Branch in URT is...?" Alicia began suspecting but did not like the notion. "Well, obviously, the URT government ain''t gonna let a bunch of capitalist Court Wizards whose predecessors once ravaged Erdale put their grubby hands on the country, especially with the ulterior motive of spying on the place, even if it''s nothing classified," Amelia bluntly stated. "Erk!" A figurative arrow struck a bullseye on Alicia with additional damage with the same usage of words. "Hey! Don''t badmouth my Alicia like that, Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" But there was the answer. A long and winded discussion of the history of a nation in a different world culminated in a simple answer that the said nation does not want a visible foothold by the Court Wizards on its soil. That said, there''s no reason to stop now that Alicia got her answer, not when it was sidelined despite being the catalyst for this long story at this point. "Anyway," Amelia continued with a grin as if it were nothing, earning a scowl from the pixie. "With the acquisition of the former demon kingdom''s territory, URT finally took off. The Demon Island is in the equator, meaning it''s warm year-round and can produce lots of food to feed a growing population, especially after they started planting rice taken from northern areas after the Dark Forest." She then popped a picture of rice fields on the screen. "By the way, most of the agriculture is happening on a volcanic island below the main island. The Demon Island gets its name from the other races counterinvading who thought it was just one island when it''s actually one big island surrounded by relatively smaller ones that are still sizable and the native population just rolled with it." "There was no rice cultivated on there before?" Alicia tilted her head. Normally, you would see rice in places around the equator, so this was strange. "Yeah. According to records, the demons were hunter-gatherers in the first place as they didn''t find anything they could domesticate and the Dark Forest wasn''t helping to get traders to bring some to them," Amelia shrugged. "Because of that, they struck out first; there is evidence the first demon lord invasions happened just for that because afterwards, they began farming livestock and wheat." "...Wheat?" "For whatever reason, the demons skipped over the rice-producing kingdoms and got to wheat kingdoms that are on the other side of the world first. It''s probably because of fantasy deities pulling some strings that it happened. But thanks to that, they have ended up trying to grow wheat on tropical land which went just about as you expect," Amelia shook her head in disbelief herself. "The old archives really seem to emphasize this fact and recent files show a lot of URT propaganda about it. Well, the switching of staple food does allow the demons to recover its relatively low population presumably after all the invasions and simply poor farming choices at a better rate now that food has become more abundant." "I see," Alicia nodded at the thought. The scale of a population does depend on its food supply. You need fewer acres for rice compared to wheat to sustain a family as it''s more caloric which means a larger population can be sustained. Sure, there are a lot of factors for population growth, but you can''t dismiss the simplest factor that has the most tremendous effect. "The founders really did their homework on that one, and there''s a lot more coming." Amelia then switched the screen''s picture to that of what was presumably a shot of a part of the Demon Island. "''Cause it''s not just the land that''s great for agriculture, it''s also chocked full of resources untapped by a civilization not advanced enough to make use of them until URT with all of its modern knowledge from Earth." Then, Amelia changed the screen again to show what was basically a montage of newer and newer technology being built except it was not by just humans, but together with the other races of Terra. Also, some of the devices were clearly fueled with magic. "After securing food, URT began replicating technology from Earth, or Erdale Earth if you wanna be specific. The founders, of course, already gave people free access to knowledge of Earth to get more thinkers barring the very dangerous ones like WMD blueprints, naturally, but it''s the gain in territory that allowed them to finally start their own scientific revolution," Amelia continued in eagerness. "And since there''s a Magic System Module in full use on Erdale, URT founded a magic institute to promote magic research along with other institutions down the line to research on topics Earth versions don''t apply." Then the screen changed again, showing a vial filled with glowing liquid and a magic rock, a Magic Ore of Erdale. The maneg scientist continued, "While the magic institute made many discoveries, its crowning achievement is the discovery of the technique to condense ambient mana into liquid form and then subsequently into solid, effectively creating artificial Magic Ores. The technique itself got refined over time to the point where it''s commercially sustainable." "Oh?" the merchant raised her eyebrow. "So URT no longer has to mine for Magic Ores then?" she asked. Magic Ore has ''Ore'' in its name, so it was natural for anyone to assume they were mined from the earth. "Yeah, URT really advertised this according to recent files that they studied how Magic Ores were formed in mines, to begin with, and then becoming independent from them," Amelia explained. "The whole propaganda''s probably got to do with the Erdal empire being really obsessed with the mines since their power stems from Magic Ores and the liquid form of mana is also a good battery to refuel Magic Ores running out of juice too." Then, Amelia showed from the screen even more technology mixed with magic. "And with inspiration from Erdale Earth''s fictional depiction of magic, URT also began churning out lots of magitech expediting the more complicated pieces. Oh, but ever since someone in the magic institute discovered anti-magic, which is a story for another time, they try to hybridize the tech they make so it can run with or without magic for obvious reasons." "Ooh! Cool!" "I see. But it is not just scientific discoveries they are replicating, is it?" Alicia suspected. Earths'' similar revolution was not just scientific discoveries, after all. "Yeah," Amelia nodded. "Along with science, other aspects of civilization got a makeover as you''d expect. For example," she displayed a picture of a church with architecture similar to a Catholic Church on Earth, a similarity shared by countless other fantasy worlds'' churches for no particular reason even though the deities those churches serve were all different from one another. "URT did its version of the Protestant Revolution on the Eria Faith primarily followed by humans, filtering out all the nonsense by the Eria theocracy for the higher-ups'' benefit and going back to her actual teachings." Looking at Alicia, Amelia continued, "most notably for you, the ''Reformed Eria Faith'' got rid of the whole ''red-haired people are secretly demons'' lie by the theocracy which probably doesn''t even matter anymore for obvious reasons just because red is a common hair color for horned demons which URT determined to only have been propagated to take down a kingdom with red-haired royalty, a story for another day." "Oh, well good riddance to that," Alicia quipped with a hint of smile Amelia did not fail to notice. "...You got harrassed down there, didn''t you?" Amelia rhetorically asked, putting the obvious two and two together. "...Yes," Alicia admitted, hanging her head down. "It was an awful experience." "Yeah! Some bastard clergy started calling Alica ''demon'' in a bad way out of nowhere and tried to get her burned at a stake! That old fart is still grinding my gears!" "Well, it was a good thing Owen was with me to get me out of that situation," Alicia sighed. She hasn''t really been putting the self-defense lessons her father squeezed into her schedule in her growing ages into practice a whole lot with the lack of fighting early on. It was what got Alicia interested in Erdale in the first place, actually. The hostile encounter of some priest calling her a demon not as a name of a race, a name that happened to carry negative connotations on Earth, but in a derogatory sense, a sense that Alicia understood. That simple visit to Erdale''s Bell Branches for the first time got her to talk about it with her father who then regale the great difficulty he and Alicia''s grandfather went through installing all those Bell Branches on Erdale; they had to find someone fine with a human boss in non-human kingdoms and in human kingdoms, someone who would tolerate their red hair. Both were like finding a needle in a haystack. Because of the hatred of one particular hair color, both senior Bells still had to wear wigs whenever they went to Erdale. It was just Alicia''s luck that her father forgot about the whole thing when she told him she was going to Erdale - only he didn''t get a lasting impression of Erdale. After that, Alicia got into digging on Erdale''s Bell Branches on the surface where she noticed URT''s lack of thereof which led her here. "Right, let''s just move on then," Amelia uneasily looked to the screen before switching its display to another painting, this time depicting fish half-animals joining URT. "After half a Court generation or so, the fish half-animals, anthropomorphic fishes, and other sapient sea species collectively called the ''seafolk'' joined URT thanks to, you guessed it, a seafolk Court Wizard." "Why am I not surprised!?" Amelia then showed the screen the map of URT again, this time focusing on the sea channel separating the peninsula and island. "While they can live on land since seafolks live under, well, the sea, they took residence in the waters between the two land territories, making an underwater province, a special one at that." "Special?" Alicia tilted her head. Amelia clicked the remote to show what was essentially a mermaid queen sitting on a coral throne. "Well, the seafolks that joined URT came from a seafolk kingdom that got destroyed by a rivaling sea kingdom with the help of land dwellers, presumably the empire going by the trend... supposedly - I''m still restoring the part why it happened specifically, something about makeshift depth charges using Magic Ores. But long story short, the seafolks still like their monarch and voted to keep her as the hereditary ruler of their underwater province, three-fifths the founders, the fairy monarchs, and the demon lord giving up their ruling titles be damned." "And I am guessing it went through?" Alicia assumed. Thinking about it, she does remember one province in Indonesia having that same kind of special status after looking up the country in her spare time once. "Well, despite the bad outlook on absolute monarchies nowadays, URT knows constitutional monarchies are a thing that allowed the seafolk monarch to rule the province on that condition," Amelia said. "Also, practically, the government really wants to up their maritime tech and secure the sea channel with the help of the seafolk which did happen. Ideally, it also wants to add the last star to the URT flag, uniting all races on Erdale." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. "And how did the Otherworldly Court respond to that at the time?" She''d imagine the Court didn''t expect the special province either. "This mermaid queen you see here?" Amelia immediately answered, pointing at the illustration. "That''s the mermaid Court Wizard." "Oh," Alicia muttered. "Bruh!" "Yeah, pretty obvious what happened," Amelia smirked. "Is that so?" Alicia chuckled. "At any rate, the seafolk is the last race to join URT, then?" she asked, judging by how Amelia stated it. "But why are there ten stars when you only mention nine!?" Alicia did a preliminary check on URT on the fire chamber''s computer before deciding to go to the main source. "You''re right, Voice," Amelia nodded. "Because then, alien plant people from outer space descended into URT," she replied. "...What!?" the pixie did her best impression of a certain red monster. "..." Alicia herself was wide-eyed. That came out of nowhere. SNAP "Pfft! You should''ve seen the look on your faces!" Amelia giggled as she pulled out her smartphone and pointed to the camera to capture the girl and pixie''s priceless reaction. "Now where was I?" "Hey! Delete that photo!" "Forget it, Voice," Alicia calmed the pixie down. "It is pointless to stop her." "But daddy can!" "Erk!" Amelia cringed, recalling Alicia''s father who once beat her up for getting overboard with her tests on his daughter''s unique Maneg Soul. "A-Anyway," Amelia clicked the remote that''s also the laser pointer to show, this time, a low-quality photograph of a plant-themed spaceship with its ramp open letting out light-green humans with plant parts sticking out. "The data here is intact, actually, recorded after the 1246 Incident," Amelia pointed out. Just because the past data were corrupted since the 1246 Incident doesn''t mean the Court would stop adding more to the archives altogether. "But still poorly written. Moving on, out of nowhere URT got visited by alien plant people who call themselves ''Aurorans'' from the planet, well, Aurora." "And why would the Aurorans visit Erdale then?" Alicia asked. "Well, turns out Aurora''s a dead world and those Aurorans were like the last few of their kind making the last-ditch effort to survive by jumping into another world in the old-fashioned way," Amelia explained. "We never discovered their world to know their plight." "Oh," Alicia uttered in a somber tone. "My condolences to them." "Yeah, really sucks for them," Amelia nodded in agreement. "Fortunately, the Aurorans had taken the easiest hunch that URT having every intelligent species all together would be the least hostile to them, and the United Races with its ideals undoubtedly welcomed them." "Hooray!" "And that''s not to mention all the sci-fi tech the Aurorans have propelling URT even further," Amelia added. "Hearing that makes it sound... utilitarian," Alicia smiled wryly. "Well, that''s pretty much the state of the secret nation," Amelia shrugged. "Hmm!? Why do I hear another elaboration!?" "Secret nation..." And suddenly, it all made sense to Alicia. "Yeah, that''s right." Amelia fixed her swivel chair''s orientation and her posture. "From the founding of the nation to the present, not once has URT been known to the rest of Erdale. Not when all the fairies seemingly vanished without a trace, not when a destroyed underwater kingdom''s people disappeared into the unknown, not even when a spaceship descended. Not ever." Then, Amelia changed the screen again, showing a scanned copy of a URT law called ''The Concealment Act'' along with its year. "When the founders founded URT, they realized they couldn''t let other countries know its existence. It''s not just being isolationists, it''s making the world think they don''t exist, that the peninsula is still uninhabited and the Demon Island is still the demon kingdom''s domain." "Was it necessary?" Alicia asked. She could already imagine a couple of reasons, but she figured to hear it from the expert. "Well, URT to the Erdale powers is more or less what France in the French Revolution is to the rest of Europe, minus the violence," Amelia stated the analogy. "To make things simple, let''s take the Erdal empire. When the emperor and nobles hear five races banded together to form a country, they''ll probably scoff at it first, thinking it''ll soon fall from bickering or from the demons, especially when this country is still keeping those races'' cultural identities and religion, I forgot to tell you about that, it''s important in URT. Not only that, this country champions equality and rejects the ideas of nobility, instead electing someone among the rabble, reinforcing their thinking. "But contrary to their belief, URT stuck around, able to function without hereditary rulers and even bringing in the fairies and the aforementioned demons to its union. Add all of the technological progress borderline Forbidden Artifacts thanks to the books, the empire, the emperor, and the nobility, would feel threatened." "So the empire would try to attack URT to put it down before it becomes a bigger threat," Alicia concluded. "And there''s no reason other kingdoms regardless of race wouldn''t feel threatened. They''re just like the empire but less powerful," Amelia added. "Heck, with the demons on the table, they might even get an excuse to form a coalition against URT with the empire as the ringleader, just as they did to the demons, and not to mention once they found out our relationship with the United Races. And just because the empire''s the one that got inspired by Maneg Users doesn''t mean other countries wouldn''t or even try to copy empire tech." "So URT pulled a camouflage so they wouldn''t have to deal with all of that!?" "Yep, the founders think URT''s gonna be this shining beacon that''s gonna change the world, with the whole divination thing, but only if it''s allowed to grow, so their conclusion is to make the rest of the world oblivious to URT steadily building its power," Amelia explained. "I said ''steadily'' because the founders knew actually speedrunning up the civilization ladder isn''t a good thing. It''s still going fast, but not too fast which all the more reason for the concealment." "But how were they able to conceal URT for so long?" Alicia asked. "At least, from the beginning. I would imagine the demon kingdom would have been watched from the peninsula in case they invaded again." "There were soldiers from multiple countries keeping an eye out on the demon kingdom, a semblance of unity because of a common enemy," Amelia stated. "But then the Great War happened and seeing the demons aren''t doing anything, those soldiers were recalled. That''s probably why the founders went into the peninsula in the first place. "After the Great War, it wasn''t the aftermath of the World War, again despite the Maneg Users making things worse, the surviving kingdoms couldn''t get along to restation the peninsula, not when each other seemed to be the bigger threat than demons. Add the superstition on the Dark Forest, the URT''s border guards would barely have to deal with anyone more curious than a cat." "Oh," Alicia understood. "At least, that''s the oversimplification of things," Amelia shrugged. "But hey, thanks to that, the Eria theocracy never heard a peep on the Eria Reformation in URT to put up a hissy fit." "However, if URT was to not interact with the rest of the world, that means it needs to be self-sufficient," Alicia pointed out the moot point. "Is URT capable of that?" "Spoken like a true businesswoman," Amelia smiled wryly. "Yeah, you''re right. There are some things URT doesn''t have in its backyard like, well, wheat, so it does need imports." Once again, the maneg scientist changed the screen again, showing a logo of a blue dove guiding a smaller one. "And so the government started a merchant guild called the ''Blue Doves'' to do exactly that." "And then it gets more complicated!" "Yes," Alicia nodded to the pixie''s remark. "I have a feeling a simple merchant guild to cover URT''s imports has expanded to be much more than that." "Doesn''t that sum up just about every idea?" Amelia asked rhetorically. She continued, "basically, since URT''s gonna be a country that gets its wealth from its citizens, it obviously wants people outside to come over ''cause it can''t force its own people to be an overworked baby machine. But since URT''s hiding itself, it can''t do that exactly." "So the Blue Doves discreetly invites people to immigrate into URT," Alicia guessed. "Yep, the Blue Doves merchants mostly whisper to any potential immigrants about URT vaguely and help them get there, but it''s not effective," Amelia explained. "Instead, they found a better solution: slaves." "Hm?" Alicia raised her eyebrow. Before Alicia could react further, Amelia continued, "URT''s constitution naturally outlaws slavery, but one of the specifics is that any slaves setting foot on URT are free. So basically, the government puts up a law that gives the exception to the Blue Doves who then buys slaves, bringing them into URT where they would be free by law. And so far, the statistics say the operation is very successful." "Huh, that is... very creative," Alicia remarked. "Very original!" "It doesn''t stop there," Amelia continued. She changed the screen again, showing a photo of two elves both with silver hair in a tearful reunion subtitled ''Project Reunite.'' "Project Reunite is basically a program that allows former slaves to submit information about their relatives and friends who are still enslaved outside URT to the URT Immigration Center. The Blue Doves will then keep an eye out on these ''headhunt targets'' and prioritize getting them to URT when they see them." "Oh, that is wonderful!" Alicia smiled. "Yep, a real humanitarian effort and a good propaganda machine," Amelia smirked. "Oi! Don''t ruin the mood!" "Hey, URT only gives a small fund to Blue Doves and told it to make a profit out of it outside for its operations," Amelia snarked at the pixie. "No way the government wants to give its money to all the slaving countries, especially the empire, it''d sooner bust the slaves out than pay for them. But since that would risk exposure, it''s better to use the gold already circulating in their markets. Besides, URT uses paper money that''s not gonna get accepted anyway." "Is that so?" Alicia smiled wryly. "But URT cannot hide forever, right? You said the founders wanted URT to be a force of change to Erdale, it would need to be revealed to do that, correct?" "You''re right," Amelia nodded. "But as you know, no country is perfect. If we are looking at things now, URT seems very comfortable tucking behind the Dark Forest, long used to missing out on the benefits of opening up the country. "The secrecy itself is no better, causing a bunch of iffy complications. URT is a republic, yes, but the secrecy law meant its citizens can''t just leave the country, only trained personnel like the Blue Doves merchants can." "Hm, I suppose that is problematic," Alicia said. Sure, there may be no reason for someone to go back into the medieval world, and it''s the Blue Doves'' job to bring their loved ones into URT, and was doing a great job at it, but the principle remained. Also, it mirrored a certain country on the many versions of Earth, not a good thought. "Yeah, the URT government is a bit on the authoritarian side," Amelia nodded. "But it is necessary, in my opinion, considering the country needs to conceal itself while constantly advancing its society. Also, not gonna tell the details about URT politics, but it is because the founders are afraid of some idiot getting elected to ruin it all." "I can see that," Alicia frowned. Despite her father''s efforts, that still... "And setting aside how the concealment made Terra hide technology like us," Amelia continued. "It seems that it also gives way to a growing number of ultranationalists that the government is pretty concerned about, surprisingly, even though URT is united through nationality." The screen then showed a bunch of infographics chief among them against hating the empire. "If some of the posters are to go by, the other propaganda URT made didn''t exactly help with that. But well, you and I know how bad that could get." "...Well, it does make sense," Alicia suggested. "The founders intended URT to be a beacon of good, it cannot do that if its citizens act hostile to other nations." "Yeah, you''re right," Amelia closed her eyes. "URT knows the good and bad of our society. It knows Earth is not a utopia, and neither is Terra. But just like our world, the people of Terra strive to make the world a better place, picking up from the ashes of a Great War one step at a time. Of course, they will and have fought, no country has a spotless history, but they''ll keep on going. "But, I wonder how URT will fare when it eventually reveals itself to the rest of the world?" "Hm?" Alicia raised her eyebrow, noticing the sudden drop in Amelia''s otherwise hopeful conclusion. "Uh oh!" "Well, for one, the Blue Doves would have to be suspended for its safety, and Project Reunite targets would then have to be busted out," Amelia immediately listed off. "After that, URT will have to prepare to be invaded back to back, the nearby vassal kingdoms striking first before the empire showing how it''s done most likely. Also, URT freeing the empire''s slaves is another reason for it to attack." "But URT will win, right?" Alicia asked more or less rhetorically. URT definitely has magic guns, and its anti-magic technology would render any medieval fantasy armies just medieval. "Against any rando'' kingdom? Obviously," Amelia deadpanned. "Against the empire? Well, for centuries, the empire has been thought to be invincible, so people in URT especially immigrants would be nervous. But URT has prepared for centuries to break that notion while the empire did nothing to reinforce it, so Terra will knock Erdal off its pedestal. "Doesn''t help the empire is particularly fond of keeping knowledge and technology to the upper class for control - other kingdoms are a bit better, but not any relevant when even the empire''s tech is under stagnation. The theocracy got in on the action too, spreading whatever idea that''s lost to history that ended up in the deities starting the Forbidden Artifact thing, at least that''s what URT says just to hit the irony if the deities really did forbid Maneg User tech." "Then what''s the problem!?" "It''ll be what happens after," Amelia simply replied. "How so?" Alicia asked in concern. "When you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares back at you," Amelia started. "If URT is going to change Erdale, it''s got to be careful to not be corrupted by Erdale, like one ancient country on Earth in particular. Every. Freaking. Time." "So you are worried about URT''s people''s unity," Alicia realized. To that end, Amelia rotated her swivel chair, turned her back on Alicia and Voice, and turned off the screen. "The people never fought for URT''s independence," she stated, eyeing behind her. "URT was only created and stood by the virtue of no oppositions knowing it, its people united under convenience and never had to fight any independence war or anything similar, just pulling a big curtain. "The wars when URT is revealed will be too easy, it will not be a desperate struggle against all odds, never suffering defeat after defeat until the decisive victory, and will end as soon as the empire gets its butt kicked. As you said, Alicia, the real ''independence war'' will be a war for their unity after Erdale is brought low only thanks to bigger guns." Alicia listened. "Go on..." "There''s a reason why the empire will think URT should''ve fallen from internal bickering and will try to exploit that," Amelia continued. "What are URT''s strengths: freedom, equality, and unity, will be perceived as weaknesses to be taken advantage of." "So divide and conquer," Alicia concluded. "URT will open itself after the reveal. After all, it can no longer rely on the Blue Doves for its limited trade," Amelia stated, swirling her chair to face Alicia. "As you said, Alicia, as URT spreads itself to the world, the world will break out of its stagnation yet try its hardest to keep its old ways by attacking URT''s unity, its people''s unity." Looking up to the ceiling, Amelia concluded, "URT may have read and made countermeasures against divide and conquer, but it may as well be useless if its people never experienced it. There will be those who will bring up the shape of the people''s ears to form cracks between them starting from those who were just brought to their new home. "And with the Erdal empire''s humiliating defeat, it will sharpen its blade, and even dig up the Forbidden Artifacts it once suppressed for its sovereignty. The empire will come back to become a threat to the United Races and when that time comes, can the people, in their ups and downs, set aside their outward differences to protect their unity? "When that day comes, the United Races of Terra will have to make its stand in the world of Erdale."
"Wow! I didn''t peg you for being so philosophical! Are you sure you''re a mad scientist, Evil Mad Scientist Lady!?" "Voice, do not ruin it." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 1: Before Five Years Ago Kaomagi Earth Year 2013 Year 1416 in Manegia In Loving Memory Matilda Ruze 1947-2013 Owen stood in front of his grandmother''s grave which was right beside her husband''s in the countryside. She had lived a full life, living to see him, her grandchild, and passed away peacefully in her sleep. Others were attending her funeral: Owen''s childhood friend Alicia Bell with her mother and grandparents; middle-aged men and women who were butlers and maids in Alicia''s mansion; and her father, Ronald, who was a close friend to Owen''s father, Joshua. And yet, it was his father who was the only person missing from this funeral.
Kaomagi Earth Year 2007 Year 1410 in Manegia "Hey, dad," four-year-old Owen sitting on the sofa called to his father beside him while his eyes were still focused on the front. Joshua, in a comfortable position on the sofa, looked down at his son - Owen knew this without looking since he was always aware his father was taller than other dads. "What is it, son?" he asked in concern. As for why his father was concerned, Owen didn''t exactly call to his father in a tone a normal boy would use. Then again, a normal boy wouldn''t have only known his mother by visiting her grave before celebrating his birthday every year. And probably because his father would have been terrible at doing housework, Owen''s grandmother, Matilda, decided to move into the apartment to help. Right now, she''s preparing lunch in the kitchen of this rather expensive family apartment - his father had said something about his friend, Ronald, giving him a fat paycheck to afford the apartment, the little boy doesn''t really understand it too well. "Why does it hurt when I watch that?" So to explain, Owen pointed at the news on the television. "..." His father blinked, slightly caught off guard by his son''s question. Looking at the television, he reminded himself that they were watching the news of someone convicted of a relatively petty crime yet was given a very harsh sentence, hence making it to the headlines. "I know that person did something bad," Owen continued softly. "But he gets punished too much for it. I don''t like it." "I see..." was all Joshua could say. Owen was aware a kid at his age wouldn''t understand what was going on in the news, and even more so on his reaction to it. "He looks very sad," Owen continued nonetheless as the television showed the excessively sentenced man weeping. "It makes me sad too and," he patted his hand on his chest to point at it, "it feels bad in here." "..." Joshua pursed his lips. "So then?" He was not done. "I feel like I''m also punished a bit like that person and I don''t know why," Owen said. Then, he looked at his father. "Is that bad?" Joshua pondered the difficult question as his son watched him with a crestfallen expression. Eventually, leaning forward, he answered, "No, Owen. It''s not bad at all," while shaking his head. "It means you feel sad for others." "I feel sad for others...?" Owen muttered, looking confused. "It means you feel sad for others when they''re in trouble," the father explained. "Even if it''s because they did something bad, you still feel bad for them if they get punished too much for what they did." "..." The little boy listened quietly. Joshua ruffled his son''s white hair, his tall height towering over his little boy. "You''re a good kid, Owen," he smiled. "You already know how to care about others. It''s a good thing, keep at it." "...Okay, dad," little Owen showed a little smile as his father let go. It could''ve been a better explanation, but even if his father did convey one, there will always be something that''s lacking. So for now, this was for the best as the father and son continued to watch the television as the channel went on to the next program. So this sad feeling for dad is because of me, Owen thought, however. Mom...
Kaomagi Earth Year 2008 Year 1411 in Manegia "Your daughter wants to apologize?" Joshua muttered dumbfoundedly. Coming into the Ruze family apartment was Ronald Bell, Owen''s father''s friend, and gripping the dark-red haired man''s pants was Alicia, a little girl around Owen''s age with bright red hair and blue eyes, Owen''s friend introduced by their fathers, and she looked like she had cried not too long ago. The Bells took a seat at one side of the sofa while the two Ruzes took the other side - both Owen and Alicia''s small statures allowed the four of them to occupy the same two-seater sofa. "Well, yes. To put it simply," Ronald said, patting his daughter''s back. "Alicia here had been friends with a girl named Kathryn until she found out she was doing it for the money." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Joshua stared at Kaomagi Earth''s richest man incredulously. "How is a little girl such a gold digger?" "I have no idea how," Ronald shook his head. "Alright," Joshua gave the benefit of the doubt. "But what does it have to do with Alicia apologizing to my son?" "Um..." This time, Alicia spoke up. "When I was friends with... Kathryn, I... pushed Owen... away...." With every word she spoke, tears flowed from her eyes as her voice became heavier. "...Ah, so it''s that," Joshua sighed. "She was quite distraught realizing it," Ronald explained. "That''s why I brought her here." "...Yes," Alicia uttered as she hung her head with her two hands balled into fists pushing down on her knees. "Is that so, dear?" Matilda said, coming from the kitchen with a tray of snacks. Putting the tray on the low table, she gently patted the crying little girl. "There, there, it''s alright. Friendships may go, but they can always come again." "O-Okay, misses Ruze," Alicia sobbed. "That''s good, sweetie," Matilda smiled. "Now, don''t you have something to say to Owen?" "Oh yes!" Finally, Alicia turned to Owen, fidgeting her fingers with tears still flowing down her cheeks. "Owen, I, uh... am sorry for pushing you away..." Sniffing, she continued. "Please forgive me..." They weren''t exactly the best wordings for an apology, granted this was from a six-year-old, but it was a sincere one. "...It''s okay, Alicia," Owen, of course, accepted the apology. And yet, throughout all of this, there was only one thing on his mind, I already knew that Kathryn is... I could have said something, then Alicia wouldn''t have to cry like that.
Kaomagi Earth Year 2009 Year 1412 in Manegia "Take this, grandpa!" During free time in PE, a snotty brat by the name of Tony threw his fist at Owen. It wasn''t the first time Tony picked on him. It all started back in first grade when the brat decided Owen''s an old man for having an otherwise natural white hair - Owen, of course, had asked his father, who also has white hair, about it to which he responded that the Ruzes were born with it. And so, the white-haired boy decided to give the bully-from-birth the cold shoulders - Owen had a weird feeling about that expression that''ll be reaped in the future -, as was his father''s advice while he does something about it, supposedly. That became the routine throughout the first year: Tony would call Owen out in a rude fashion to the elderly, hoping to get a reaction out of him who would simply go on with his day, assuming the brat would eventually get bored of it. But as what was happening right now, the bully became frustrated that his piece of entertainment was not working as intended and decided to get physical. THUD "...Alicia?" Owen, unhurt, muttered. Just as Owen was prepared to take a hit from Tony, he was greeted by Alicia suddenly right between them. Her right arm was lifted and bent to protect the right side of her face as Tony''s fist directly landed on her right shoulder. With everyone watching in a shocked stupor, Alicia took the opportunity and spoke, "Stop that, Tony," in a stern, condescending tone. "Alicia..." Owen approached her in concern. "I am okay, Owen," Alicia shook her head before facing the little bully, not wasting the moment. "Why do you keep bothering him, huh, Tony!?" And perhaps not wanting to be talked down by a girl, Tony put up a tough act and yelled, "And why do you care about the little grandpa!? He''s got white hair like an old man!" further disrespecting the elderly as well. "And I have red hair like matches," Alicia pointed out, crossing her arms. "You are calling me ''fire girl'' now?" "W-Wha!?" Tony stuttered. "I..." "Owen is my friend, and I will not let anyone bother my friend!" Alicia declared, not just to Tony, but to everyone as well. "If you do, I will not be friends with you!" By all means, Owen should have felt happy about it. And yet, hearing the last thing Alicia said, he could only feel this, If... because of me, Alicia couldn''t have other friends besides me, then...
Kaomagi Earth Year 2010 Year 1413 in Manegia "He''s... missing?" Matilda softly muttered with a gasp. Around her arms was eight-year-old Owen, having just visited his mother''s grave before subsequently celebrating his birthday a few days ago, wearing an expressionless mask as both grandmother and grandson stood in front of Ronald breaking the news right at their doorstep. They knew Joshua hadn''t returned home after going out last night and he had never missed returning home outside of business trips. Matilda had tried to reach his cellphone but it was unreachable, making both of them more worried. Now, their worst fears turned out to be true when Ronald showed up the next morning telling them he disappeared. Flinching at how Owen had seemingly taken the news, Ronald explained, "Yes, we had a chat together in the evening, and after we separated, I had forgotten to tell him something and when I tried to find him, he''s gone," all while eyeing on Joshua''s son. "...Is that so?" Matilda said confusingly, not understanding what the Bell conveyed. Even Owen could tell there was something that doesn''t add up with mister Bell''s explanation. It was vague and sounded like a little kid coming up with a poor excuse to hide a vase the kid had just broken. It didn''t help that Ronald leaned to his grandmother and whispered, "I need to explain it to you privately, misses Ruze. It has to do with ''that,''" within Owen''s earshot afterwards. Despite knowing he was being kept out of the loop, all Owen thought was, why did it happen?
Kaomagi Earth Year 2013 Year 1416 in Manegia Most had already left, as it was already late and will be a long ride home, but Owen wasn''t ready to leave. Alicia insisted on staying, but her mother convinced her otherwise with the agreement that her father stayed. Ronald was escorting his family back to their family car so Owen was all alone for the moment. For the moment to think how he felt bad for that convict. CREME~ For the moment to think about how he could have told Alicia about Kathryn so she wouldn''t have to cry later. CREME~ For the moment to think about how he caused Alicia''s isolation. CREME~ For the moment to think of his grandmother in her final rest in front of him. CREME~ And finally, for the moment to think how his father was missing from all of this. CREME~ "It feels cold..." Owen uttered. It was a cold day, but not this cold. Winter was coming to an end, and snow didn''t fall on the graveyard today, yet the intense feeling on his skin said otherwise. Owen didn''t know why, but two weeks ago, he had felt very cold. Even though he wore multiple layers of clothing and turned the heater on full blast, his skin was still freezing. In fact, when he tried that, he was sweating bullets, and yet he still felt cold. It was as if time has stopped, or in this context, frozen for his skin to not escape from feeling the cold. Frozen, huh? Owen thought. He then remembered his grandmother''s priceless reaction in his attempt to stay warm. CREME~ It was a comical scene, one Owen thought wouldn''t continue to an abrupt end that, it would''ve been nice... CREME~ ...if it had all just stopped. CREME~ CREME~ Just freeze... CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ "Owen?" Owen''s head snapped out of his deprecating thoughts upon hearing Ronald''s voice from behind. He would''ve turned his back if he didn''t realize from the sole of his feet, that blue crystals covered the ground and his grandparent''s tomb. However, upon closer look, they weren''t crystals. They were ice. "Mister Bell," Owen then turned around with a widened eye. "What, is this?" he asked the adult as the ice had frozen the entire area around the young boy. Ronald, however, simply sighed, as if he knew what was going on. "I suppose it was inevitable that this would happen," he sadly muttered. That was five years ago. 5, 23, 19 Owens Collection Chapter 1: After Five Years, a Lead Manegia Year 1421 Name: Joshua Ruze Age: 47 Sex: Male Species: Human World: Kaomagi Earth Element: Ice Element Color: Light Blue Cherished Armament: Emilia''s Left Dagger (dagger) Rank: Grand Wizard "Is this real?" Ronald muttered in disbelief, supporting himself on the desk. He looked to John, the oldest west Transporter Room operator. "Is Joshua truly in Spiri Raia?" he pressed, pointing at the screen. "Yes, Ronald," the old operator nodded his head. "It''s not an error, Joshua''s signature is found in Spiri Raia." "Dad..." Owen muttered. It was mere days after Alicia had made her decision, and just as Alicia and Owen were about to enjoy summer break, the dimly lit circular Transporter Room had called them, dropping the bombshell that it had found Owen''s father. They had dropped everything and transferred back to the Otherworldly Court along with Alicia''s father after he had caught wind of this. "Is that so?" Ronald said in a hopeful tone. "Then where exactly did you find him?" "Here," John pointed at the map of Spiri Raia. "In Kirash." "Kirash? That is where mother is from, correct?" Alicia asked. "Yes. It is," Ronald looked back to his daughter. "Hm, to think Joshua''s right under our noses. If it isn''t fate, then it must be a cruel joke, having us in a wild goose chase." "Hey! Aqua''s in charge of the place, right!? How come she didn''t get a peep of him!?" At Voice''s close-enough accurate remark, it got everyone''s thinking to high gear again. "Is Aqua in the chamber?" Ronald asked. "No," John shook his head. "She''s in Spiri Raia since yesterday - transferred from the east wing." "Hm," Ronald scratched his chin. Looking to the operator, "how did you pick up his signature, again?" "We detected large volumes of ice maneg acting out on Joshua''s Orders," the operator reported. "...Along with a high number of humans dying en masse." """..!""" That fact almost went forgotten in the prospect of Joshua being found. Now, they were reminded of the awful implication that arose from this information. Joshua not asking for a transfer when the monitors clearly showed he can give Orders did little to dispel suspicion. "Impossible," Ronald immediately shook his head. "Joshua wouldn''t do that." He turned back to see his daughter and Owen. "There''s a reason we both agreed to prohibit you two from killing," he said, but with sad eyes to Owen, "but I suppose that couldn''t last forever." "..!" Owen and Alicia, meanwhile, can only look dejected. "I''m fine. It''s just, this makes the first time I killed." And I''m not really fine after that, Owen looked back. Glancing at the downcast Alicia, because it made Alicia... "Hm," Ronald sighed. Turning to the operator, "then, has Aqua said anything about this?" he inquired. "It''s her territory. There is no way she could not notice this." "We have received no updates from her either, even though sufficient time has passed since we detected Joshua for Aqua to inform us of her findings," the operator shrugged. "Was she on a meeting with the other greater spirits?" Ronald questioned. That''s kind of what happened before, Owen noted. According to Ronald''s story, Aqua was away when the burning of the Illyer mansion occurred. Whether that was anticipated by the former and current Kirash kings remained to be seen. If Aqua hadn''t gone out, then it would have... He banished the thought, knowing the obvious if the other way had happened. But for this situation, however... "Not that I know of," the operator shook his head. "Hm," Ronald hummed in deep thought, looking down at the desk. "Have you sent any [Drones] there?" he asked, looking at the operator. "Not yet," the operator shook his head. "We thought to tell you this first." Not to mention getting visuals from another world took lots of resources. "Is there any news from Arnald, Kirash''s Bell Branch manager?" Ronald then asked. "Let me check," the operator said, checking through the database. Finding the answer, he reported, "as far as the Branch manager was concerned, it was business as usual in Kirash," with a shrug. "And yet the death of many people in Kirash does not happen so suddenly," Ronald retorted. "Are there any rebellions forming recently? Or maybe a plague?" Checking again, the operator replied, "No, not at all. Just the ones at the beginning of king Van''s reign and there are no epidemics." "And Aqua would have told us anything strange happening in her territory," Ronald rubbed his chin. "In other words, there is nothing that would warrant all of those deaths short of a natural disaster..." he trailed off. "None of that either," the operator shook his head, knowing what Ronald was going to ask. "Well! Ain''t that just suspicious as heck!?" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The pixie has a point. The signature of his father''s Orders in tandem with lots of people dying on the greater water spirit''s territory with said spirit in her territory not telling the Court anything about it and even the Bell Branch manager''s not noticing anything either? That seemed like foul play. "Hm," Ronald sighed in defeat, supporting himself on the desk. "I suppose we''ll have to go down there ourselves." "Oh?" Alicia raised her eyebrow. "So we are going to Spiri Raia?" "Of course!" Ronald turned back and nodded. "Joshua''s finally found after all these years and I''m not going to sit out as you two go find him. Also, it''ll be a good excuse to finally bring you two to Spiri Raia." Come to think, I never did go to Spiri Raia, Owen thought, recalling all the worlds he had went through for the past five years. "Do you hear that, Owen?" Alicia turned to Owen excitedly. "We are going to find your father!" "Yep! Yep!" I could''ve found dad earlier if I had just went there, then he... But what''s done was done, so Owen gave a little smile and murmured, "Yeah..."
Of course, they didn''t transfer to Spiri Raia immediately - preparations were needed. And given that Aqua''s in the target world, Alicia and Owen conventionally ended up in Alice Es, the young Ice Guardian''s chamber. Alicia''s father went back to Kaomagi Earth to tell the rest of the Bell family of the news. TAP TAP TAP TAP CLICK "Mmm..." Alice hummed in frustration. Her short legs swung back and forth as her hands barely reached the keyboard from the swivel chair raised to the maximum height she sat on. That said, it was not just the physical struggle, she hasn''t recorded missions frequently. "Um, are you sure you do not need help, Master Alice?" Alicia asked from the ice-themed couch with Owen beside her watching the platinum-haired girl struggling on the computer. Voice was on the low table, munching on cookies. "No! I got this!" Alice raised her hand in a stopping motion. "Alright, if you say so..." Alicia sighed. "Besides, I need to get used to this," Alice continued as she looked to be button-mashing the keyboard. "I rarely get to fill in a mission report." "Is that so?" Alicia cupped her cheeks. "Gulp! You don''t do that a lot!?" "I do not," Alice shook her head. "Granted, I have only been a Guardian for about three years, ever since..." Strangely, the young Guardian fell silent and her fingers stopped moving upon mentioning her recruitment. "Um, Master Alice?" Alicia nudged. "Oh! Sorry," Alice snapped out. "My... mind went blank for the moment," she excused. It sounded solemn though. "...I see," Alicia said with a sad look, deciding not to press further. Right, the reason why Alice''s the Ice Guardian despite the Ice Mother Soul not accepting her, Owen thought sadly. After Alice''s mom, Catherine. Master Catherine, our... "A-Anyway!" Alice spoke up, realizing and trying to break away from the awkward moment. "So, uh, this mission is about finding your father, huh, Owen?" Perking up to all the topics she could use, though he supposed it''s the most relevant in this situation anyway, Owen went along, "Yeah..." "Then what is your reason to stay, Owen?" "Dad." "...literally why I''m staying a Court Wizard." With Alicia also turning to him, Alice gave him a solemn look. "I see," she muttered. Typing away, she continued, "remember when mother brought me here in one of her visits and met you for the first time?" "..." Searching through his memories, Owen recalled such an event, when he was introduced to Master Catherine for the first time. It was coincidentally one of the frequent times the previous Ice Guardian brought her daughter, who was not even a Court Wizard yet, to work. "I do..." he replied. "You were hiding behind your mom when we met." "Hmm!? Why''s that!?" "Well, he looked scary back then," Alice pouted. "You had that chilly look that was way worse than Es kingdom''s winter storms, Owen." "Eh? Really?" Owen blinked. "Yes, really," Alice nodded harshly. "But Owen is a sweet boy though..." Alicia frowned. "Hehehe!" "Ugh," Owen rolled his eyes. "Can''t help it, I was on a one-track mind of finding dad, can''t think of anything else." "Oh right, that," Alice had almost forgotten the reason she stroke up the conversation in the first place. With the other falling silent again, she continued, "I remember mother telling me about your father, Owen." "About dad?" Owen repeated, raising his eyebrow. "For one, mother said your father was very tall," Alice said, gesturing one of her hands up. "And yet this guy''s a Short Cream!" Ignoring Voice''s remark, Alice continued, "And, well... he is the only Ice Court Wizard I have yet to meet. As the Ice Guardian, well... I would like to meet him." "...I see," Owen muttered. Come to think of it, by the time dad''s gone missing, Alice''s only a year old. And she''s only six when Master Catherine... "..." "..." "..." "...Sorry," Alice said in a downcast, noticing how none of her efforts lift the mood. "I guess I made it worse, huh?" "Do not say that, Master Alice," Alicia consoles. "You were trying your best." "Yeah!" "Thanks, Alicia," Alice smiled, dragging the mouse back and forth. "Yes, it''s alright," Owen said in understanding. Turning his head down. "But still, I''m worried." With that declaration, the girls'' attention turned to him. As to what Owen was worried about, there was only one thing that matched the current context. "Is it about the people killed in Spiri Raia coinciding with your father''s Orders?" Alicia asked in concern. "Pretty much," Owen nodded. The chamber went silent with only the sounds of Alice operating the computer being heard. How Owen''s father was detected was a plague haunting Owen''s mind. Who wouldn''t worry if there was a possibility that your father could be a mass murderer? "I am sure it will not be as we fear," Alicia assured him, inching herself closer to him on the sofa. "After all, it was our fathers do not want us to kill," she reminded, as ominous as it sounded. "Mmhm!" "I agree. Our... less than stellar first meetings aside, I believe you are a nice person, Owen," Alice added. "I am sure your father is also nice as well." "...Right," Owen muttered. Turning to Alicia. "But, Alicia, do you really want to come with me to find dad? You already decided to support us from behind, you don''t have to-" "It is alright, Owen," Alicia interrupted. "I may have never said it, but I have already decided to help you find your father ever since the night after I became a Court Wizard. Even though I have taken the support role, that will not capitulate my decision. "And the same goes from my promise with Rin that I will help find her brother." She moved closer to Owen... "Wha!?" ...and patted his head, surprising the short boy as she had never done that before. "E-Eeh?" Alice was flustered at the sudden show of affection. "Ooh! How bold, Alicia!" Ignoring the peanut gallery, Alicia smiled as an older sister would to her little brother. "So no need to feel bad, Owen. After all, we are going to find your father, so cheer up, okay?" Owen doesn''t know what to say. Part of him felt bad for Alicia insisting on helping in on what was his mission. Ever since that incident with Kathryn, Alicia has stuck with someone like him, even if she became lonely because of it. But, at the same time, it was because of Alicia''s insistence that Owen was able to get through the toughest moments of his life. When his father went missing, she was there for him and so too when his grandmother died. When Owen became a Court Wizard afterwards and led what was basically a cliched double life, not once did Alicia complain about whatever excuses he made to cover up the Otherworldly Court as Alicia''s father wanted to keep her in the dark for as long as possible. So really, what Owen should be saying was, "Right. Thanks..." along with a smile on his face. Letting go, Alicia smiled ear to ear and said, "Now then, let us-" WHAM "Don''t forget about me!" An eleven-year-old girl with jet black hair tied to a ponytail proudly gazed upon the other Court Wizards, who were caught up in the moment to notice her incoming signature, with her obsidian eyes as she barged into the ice chamber still in her school uniform along with a long cylindrical bag housing her brother''s katana strapped to her back. This was Rin Fujiwara, the little sister of Haruto Fujiwara who was missing like Owen''s father, whom Alicia promised Rin to help find. ROLL "Aah!" And before Alicia could yelp in surprise, Alice beat her to the punch as the result of Rin''s boisterous entrance caused her swivel chair to roll backward whilst she was leaning towards the desk. TZANG "Alice!" Owen immediately [Eject]ed to the Ice Guardian out of reflex, vaulting over the desk... THUD ...and landed hands first into the wall. ROLL Immediately, Owen turned back and pushed the little girl''s swivel chair back in. "You alright, Alice?" he asked. "Y-Yes," Alice nodded meekly, her hands holding onto the edges of the desk for dear life. "I am alright." "Uhn, did I do that?" Rin nervously asked after she went in to see what was going on. With the unamused looks from the others at her, she smiled wryly. "Ehehe, sorry..." she laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 2: His Meetings Manegia Year 1416 "Uuh...!" A little girl, who could be no more than four with a long platinum blonde hair and a pair of ice-blue eyes, whimpered as she hid behind her mother''s dress. What scared her was a boy more than twice her age with similarly shaded white hair and light-blue eyes. The colors were so similar to the girl''s that they could be passed off as siblings. However, it was certainly not the case since Owen was an only child. And that''s because mom died giving birth to me, Owen thought as he looked at the little girl only for her to dig her head deeper into her mother''s clothes. And why is she afraid of me? he wondered as he continued to stare holes at her. "Well, Master Catherine, this is Owen Ruze. Joshua''s son," Ronald, who was beside him, introduced him to this Master Catherine. She was a mature woman in her thirties wearing a crystal-blue dress fit for winter and has the same shade of eyes as her daughter as well as her long hair tied to a braid resting on her shoulder. Again, she and Owen looked similar enough to be a mother and- Why am I thinking that? Owen stopped himself from finishing that thought. Seeing Owen in his turmoil, Catherine immediately spoke, "Hello, dear. My name is Catherine Es, Guardian of the Ice Mother Soul." Stepping to the side to reveal her daughter much to the little girl''s dismay. "This is my daughter, Alice." Looking at her daughter with a warm smile. "Now, no need to be shy, Alice. Say hello," she said. The little girl, Alice, fidgeted as she faced Owen nervously. "H-Hello..." she meeked out. "...Yo," Owen awkwardly waved his hand in response which seemed to work as Alice gradually left her mother''s shadow, allowing him to see the ornate white dress she wore. Smiling, Catherine asked the boy, "So, you are Joshua''s son?" "Yes," Owen nodded, looking at the Ice Guardian, not thinking much about it. "I see. Well, I know your father," Catherine revealed. "You do?" Owen raised his eyebrows. "Why yes," the Ice Guardian nodded. "He is the one who showed me the ropes when I became the Ice Guardian. He has been very helpful to me." "Okay..." Owen muttered. So his father had mentored one of the leaders of this place? He doesn''t know what to think of it since he hasn''t wrapped his head around the whole ''Guardian'' thing from Ronald. "And," Catherine continued. "He also told me a lot about you." "..." Owen prompted to go on. "But, I would like to go straight to the most important... topic, for the lack of a better term," Catherine said otherwise. Her words were much slower than before as if she was trying to convey a sensitive topic, especially at the end. "If it is okay with you?" And that just confirmed it. Is it about dad? Owen suspected. It fitted the current context, though he wondered why she wanted his permission to talk about it when she just did so earlier. Shrugging internally, he agreed, "Sure..." "I see," Catherine nodded her head. "Well then." With her daughter still by her side and Ronald watching, she said, "Joshua had also told me about your mother... that she passed away when you were born." "...Huh?" Owen blinked. He did not expect this. "While I was mentored under your father, he would often lament your... lack of a mother in your life," Catherine explained. "He often worried leaving you alone while he was in the Otherworldly Court, that you would have no presence of two parents." "True," Ronald confirmed. "When your father does normal office work, he was always the first to leave." He turned to Catherine. "I imagine it''s the same when he finishes a mentoring session with you, Master Catherine." "Yes," Catherine nodded. "He always seemed to be in a rush to go home." "I see," Owen muttered. Come to think of it, dad''s always trying to hang out with me every chance he got. So it''s because of that... "But then, he disappeared into the Rupture," Catherine continued with a sad tone. "Leaving only your grandmother to take care of you." "But grandma died," Owen said, causing others to flinch with how he said it so nonchalantly. "Then I froze her grave." "Oh! It is not your fault, dear!" Catherine stepped forward and held Owen''s shoulders. "I will not say I know how hard it must have been for you to experience all of that. But even so, as a mother myself, I would like to help you lift your burden in any way I can, if it is alright with you, dear?" This was a different feeling to Owen altogether as he stared at Catherine''s gentle eyes. It wasn''t the feeling when his father was with him, nor was it the feeling when Alicia helped him. It wasn''t the feeling of his late grandmother taking care of him or any other feeling either. It was the feeling of a mother. "Um..." Alice mumbled with uncertainty as she approached Owen and patted his shoulder in his pondering, clearly not knowing what to do after the display her mother did. And honestly, neither did Owen. When Ronald confessed how his father disappeared, the younger Ruze made it his point to find him no matter what. But now, he had a feeling that his quest to find his father will become much more than that. "...Right." Well, he wouldn''t know what will happen for sure. So in the end, Owen could only smile softly.
In the air chamber, Owen was met with a boy around his age with black hair and eyes and a rather skinny complexion. He seemed to be on guard at all times as if there was always something or someone out to get him. Back to appearance-wise, what was interesting was the white muffler he wore on top of wearing a white hoodie as if he didn''t bother the heat. "This is William Trust," Ronald introduced him while patting both his shoulders. "The new Air Guardian." Oh, there was that too. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "...What?" Owen blinked. Of course, he''s still going to react when Ronald had called him into the Air Guardian''s room earlier to announce the new Air Guardian to his face. "Excuse me, what!?" William jerked his head to the dark red-haired businessman. "Why yes, you are the Air Guardian," Ronald calmly said with a little smirk on his face. Joy, Ronald decided it would be funny if he''d explained the whole Guardian thing to the new Guardian before revealing him to be the new Guardian when he was supposed to meet said Guardian (Voice: Don''t get confused, now!). Owen had to remind himself that the Bells can be absolute trolls sometimes... and that Alicia was no exception. The horror. "You''re telling me I''m in charge of this place!?" William shrieked. "You''re one of the eleven people jointly in leadership," Ronald specified. "But yes." "What happened to the last guy?" William quipped. "...Passed away not too long ago," Ronald averted his eyes. "...Oh," William muttered, feeling guilty. Right, Owen was told being Guardian was for life. Because of how it worked, there was no leaving the post. That meant the previous Air Guardian had already died for William to take the title. So getting new Guardians is going to be like this, huh? he wondered. In his pondering, however, Owen recalled a piece of the conversation not too long ago. "Trust?" he uttered the name. "I see you noticed," Ronald said, his hands behind his back. How could he not? It was a rather famous incident. What happened to the Trust Foundation and more importantly, the Trust family became a hot topic in the media when it occurred. Owen ended up avoiding most networks he usually surfed through as they kept talking about it that he became sick of it, that they so easily gossip about the ordeals the Trusts went through. I... really don''t like it. It feels really bad, Owen grimaced remembering it. Looking at William, he could only show a look of sympathy to the new Air Guardian. "..." William stiffened, his eyes narrowing at Owen. Considering what he went through, Owen figured he would be at least cautious about it. "Apologies for bringing up bad memories," Ronald apologized. "But we are not here to talk about that, you have my word." That said, how did Ronald convince the boy to come here in the first place? "Really?" William glared at the businessman. "You practically kidnapped me and dragged me all the way here." Seriously? Owen cringed. No wonder the black-haired boy seemed ticked off from the start. "And after dragging you to a different world literally and pronouncing you as one of our leaders, I believe I have no sinister motives," Ronald calmly countered. "I thought a leader of a multi-world organization is supposed to be a wise old man?" William retorted. "Not a kid like me." "The Mother Souls preferred their new Guardians to have a longer life ahead of them," Ronald reasoned. "Whatever necessary skills needed as a Guardian are obtained as you go." "Then why not elves?" William grumbled. "Or some immortal deity?" "Unfortunately, the ''Guardian Maneg Soul'' the Mother Souls create are constrained to only pick hosts with the remaining lifespan of the average modern human, unlike normal Maneg Souls," Ronald answered solemnly, for some reason. Leaning forward. "There were elves chosen as Guardians, but they were relatively at death''s door by the time they were recruited." Leaning back. "Immortal beings are out of the question." "Okay..." William looked like he regretted asking that which was strange to Owen. Was it the implication that any Guardian whose species was traditionally longed lived they will meet would already have not much time ahead of them? "Anyway," Ronald moved on. "I know it''s unprecedented and you have every right to still be suspicious about all of this, but the Mother Soul has chosen you for a reason and none of us have the intent nor the ability to refute your new position as one of our leaders." "..." William, however, looked unconvinced. Sighing, Ronald continued, "...I suppose that''s not a good argument, but I want to say is, none of us have any ill intention against you or one another - we are all looking out for each other. So please, at least give us a chance, okay?" "..." "..." "..." It went like this for minutes. The three boys in the chamber were standing there not saying anything as the prime responder hasn''t responded yet. Owen could feel the atmosphere getting tenser as it went on. But, it didn''t take even longer as finally, William answered, "So, basically I own this room?" in rhetoric. "Until you''re dead, yes." Ronald quipped, nodding as well.
PIING Kaomagi Year 294 AGP Year 1416 in Manegia In the world linked to their world, Ronald led William and Owen as they walked through the Kaomagian countryside. While that would give the impression of grassy fields, that was only true for one side of the view. Behind them, as they marched, they could see a wasteland like the Otherworldly Court''s Training Ground except it was bloody red instead of ash. "..." Owen narrowed his eyes as he locked his eye forward, not wanting to look back at the red field. Ronald, out of instinct as the only explanation, noticed this and looked back at Owen. "Is something wrong, Owen?" "Eh? No, mister Bell," Owen shooked his head. "It''s just that..." he trailed off. Ronald sighed. "You always have a big heart, Owen, and that is fine," he said. "But it is also fine for you to make your displeasures known." For their first mission, it was mundane, to be honest. Just going to the Bell Branch situated in the town that was the nearest to the red wasteland behind them - though the idea of the Bell Branches itself could only give Owen a deadpan. However, before they could do that, the big red elephant in the room had to be explained first. It was, in part, related to the Bell Branch visit, even if they don''t go there. And the backstory wasn''t pretty. Pursing his lips, Owen fessed up, "...Well, I just don''t like how the demons got treated and what they got turned into along with their deity," which was a response Ronald expected, "but I also don''t like how the First Guardians created the whole cycle in response," while this was not. "Why?" And that even got William''s attention. "Feels like people here deserve..." he stopped, for some reason. "Never mind." Strange. Even so, Owen still got the context of what William was trying to say and it made sense, but still. "I get that the human deity''s at fault for leading the humans to commit genocide on the demons and murdering their deity. I get that the humans in Kaomagi were still guilty for blindly following the order and that the Lord of Vengeance and his Vengeful Remnants had every right to be vengeful about it..." Taking a deep breath, Owen continued, "But what the First Guardians did to ''solve'' that is just too much. Instead of putting the Lord of Vengeance and the Vengeful Remnants to rest, they allowed him to rise every century just to remind humans of their ancestors'' sins on top of the AGP on their calendar while the demi-humans get caught in the crossfire. Can''t imagine how all of this felt to the last remaining deity who has to clean up the whole she didn''t create." And naturally, the purpose for visiting the Bell Branch near the Lord of Vengeance''s domain was to collect the report by the manager on how the first town to be invaded by said Lord of Vengeance was faring for the said invasion that will come in six years after that would be the rest of Kaomagi. "Hm..." Probably caught off guard by how much he ranted, Ronald pursed his lips, almost stumbling on a rock on the road. "I suppose it is understandable, that the... ''punishment'' by the First Guardians to this world is too harsh, and that those undeserving of it got caught as well." William, on the other hand, looked at Owen for a moment before focusing back on the road. "Makes sense..." he muttered. And if it wasn''t obvious already, Kaomagi was aware of Court Wizards. That said, Owen and company wouldn''t transfer directly into the town because of that. For one, the people of Kaomagi have bad impressions of the Court for starting the cycle. And two, even if they don''t, the secret of the Bell Branches was still a secret, having it be revealed would render them defunct. This was why they still have to transfer far away from the town and travel there incognito. Also, because they''re traveling in secret except the general populace were informed of the usual garbs Court Wizards wear through oral and illustrations, the boys had to wear generic traveler clothes designed by a vampire named Rose Bloodlight who also provided Owen and William those usual garbs in the form of a brown robe and a ceremonial cloak colored based on their respective Element they can''t wear for this fetch quest. Shame, Owen felt the cloak was really comfortable to wear. "Be it as it may, it is what the First Guardians had done and there''s nothing we can do about it," Ronald stated, never stopping. "We may not be able to change the past, but we certainly can do better for the future." ""..."" Owen and William, on the other hand, looked at Ronald silently while ruminating at one of the most generic quotes the Bell had uttered with a straight face. "Come on, you two." Ronald, meanwhile, simply beckoned them to follow. "We''re about to reach the town," he said as the walls of the frontier town were slowly coming into view. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 2: An Unusual Reunion Before Going Back to Spiri Raia PIING Manegia Year 1421 "Are you sure you want to come with us, Rin?" Alicia asked in concern as they were about to enter the Transporter Room. "Uhn!" Rin nodded her head reflexively. "I''m going and there''s no changing my mind, big sis Alicia!" "Yep, stubborn like her brother," Owen commented, to which the little girl took it as a compliment. But because of that, he... "Okay, then..." Alicia sighed. Knowing her, she knew there was no stopping Rin from going out of her way to help them find Owen''s father once she heard it. "If you say so." "Eyup!" "Uhn!" Rin smiled in satisfaction. PIING And just in time, the operators have just finished transferring in Alicia''s father, Ronald, who wanted to participate in the rescue and... "Oh my! This brings back memories!" "Quite. This feels like when we were brought here for the first time." "And I see nothing has changed in this room." "Mother? Grandfather? Uncle?" Alicia widened her eyes. Because inside the Transporter Room, virtually the entire Bell-Illyer-Kirash family was here, even the maids and butlers. "Uhn!? Uhn!?" Rin was flustered, overwhelmed by many people she must have already figured to be Alicia''s relatives. "Whoa! Everyone is here!" "Alicia! My granddaughter!" The first to respond to the three Court Wizards among the crowd was Alicia''s grandfather from her mother''s side, Allister Illyer. "So good to see you!" he smiled as he went to Alicia to hug her. Owen heard from Ronald''s story that Allister used to be a duke whose family was saved by him from Spiri Raia, which was how he and Owen''s father met Alicia''s mother and his mother. Also, he heard that the former duke was a war hero giving him enough political clout to keep the first prince, Albert Kirash, Alicia''s uncle, in the competition for the Kirash throne by his lonesome. How that worked was beyond him. But looking at the former duke now, Owen can only see him as your average grandpa, with his blonde hair turning grey, doting on his granddaughter with his wife, Marisa, joining in... and Alicia''s mom, Irene, too. "Oh! It has also been a long time, Owen!" Allister''s attention now went to him. "How are you doing?" "Eh, good," Owen decided to reply with a shrug. Then, the grandfather turned to Rin, "And who might you be, young lady?" "Uhn!?" Rin startled. In hindsight, she should''ve seen it coming. Quickly bowing, she frantically greeted, "m-my name is Rin Fujiwara, I-I''m big sis Alicia''s friend. Nice to meet you, big sis Alicia''s grandfather!" "Oho!" Allister chuckled. "What a polite child!" "Big sis?" Marisa, Alicia''s grandmother, perked at how Rin addressed her granddaughter. "Oh my, that is sweet of you!" she cooed as she went to the little girl to coddle her. "Uuhn..." Rin muttered in embarrassment. Before they get sidetracked by the big family gathering even further, Owen immediately shot his eyes at the culprit. "They''re not coming with us, are they?" he demanded Ronald accusingly. "They are coming with us," Ronald immediately nodded with a totally-not-a-fake warm smile. "Huh?/Uhn?" Alicia and Rin blinked, having now realized what the entire family in the Otherworldly Court meant. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that ruined the mood, just as Owen intended. At this point, he felt irritated by all of this, for some reason, and no longer cared if he knocked down the atmosphere, again for some reason. "Why?" He then narrowed his eyes to Ronald, unamused by his attempt at a humourous reply as well. "...I admit, it was a spur of the moment when I relayed the news and it has certainly broken several rules," Ronald confessed. "But, it is simply too cruel to deny them the opportunity to revisit their original world it arose." Now while one would retort to Ronald''s statement, Owen knew it was a sound argument in their context. It was Ronald and Owen''s father''s mission to protect the Illyer family and the first prince to prevent the second prince from starting a war and they had mostly failed with Aqua having to create an ocean to stop the war from happening. Because of that failure, Ronald and Owen''s father had to take the Illyers away from their homeworld as a last-ditch effort to save them from the fire. It was their every right for the Illyers to come back to their world when they had the chance. Also, if it wasn''t for Ronald abusing his Conglomerate''s position of writing every Court Wizard''s paycheck, he may not have married Alicia''s mother and given birth to the red-haired girl. Subsequently, Owen''s father may not have married his wife and had Owen if it weren''t for Ronald''s insistence. But if dad never married mom, Owen thought. Then... Shrugging with a smirk, Ronald continued, "Besides, their migration to our world was already a breach of conduct, to begin with, so we might as well go all in." And that ruins it, Owen frowned, and with that in mind, he had found a point of objection. "And is it a really a good idea to do that now?" he asked. "With the situation in Kirash right now?" Stolen story; please report. By the others'' reactions, Ronald had informed them about the deaths of many people in Kirash in tandem with Owen''s father''s Orders. It was for obvious reasons that Ronald had to tell them the potentially volatile situation over Kirash coupled with possibly foul play by their greater spirit, Aqua, and the Bell Branch manager giving no news to this day. "Yes, because of the circumstances in Kirash, Spiri Raia, they will wait here while we go down there to assess the situation," Ronald explained. "Fortunately, the new apartment complex has just been built and properly furnished, so the room in the Court can stay empty." At Ronald''s explanation, Owen did recall an apartment being built in Court territory and now Ronald wanted the Illyers to try it out while waiting for them to clear the coast of whatever mess was in Spiri Raia. Also, was that a hint of disappointment in Alicia''s mother''s eyes? Wait, no, he''s getting distracted. Damn that merchant! "Then why have them wait here instead of back home?" he asked. At that, it was Albert Kirash, formerly the first prince of Kirash and Alicia''s uncle, along with his wife, Elaine, Alicia''s mother''s younger sister, stepping forward to answer. As Owen recalled, the two of them got together after Allister transferred the prince''s engagement from Alicia''s mom to Elaine, and it was somehow a peaceful transition. Now that he thought about it, it was surprisingly wholesome. "Well, we could," Albert mused. "But my wife and I would like to have our daughter to be acquainted with this world," he smiled as he and his wife have her step forward. "Maria?" Alicia muttered agape. Between the husband and wife was their daughter, a young woman with long wavy hair that was blonde like her parents, wearing very casual clothing meant for traveling. This was Maria Kirash, Alicia''s older cousin by several years. "Um... hi, Alicia, Owen," Maria awkwardly waved her hand at them. "It has been a while, huh?" "I guess, it is..." Alicia smiled wryly. "Yo," Owen raised his hand as a lazy wave. He doesn''t really have anything else to say. "So, you guys are mages," Maria went to the elephant in the room. "Court Wizards, actually," Owen corrected her. "But basically yeah." "Then, can you show me a magic spell or something?" Maria asked for the obvious. "Sure," Alicia obliged and lifted her hand facing up. "Voice?" "Okey-dokey!" WHOOSH Then, a small formation of Alicia''s loyal maneg burst from her open hand. WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH Alicia then proceed to spin the formation around reminiscent of when her father showed his demonstration on that evening months ago. PSHH Afterwards, Alicia closed her hand and returned the loyal maneg to her Maneg Soul. "It''s called Orders, by the way," Owen corrected the blond-haired girl again. "Whoa..." Maria blinked in awe. Afterwards, she turned to the other elephant in the room. "Also, is that, like, an actual fairy!?" "Yep! I''m Voice! Nice to meetcha!" "Voice is well, uh, a part of me," Alicia explained, giving further confusion to her older cousin. "It is complicated," she gave an apologetic smile. "...My goodness, this is so surreal," Maria metaphorically shivered, processing what she has just seen. "So what my parents told me is true." "Ain''t that obvious already!?" "I thought my parents inhaled something funny when they suddenly told me they are from another world, and that you guys and your fathers are wizards," Maria retorted like any normal young adult would in this situation. "This is one bizarre college break..." she sighed. "I see..." Alicia chuckled wryly. "Hihihihi!" Owen, on the other hand, was unamused. He turned to Ronald... Maria''s parents... whoever was responsible. "And why are you telling her this now?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "I thought you guys don''t wanna increase the chance of her being a Court Wizard?" At least, Owen assumed it included Alicia''s cousin. "Huh?" Maria perked at Owen''s statement. "Increase my chance of being what?" "We will talk about that later," Alicia said to her cousin, sensing now was not a good time for it. Albert and Ronald looked at each other, silently communicating with one another. After a brief moment, Albert stepped forward. "Well, after your father informed us of your... recruitment, Elaine and I began to debate between ourselves whether we should tell our daughter the truth as well, seeing at it is pointless to keep hiding it from her," Albert began to explain. "We were not able to come to a conclusion until sir Ronald told us that... your father had been found." No one tried to interject upon the last part of what Albert had said, not even at the passing note of how he had called Ronald - Owen and Alicia had already known, but not Maria probably. Owen took a glance at Voice to find the pixie looking serious which didn''t bode well, actually. Afterwards, it was Allister''s turn to speak. "We do not plan to come back to Spiri Raia just for sightseeing. It was and is still our home, and with the situation over there, we worry about it enough that we wish to see it for ourselves. Our unexpected departure from our home was unfortunate, yes, but not regrettable. "Yes, sir Ronald and your father were supposed to protect us until prince Albert reach the throne to prevent prince Van from starting a war and they had mostly failed, requiring lady Aquarius to salvage the failure. Nevertheless, had they never approached us on that fateful day, a far worse fate would have befallen us. "And more importantly, if they had instead succeeded, we would have never been here today." Everyone was silent hearing Allister''s speech. While he seemed to be your friendly old grandpa, he was still a former duke and a war hero who defended his kingdom. And he was right, if Ronald and Joshua had succeeded with their original plan, the Illyers would have never migrated to Kaomagi Earth, Ronald and Joshua would have never married their wives, and most importantly, Alicia and Owen would have never been born. Now, he delivered the last thing that struck Owen home. "And that is why we also worry for your father''s well-being as he was as much of a benefactor as sir Ronald was." At that moment, Owen realized the irritation he has been feeling and why he felt that way. It was not too complicated really, since this was the moment in Owen''s five years of being a Court Wizard that he has finally about to find his father only for his father''s friend to bring a bunch of people as if they were on a tour. Deep down, Owen realized, he felt Ronald''s action seemed as if he was making light of the situation. Well, the Bell''s trollish behavior didn''t help either. And naturally, Owen would have reservations against it. But now that Allister explained everything, that feeling was gone and was replaced with understanding... ...and guilt for feeling that way. "I see..." Owen muttered dejectedly. "Hm, well then, in that case," Before Owen could say his thoughts further, Ronald went to him first. "I want you to hold onto this," he said as he stretched out his hands to give Owen an item he pulled out from his pocket. "This is mom''s..." On Owen''s hand was a brooch made out of dried flowers of various colors. Its craftsmanship was stellar as he knew how old it was yet the natural materials have only yellowed ever so faintly. "I took the liberty to retrieve it from your apartment," Ronald explained - obviously, the Bell owned that apartment along with the master key, though Owen doesn''t remember if it was built by him or he bought the whole building. "Thought it''d be a good idea to bring it to its original world." "..." Owen looked at the brooch silently. As he remembered, his father told him his mother''s friends made it for her. Knowing more, those friends of his mother''s were from Spiri Raia, the kids from his mother''s orphanage as Ronald later told him. He didn''t know why Ronald broke into his apartment to retrieve his mother''s brooch nor how it related to his feelings right now, but for what it''s worth, he appreciated the sentiment. "Thanks..." he muttered. "You''re welcome," Ronald smiled. "Anyway, that''s good and all, ladies and gentlemen," John, the senior Transporter Room operator, suddenly spoke up. Calmly and sensibly, he shouted, "but would you all please step off the circle already! We don''t know when the next guy''s transferring in!"
"Wait, father told me that he was a prince and mother was a duke''s daughter, well... grandfather was a duke," Maria recalled before making the realization. "Does that make me, like, a real princess!?" "...Actually, you''re not wrong." "My goodness." Yes, if Ronald and Joshua had succeeded with their original plan, Maria would have been born in Spiri Raia as a princess of the Kirash kingdom. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 3: Mundanity Before the Freezing of Mount Vulgis Beohar Year 480 Year 1418 in Manegia ...lower temperature to -200 Celcius, thus is my Order, [Deep Freeze]. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Two abnormally large rabbit-like creatures with their snouts drenched in blood jumped at the Owen, attempting to maul the white-haired boy to death with their sharp claws and teeth. However, the Ice Court Wizard already had that covered as he ordered his maneg to take away the heat of both of these monsters to the point where they were simply immobile glass sculptures sailing past his cloak harmlessly. SHATTER SHATTER And like glass sculptures, they immediately broke into many red pieces as they crashed into the hard dirt floor, meeting their ends to Owen''s [Deep Freeze]. "..." Owen looked impassively at the gory bits he left behind. Emotion suppression lifted. When Owen had finished his short training under Ronald''s tutoring at the beginning of his Court Wizards days, he was titled a ''New Wizard.'' Then, when he developed [Deep Freeze], his original Order, he became a ''Wizard''.
Manegia Year 1417 "...repeat last step, repeat last step." CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Upon Catherine''s Progressive Order and the releasing of a finger, the wooden dummy planted in the Training Ground was encased in a crystal blue layer that seemed to grow thicker and thicker. Eventually, the growing stopped to create a decent ice sculpture made of pure ice maneg. "This is [Ice Layer]," Catherine explained to him. "Your father''s original Order." If the demonstration of the Order didn''t catch Owen''s interest, knowing who invented it will. Owen looked at the frozen dummy silently before turning to the Ice Guardian, "And how did you know my dad''s Order?" "Well, he showed it to me himself. He is my mentor, after all," Catherine explained with a smile. "Technically, Ronald could have shown it himself to you earlier, but then it would not have been an [Ice Layer]," she further explained with a chuckle. "So, I decided to do it myself." As Owen recalled from Ronald''s lesson, one Order made with a specific Element in mind can be used by other Elements, but it''ll either work differently or be a dud. So the Fire Court Wizard ordering [Ice Layer] will just immolate the target to death. "I see," Owen nodded. Looking at the encased dummy again, which has its imprisonment slowly slipping away, he had an idea. "Hey, Master Catherine. I wanna try something." "Hm?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. "Sure, go ahead." SHATTER As Catherine non-verbally ended the Order early - Owen almost forgot that was possible -, Owen silently formulate the words in his mind before performing it out loud, figuring he might as well let Catherine hear it. "I order you, attach to object I touch, coat object I touch," Owen began as he places his hand on the dummy''s head. "Lower object temperature to..." he paused for a moment to figure out a number. He had heard something about liquid nitrogen capable of freezing objects to the point they can shatter or something, so he might as well try to emulate that. Recalling its temperature, just to be safe, he round it down to, "minus two hundred degrees faren... celcius," while fumbling the units at the same time - why did Ronald insist that he had to use the metric system? "Thus is my Order." Upon releasing his hand, Owen''s maneg shot out to the wooden dummy, wrapping itself around the dummy to make it reminiscent of his father''s Order. However, unlike his father''s Order, the maneg did not become thicker but just stay like that. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ But something WAS happening. SHIMMER Once the Order was over, Owen and Catherine both looked at the Order''s handiwork. "Oh my," Catherine softly muttered. "It is very cold to touch..." she said, despite Ice Court Wizards'' fake tolerance to the cold, as she placed her finger on the dummy before retracting it. Owen, on the other hand, was interested in one thing and toppled the cold dummy over. SHATTER "..!" Catherine wordlessly gasped. As if it was made of glass, the wooden dummy was splintered into pieces, sprawling all over the ashen wasteland. As Owen hoped for, his Order had made the dummy cold enough that it''d be very brittle. "Incredible..." Catherine muttered in awe, looking at the remains of the wooden dummy. Then, remembering something, she turned to Owen and said, "you know, I believe your father told me this was what he tried to achieve first." "Eh?" Owen reacted. "Dad did?" "Yes," the Ice Guardian nodded. "When your father mentored me, he always mentioned wanting to create an Order such as this, but he was never able to do so. In the end, he settled for [Ice Layer]," she explained. Giving a small clap, she continued, "so it is quite impressive you were able to do it, Owen. Good for you!" while smiling. "I see," Owen uttered.
Owen later called his Order [Deep Freeze] because it sounded cool and he still believed it was. Much later, as he found not to need the Time Interval, he might as well cut the cost by reducing the number of steps to two by cutting off the coating step as he found the lowering step already covering that part. "So you can do it without touching the Beosts, Owen?" A voice came from the side. "I can, Crom, but it''s a bit pricier though..." Owen commented, turning to the side to see a young man in Palras Steel armor, an armor made from an alloy of various metals in this region called Palras, resting his bloodied sword, also made of Palras Steel, on his shoulder. "Might stick to tapping them." Also, he had to describe in quick detail what those rabbit Beosts, as the locals called them, looked like for his Maneg Soul to register them which made it more of a hassle, hence Court Wizard preferred not to have to describe things. Still, Owen needed some live practice of that from time to time. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Okay... Then why not try casting freeze traps or something?" The armored young man, Crom, randomly suggested. "Or are those even more expensive on your reserves or whatever?" "Eh, usually those things expire before anyone steps on them, so it''s even more of a waste," Owen shrugged. Ronald told him unless it was on a Catalyst he''d be better off ordering those kinds of Orders like caltrops, right behind him as an enemy''s chasing after him. SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH "And I presume William is done over on his end?" Crom then remarked. Based on the shrieking of one more rabbit Beost, "Almost done," Owen concluded before going to the Air Guardian''s location with Crom following suit.
WHOOSH SLASH A vicious rabbit lunged at a black-haired boy in a brown robe only for it to have its head chopped off with a concentrated blade of air maneg from the boy, his original Order which he has yet to name, making Amelia reconsider her self-imposed job as an archiver. The head of the Beost unceremoniously rolled off to Owen''s feet as the white-haired boy emerged from the bushes. "Hey, Will," Owen called William by his nickname, carefully taking his step among all the bloody corpses of rabbit Beosts. "You done there?" Judging by the lack of emotion suppression, "Yes," William nodded. "Whoa! That''s a lot of rabbits," Crom gaped at all the rabbit Beost carcasses. "We can have lots of rabbit stew from these, unlike the ones over there." He pointed his sword to Owen''s rabbit Beosts, all in unappetizing pieces.
When Ronald had finished mentoring Owen and Will, he had pretty much left them to their devices. Unfortunately, the strain of being the richest businessman in the world(s) has always taken the time of said businessman being a Court Wizard trying to find Owen''s father. So when Owen became a fully-fledged Court Wizard, the quest to find his father fell to him. Problem was, there was little to no lead as to where his father could be at the other end of the Rupture, forcing Owen on a wild goose chase hopping from one world to the next on a lookout for his father while completing missions for the Otherworldly Court on the side which brought him to Beohar today... BUBBLE BUBBLE CRACKLE CRACKLE ...having stew with meat from monster rabbits. "Here you go, Owen," Crom said as he handed the boy a bowl of rabbit Beost stew. "Thanks," Owen took the bowl and began to eat its contents. Monster rabbits were still rabbits. Pouring another bowl from the pot, Crom then gave it to William, "Here you go, William." "I''m not eating that," William immediately refused as if he''d already intended to do so from the start. He took an empty bowl and went for the ladle in the pot. "I''ll just eat the vegetables," he said as he carefully pick the foraged vegetables that were tossed into the pot. "...Okay, suit yourself," Crom backed away in confusion and just eat the stew himself. "..." "..." "...So," midway through the boys eating, Crom struck up a conversation. "Do you not have the Black Mist from where you came from?" Otherwise known as the Mist of No Return, the Black Mist Crom was referring to was the enveloping black clouds seen over the horizon surrounding the edges of the known world of Beohar. And apparently, as Owen heard, it also meant Beohar was flat. "Uh, no," Owen answered after swallowing. "We don''t." "Huh, can''t imagine the world without it," Crom commented in interest, stirring his bowl. "How about the Beost?" Looking at the stew they were eating, Owen replied, "Eh, we don''t have the Beost, but the wildlife is kinda like the Beost, just a lot smaller and don''t attack people just because. Oh, and Beosts like dragons don''t exist altogether." "Huh, you guys must have had it easy then," Crom spoke in amazement as he scoop up a spoonful. However, at that statement, William glared at the Beoharian without saying much. Crom, of course, was unnerved by the Air Guardian who was gripping his bowl tightly. "Just because we don''t have Beosts or the Black Mist doesn''t mean we don''t have our problems," Owen explained, both for William''s predicament and his own, as he take a spoonful. "...I see. I apologize for making presumptions," Crom said in a repentant tone, also taking a bite out of his stew. "I''m guessing you guys don''t have Half-Beosts either?" "No, we don''t," Owen shook his head. "And am I right to assume just because your world only has humans doesn''t mean you all get along?" Crom then suspected. In this instance, it was William who spoke, after downing a weird-looking plant. "We don''t. People will always find something to hate in other people because they think that''s the only way for them to function as a society; always having an enemy to band together against." It was not brief nor was it a very long explanation, but it must have struck a chord within Crom who almost dropped his spoon. "...I see, it really puts a perspective with the war we''re having right now," he muttered, to which the Air Guardian blinked. In this world of Beohar, there was an empire called Palras and a kingdom called Vulgis. Palras was an empire of humans and Vulgis was a kingdom of Half-Beosts, Beohar half-animals. Right now, Palras was an empire at war with the kingdom of Vulgis. This was Owen and William''s current mission, to monitor the current situation of the Palras-Vulgis war because both countries can be considered world powers in Beohar. The rabbit Beosts that attacked them were only a minor interruption. "If everyone can decide they don''t need enemies, then perhaps we humans and Half-Beost could set aside our differences," Crom mused. From an outworlder''s perspective, the Beosts may seem like these vicious monsters pushing mankind to the brink of extinction as kingdoms have their people concentrated in one or two cities for protection in numbers aside from the smaller settlements. In reality, they were just slightly more hostile wildlife, one the people of Beohar simply adapted to, evidenced by the rabbit Beost stew they were having. Not even the Black Mist caging Beohar was anything Beoharians were afraid of. In fact, it was even taken advantage of as a Beost repellant. So really, neither the Beost nor the Black Mist was threatening enough for humans and Half-Beosts to be forced to unite against. Crom looked up, into the territory of Vulgis. Owen and William felt compelled to follow suit. There, they can see an imposing mountain that also happened to be an active volcano. This was the famed volcano of the Vulgis kingdom, aptly named mount Vulgis. "You know, I''ve grown up being told by my father that Half-Beosts are the worst," Crom spoke. "He told me how Half-Beosts destroyed his village and committed unspeakable atrocities on the villagers. My father hates Half-Beosts because they hurt him." While the two Court Wizards listened on the surface, they were conversing internally with [Telepathy], something they made a habit over the years. Why is his dad the Palras Bell Branch manager when he hates the half-animals here? (William) I don''t know... Maybe mister Bell sees something in him that we don''t. That better not screw with us later. (William) To facilitate the scouting mission, Crom, the son of the Palras Bell Branch manager who participated in this war, accompanied Owen and William as their guide being a Beohar native. "But," Crom continued. "After fighting in this war as an imperial soldier and knowing you guys, I found out that we humans were just as bad." ''Bad'' was an underwhelming term, as Owen would know. "...Do you regret signing up in the army?" he asked the older man. "No," Crom flat-out rejected. "Because even before I found that out, I''ve always rejected my father''s hate for the Half-Beosts. I''ve always felt we should pursue peace with them." "Why?" William asked as he was intrigued. "Well, I think all the talk of hating Half-Beosts is hurting my father," Crom stated. "..." "The Half-Beosts had scarred my father to the point he can''t let go of the pain, which then turned to a sense of vengeance and along with it, hate," Crom explained. "In fact, I remember my father ranting about killing all of the Half-Beosts, not that it would be possible." "And we won''t let that happen, either," William found himself interjecting. "Which is why I''m motivated to pursue peace even further," the Bell Branch manager''s son continued. "I probably wouldn''t understand what my father went through since I never experienced it myself, but I do understand that keeping all of that hate is giving him more pain as if it had become a stain in his heart keeping him from moving on." Crom put down his bowl to the ground and stood up - Owen noticed they had stopped eating after some point. "And that''s why I fight," he declared, looking up above mount Vulgis, above the Black Mist. "It''s not much, but if it can put this war to an end faster, the sooner we''ll get the chance to reconcile, however small it may be. "And if we do make peace, maybe, just maybe, my father can let go of the stain and move on." It was very thought-provoking. Neither Owen nor William expected something like that to come out from a man a few years older than them and was lost for words. That to say, Crom''s speech had left an impact on both of them. "And not only that, it''ll also make a better world for my girlfriend," Crom then said with a goofy smile. Neither Owen nor William could decide whether to have their impression ruined because of Crom''s silly expression or not, seeing as it was about Crom''s girlfriend, the Palras Bell Branch secretary, Lei. "Anyway!" Crom then changed the subject, being in a chipper mood. "I heard something about you guys helping our Bell Branch to develop those rifles one of your friends showed off. I saw it in action myself, those things really pack a punch on the Beosts." "...Yes, I remember reading a report on that," William recalled. Being the Air Guardian, he was privy to such things that blatantly break the Rules of Engagement even though that exception was for the sake of the Beoharians to better fight the Beosts - they''re still a significant threat despite the exposition before that slowed development which Beoharians should''ve focused on surmounting instead of bickering with each other. "Miriel''s in the process of approving it even though she''s the one who demanded it," he grumbled with the mention of the Water Guardian. "Miriel is that Half-Beost royalty from the Aqua kingdom, right?" Crom asked to which both boys confirmed. "Man, I never thought someone like her could be one of you guys." They kept talking afterwards with lunch getting colder as they forgot to eat it. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 3.1: Meeting the Spiri Raians - Greater Spirit Heir Manegia Year 1421 "Be safe!" Alicia''s mother told them. "We will, mother," Alicia assured her. Today was the day the Court Wizards were to transfer to Spiri Raia to seek answers behind Owen''s father''s disappearance and the unknown event that''s brewing in that world, one that the Fire Guardian seemingly attempted to hide. Owen, Alicia, Ronald, Rin, and William stood in the circle, ready to be transferred.
"You''re coming with us?" Owen blinked. "I have... a gut feeling I should at least be there," William insisted. During the preparation to transfer to Spiri Raia, the Air Guardian showed up when he was supposed to enjoy summer vacation and declared his intention to join. "While I haven''t joined you on missions as often these days, I felt I should on this and I don''t know why." Being the Air Guardian, William has to eventually participate in missions less frequently as time went on. After all, a Guardian like him was the one giving the missions - again, Guardians only participate in missions by the availability of Court Wizards, then the Court Wizard fitting for the mission; or if the Guardian has to stretch their legs. And so, when in the early days, Owen and William practically stuck together, the former began to outpace the latter in mission counts bit by bit. "Really?" Owen said skeptically. "...Probably because we''re partners I felt I should join finding your dad," William found an explanation, more or less. It made sense, though, that Owen''s partner should witness what Owen had spent the last five years for. "...I see," Owen muttered in understanding. "Sure, why not?"
As the rest of the Bell-Illyer-Kirash clan finished their goodbyes, even though they''ll be joining the Court Wizards once they got the situation settled, the operators wasted no time getting to work. "Setting coordinates to the Kirash kingdom on Spiri Raia," one of the operators said, typing away transfer jargon. "Confirming maneg exchange of all Court Wizards present," a female operator reported. "Final checks underway," another operator said. "Preliminary procedure completed, beginning transfer," John, the senior operator, commanded. PIING And the kaleidoscopic light bathed the circle, engulfing the Court Wizards to another world.
"Owen, what did Will mean that you are partners?" Alicia asked. "Oh, it''s because we''re both mentored by your dad," Owen easily explained. "It''s an informal thing, but because we''re stuck together with your dad on a lot of missions after the mentorships are done, we''re pretty much still a team." "I see..." Alicia nodded in understanding. "Uhn!? So does that mean big sis Alicia and I are partners!?" Rin exclaimed at the implication. After all, Alicia and Rin were still under Owen''s mentorship, and also their respective Guardian''s. "Pretty much, yeah," Owen confirmed. "Uhn!" Rin grunted excitedly. "Yay! We''re buddies!" Owen refrained from mentioning mentors and juniors can also be considered partners, for reasons he''s unsure to admit.
PIING Spiri Raia Year 928 Year 1421 in Manegia As the rainbow light died down, the Court Wizards were greeted with the sight of a new world. For Ronald, it was a trip down memory lane. "So this is Spiri Raia..." Alicia gazed in fascination at her mother''s homeworld. "Whoa...!" Being the water territory of Aqua, elements of water were evident even though it was ironically landlocked. For one, there were lots of puddles and shallow water on top of the usual rivers dotted throughout the vibrant grass plains benefitting from all the water. The hallmark of this was the great pond (though it was big enough to be called a lake) of Kirash where a comparatively small island sat inside near the edge upon which the capital of Kirash stood. And that capital was in disrepair as it was besieged from all three bridges connecting it to the rest of Kirash as well as from the waters. Well, they couldn''t see the state of the great pond enough with all the tents and smoke coming from the capital. "Hm, looks like we know what happened here," Ronald mused darkly as his daughter had her sightseeing abruptly ended. "Oh my...!" Alicia gasped. "Uhn! Is the city being attacked!?" Rin exclaimed. Owen and William, on the other hand, only stared grimly at the source of it all. "I highly doubt it''s the Fichs," Ronald analyzed. "Even though Allister''s no longer ruling his county, the message sent to Van by Aqua''s great sea works both ways to the Fichs emperor as well." As Owen understood it, Aqua being the first greater spirit to break neutrality and act like a deity angered over a screw-up of mortals had a profound effect on the people of Spiri Raia. Now knowing the greater spirits can be angered not just by infringing territories, along with the display of their wrath beyond simply telling their spirits to tell the offending humans attempting to request spirit arts to shove it, people have begun to be more conscious of trying not to piss off the spirits. And that meant not going to war when Aqua forbade it with a literal ocean. "So it''s a rebellion," William concluded. Aqua only warned against a war between Fichs and Kirash, nothing said anything about a civil war in the latter. "And it''s succeeding." "Thanks, captain obvious!" "The question is, how did this go under our noses?" Ronald pointed out. "That siege must have gone on for some time. There is no way Aqua couldn''t have noticed this nor the Bell Branch in that matter." Rubbing his chin, he concluded, "this is very suspicious." "Um, what does that mean?" Alicia meekly asked, having a sinking feeling. "Uhn...?" Rin fidgeted uncomfortably. "I think it is," Owen said in a low tone, not liking where this was going. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "They''re hiding it from us," William cut to the chase. "And I bet it''s been going on for much longer, a siege like that can''t be planned overnight." Turning to Ronald, "mister Bell, you said spirits here eyes everywhere, right?" he asked. "Yes," Ronald nodded. "Unless the place is marked with a ward, which even then is just a suggestion, spirits can go and look wherever they please, so long as it''s not filled with objects of opposing element like fire to water spirits in this case." "Then there''s no reason for Aqua not to know. Even if the rebels littered their base with fire to ward off water spirits, the fire itself is something to report," William concluded. "And even if the Bell Branch doesn''t notice it, they should''ve reported the siege going on right now. "They''re going behind our backs." "Ergh!" "..!" Alicia also flinched, much to Rin''s worry. "Hm..." Owen exhaled deeply. He does not like this feeling. While what Aqua was possibly doing was concerning, for the lack of a better term, the Bell Branch also doing it was even more so for the three young Court Wizards from Kaomagi Earth. Just weeks ago, they had to deal with the Palras Bell Branch manager Norman betraying the Court because of his hatred for the half-animals in Beohar along with the sh*tshow, with no safer word to describe it, that followed. So for this to seemingly happen again was bringing up unpleasant memories to the three of them, and recent too. Owen especially after witnessing that day in the Bell Branch manager''s office. "It was not a foolish wish, but a wonderful one! Why can you not forgive them already!" "Forgive them! To those beasts that did nothing but torment to us!?" "Do not say that they were the only ones that did nothing but torment us! Even we are not innocent in that! Can we not just set aside centuries of conflict with each other and move beyond it!?" "Never! And you''re just a noble brat who never knew what it''s like to have everything taken away by those vermins!" BANG Owen shook his head at the fresh, explicit memories as Ronald excused, "Well, most spirits are still mentally juvenile." "Even little kids know something''s wrong when they see it and tell it to their parents," William deadpanned and then paused for a moment. "...Most little kids," he rephrased. "But still plenty of kids," i.e. spirits, "to give the report." And perhaps in an attempt to divert the increasingly sour conversation or just out of curiosity, Alicia spoke, "Speaking of spirits, we have yet to see one. Are they not everywhere as you said, father?" Well, it worked. "With exception to our usual transfer points in Spiri Raia, Alicia. The spirits caught on that we tend to transfer to the same set of locations and steered clear of it," Ronald explained. "Even though Aqua has become one of us, they are still uncomfortable with us." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. As Ronald told them before, the Court Wizards whole existence scared the spirits of Spiri Raia with how they clashed with the local Fantasy Law. "Uhn? Why are the spirits uncomfortable with us?" Rin asked in confusion, having not been told of spirit lore before. "Huh? You guys are!?" The Court Wizards found themselves interrupted by a voice from behind. What they found was a floating girl with glowing blue skin and long, wavy hair around the older teens'' age gasping in surprise. Beside her was a similar floating, blue-glowing skinned, bald-haired boy around Rin''s age adopting a similar expression. The younger Court Wizards only need to remind themselves of Aqua, change the greater spirit''s glowing skin to blue, and figure out that these two were spirits. For Owen and Alicia, stories from Alicia''s family nearly matched these two spirits'' descriptions to two names. "Layla? Neptune?" Ronald called them out first. "Is that you?" "It is you, sir Ronald!" the female spirit, Layla, exclaimed, pointing her glowing blue finger at him. "It''s sir Ronald! Sir Ronald!" the other spirit, Neptune, flustered in surprise. "Haha! I figured we''d meet you first," Ronald chuckled as he approached the spirits as if to hug these body-less souls. "I believe it''s been two decades since we saw each other, and by the looks of it, you two have changed a lot." "Why, of course!" Layla crossed her arms with a smug. "Aqua has made me her heir!" she said proudly. "Neptune here has also reached candidate status to one day succeed me as I succeed Aqua." "Uh-huh!" Neptune smiled noddingly. "Hm? I already know that a long time ago," Ronald said confusingly as if the greater spirit heir expected him to be surprised. "We still keep in touch with each other, no?" "Er, yes. We do..." Layla rubbed the back of her hair with embarrassment. While the older Court Wizard and two spirits were chatting, the peanut gallery was having a conversation of their own. "Ooh!" Rin beamed with excitement. "So those are spirits!" "They''re glowing blue!" "Yes," Alicia nodded. "And I believe the girl is my mother''s contracted spirit, Layla, and the boy is my grandfather''s, Neptune," she identified from the stories told by her parents. "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. "They''re your mother''s and grandfather''s what?" "My mother''s side of the family was originally from this world, a ducal household called the Illyer," Alicia explained to the black-haired girl as she was not informed of this before. "After the king of this country burned down the Illyer mansion, my father and Owen''s father rescued them and have been in Kaomagi Earth ever since," she explained in an abridged way. Pointing to the two spirits, "those spirits were contracted to them." "Whoa~!" Rin gasped in awe. "And Alicia''s mom''s spirit also happened to be Aqua''s successor as greater spirit," Owen commented. "Also, I remember they''re not contracted spirits and more about the naming or something." "Cool!" Rin gushed in excitement. "...So that spirit will take over Aqua''s job?" William eyed Layla over the distance carefully. "Hm, at least she looks like she won''t freak out seeing us, probably because Aqua''s a Court Wizard." "Uhn?" Rin looked at William in confusion. Again, she hasn''t been informed of the whole spirits in Spiri Raia scared of Court Wizards. "And... Huh?" Layla finally noticed the other Court Wizards on these plains. "These guys are?" "Ah, yes! I almost forgot!" All of the sudden, Ronald rushed to Alicia, went behind her, and patted both of her shoulders under her robe much to his daughter''s surprise. "I like to introduce you to my and Irene''s daughter, Alicia!" he exclaimed with a proud face. "Eek!" Layla squealed in excitement as she practically launched herself to Alicia. "It''s so nice to finally meet you! Aqua has told me everything about you!" "A-Aqua did?" Alicia stuttered at the assaulting spirit. "We still exchange status with each other with Aqua relaying," Ronald explained. "Yep!" Layla nodded. "But urgh! I''m still peeved lady Irene married an oaf like you!" She grumbled at Ronald. "Oh! But you''re alright, lady Alicia!" "Er, right," Alicia sighed. Incidentally, having lived in a household where the staff called her ''young mistress,'' she''s not perturbed by Layla calling her ''lady''. "Oh! And this is Neptune," Layla then introduced the spirit Allister named. "Hello, lady Alicia!" The bald young spirit waved his hand as he got closer. "Hehehe! He''s cute!" "Hm? Wait, is that a-" Layla looked to Voice before blanching in horror, a sentiment shared by Neptune. "By lady Aquarius! Why is there a piece of your soul floating out of your body, lady Alicia!?" "Hey! I''m not some piece of a soul flying around! I''m Voice!" the pixie pouted, putting both fists on her waists and stomping the air. "Aah!" That only frightened Neptune. "Ergh!" Layla cringed. Taking a closer look she noticed, "now that I think about it, your soul isn''t fractured like the others, but..." while eyeing the other part of Alicia''s soul uncomfortably. After the initial excitement, the spirits seemed to have reminded themselves that Alicia was a Court Wizard. According to Aqua, spirits can perceive souls including a Court Wizards Maneg Soul that''s a ''fractured'' mix of their actual soul (loyal maneg) and disloyal maneg. Alicia having only loyal maneg would mean her soul was whole, but the pixie probably made it more horrifying for them. "Anyway," Ronald decided to move the conversation. He then presented the rest of the Court Wizards, in descending order. "Meet William Trust, the Air Guardian." "Hello," William unenthusiastically waved. "Oh, so he''s a Guardian like Aqua?" Neptune asked curiously. "Yes," Ronald nodded before continuing. "And this is Rin Fujiwara, Alicia''s partner." "Nice to meet you!" Rin smiled with a bow. "You look pretty!" "Why thank you!" Layla giggled with a blush. "And finally," Ronald did the same motion with his daughter only his hands were lowered to Owen''s shoulders. "This is Owen Ruze, Joshua and Willow''s son." "Yo," Owen gave his customary greeting. "Hello, sir Owen," Layla greeted, nonchalantly adding an honorific to it. That said, she suddenly became mellow. "And uh... My condolences to your mother..." "Yes, sorry for your loss..." Neptune said in low spirits, no pun intended. So it''s about my mom. "Er, it''s alright," Owen awkwardly said, eyeing some of the others with sympathetic looks. Honestly, he doesn''t have any feelings for his late mother. Bluntly speaking, he never knew her other than she died giving birth to him and from her grave. Even more so like someone who''d barely remember a relative who passed away when they were still very little, his mother was just never a part of his life. "Right," Layla cheered up. "So anyway, what are you guys here for?" she innocently asked. And Ronald answered, "Right. I would like to inquire about the ongoing siege happening to the Kirash capital," while pointing at the besieged capital. "And of your greater spirit; where is she?" he narrowed his eyes at the two spirits. "I hardly believe she would find this unworthy of her attention and to our being informed of this as the Fire Guardian. Oh, and I might as well inquire about the Bell Branch we''re going to first for its failure to inform us on the matter as well." Hook. Line. And sinker. Probably not the most accurate description, but it''s still the best way to describe the current state of the spirits caught off guard. "I, er..." Layla fumbled. Then, to top it all off. "And by the looks of things, you know something about Joshua''s disappearance, don''t you? You did not mention him at all," Ronald asked in a stern tone, causing the spirits to flinch which was all the response he needed. "So tell us what you know," he demanded with a glare. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 3.2: Meeting the Spiri Raians - History of the Spirits "Aqua told us she''ll explain everything herself," Layla quipped as if Aqua had expected this would happen. Scratch that, the greater spirit definitely knew this would happen and prepared accordingly. "Well, she''s not here now," Ronald said annoyedly. "So you tell us what you know." "We promised Aqua not to tell ourselves," Layla then excused. "Yes, yes," Neptune furiously nodded. "Hm, this is getting nowhere..." Ronald sighed. At this point, Owen was having none of it, what with the spirit purposefully avoiding mentioning his father. "Dammit! My dad''s missing for five years and I finally found him here, while all of that is going on!" He swung his hand to the ongoing siege before glaring at the spirits. "And now you guys are being tight-lipped about it!? You need a better excuse for that." "Uh-oh! He''s angry!" "Now is not the time, Voice," Alicia shushed the pixie. "Uhn..." Rin looked around nervously. "...Huh, first time see him pissed off like that," was what all William said. "Owen, I know their reluctance to speak is infuriating," Ronald tried to calm Owen down, but his tone was the teapot calling the kettle black. "But they''re not going to start talking if you scare them like that," he reasoned, having experience with the spirits scared of Court Wizard. "...No, it''s okay," Layla replied, earning a glance from Ronald. "I can explain." Owen looked at Layla indignantly. "Out with it," he demanded. "Okay, we have no excuse for hiding this from you and you have every right to be angry about it," Layla began. "But sometimes, knowing things now than later can be harmful, especially when you don''t get the full picture. When you only know the first part of the story and acted on it, you might regret jumping to conclusions once you found out the second part too late. "And with the delicate situation of this rebellion and your father, we don''t want you to make a fatal mistake without knowing the whole story that can only be conveyed by Aqua and it can''t be now." "..." With that explanation alone, it put Owen in a retrospective. It made sense because, ''A lot could have been avoided if we had just known.'' "So please believe us that we have the best intention for everyone involved despite what we are seemingly doing," Layla pleaded. "You may hate us for it, but please, let this slide for now until the time is right for you to know. We promise by our pride as water spirits that you will know the truth soon enough. If Aqua doesn''t tell in the end, then we''ll go against her word and tell you however can, okay?" "Please, don''t be angry," Neptune said with his puppy face. "...Fine," Owen accepted, backing down for now. "Right," Layla smiled. "You won''t be disappointed!" "Hm, you really have matured a lot, Layla," Ronald complimented. "Aqua has chosen her heir well." "Ehehe!" Layla rubbed the back of her head bashfully.
"He''s stalling for time," William deadpanned as it was his turn to be ticked off while lounging in the lobby of the former Illyer territory Bell Branch with the other Court Wizards and two named spirits who longer have the desire to stay hidden. As the two spirits were rather uncooperative, the Court Wizards went to the former Illyer territory Bell Branch to seek answers from the manager as it was safer than going straight into the rebel camp. But as clearly what was going on now, the manager too was not being helpful. The receptionist lady flinched as she set a tray of refreshments (which was tea, as always) on the low table the Court Wizards surrounded. "M-My humble apologies, mister Trust..." she tried to calm William awkwardly. "T-The manager needed time to formulate a proper explanation f-for our misconduct." The Air Guardian, having none of it, something Owen understood with his partner, glared at the receptionist. "He better be," he sternly warned. "..!" Layla flinched. "Hii...!" Neptune shivered in fright. "Eee...!" "Uhn...!" Rin whimpered, also feeling the tense air generated by the Air Guardian, no pun intended. "Y-Yes, sir!" The receptionist bowed in fear, clearly wanting to get away right now. At least she''s being honest, Owen thought. "Apologies, miss, Will doesn''t like it when someone blatantly attempts to disrupt our operations," Ronald consoled the receptionist while also silently doing the same for the rest of the staff hiding behind the backdoor in fear of the Air Guardian''s wrath. Alicia eyed Owen, silently asking, Is that true, Owen? to him with [Telepathy]. Pretty much yeah, Owen replied in kind. "I-I see..." the receptionist replied uneasily as she picked up the empty tray after the Court Wizards took its contents and hugged it tightly to her chest. "You can go now," Ronald shooed her lest William got more pissed. "R-Right, mister Bell!" the receptionist bowed and scurried back to her post. "Well then," Ronald turned to everyone. With a cup of tea in hand, he diverted the ever so tenser air with a, "while we wait for the manager, let''s re-familiarize ourselves with this world." Turning to Rin. "And one of us here had yet to be informed as well." "H-Hai," Rin nodded bashfully, reverting to her mother tongue. During the preparations to go to Spiri Raia, Rin had gone back to her world for her preparations, so there wasn''t a chance to brief her about Spiri Raia beforehand. "It''s nothing to be a shame of, Rin," Alicia consoled Rin, patting her back. "Not knowing about this world beforehand." "Yep!" "Yeah," Owen nodded. "Besides, it''s not like we can keep track of everything." Though it''ll definitely prevent a lot of tragedies like what Layla said... "True, the Sea of Worlds thought a perfect memory doesn''t need to be commonplace," William added which sounded like a gripe, sipping his tea. "Also, it is imperative that we are on the same page." "And I''ll help explain the finer details about us," Layla offered. "Aqua has taught me everything I need to know," she explained. It made sense since she''s going to replace Aqua. "Me too!" Neptune joined in. "Yes, do help. I''m only reciting what''s on history books plus a bit of what I know myself," Ronald admitted. "Uhn! Thank you, everyone!" Rin smiled ear to ear. "Right then, we should start now. I believe we should begin with a little history lesson." As the Bell Branch was conveniently devoid of uninvolved bystanders due to the current rebellion making merchants nervous to work, after wetting his throat with tea, Ronald began, "before year zero in Spiri Raia, the spirits used to be a race with flesh and blood collectively called the fae." "...Uhn?" Rin blinked. She wasn''t expecting that. "Surprising, is it not?" Alicia remarked, drinking a mouthful. "That the spirits used to be different races." "And the spirits'' previous forms were races you are already familiar with and there are various kinds of them. There are nine types of fae each holding one element of this world," Ronald continued before reciting, "the earth spirits were dwarves; nature spirits were dryads, flora only; fire spirits were salamanders; air spirits were sylphs; light spirits and dark spirits were light and dark elves respectively; ice spirits were barbegazis and; lightning spirits were raijus." "Hey! Some of them aren''t even fae!" "Yes, some of them aren''t considered fae in our world''s mythologies. It''s another of those inaccuracies in a different world," Ronald shrugged. "Actually, I can''t even think of a fae equivalent for some of them." "And you haven''t even mentioned the water spirits!" "I was saving it for last," Ronald explained calmly before turning to the water spirits. "Finally, the water spirits were undines." "Undines..." Rin repeated. "Aren''t those...?" "A water nymph that becomes human when they fall in love with a man," William explained, likely reciting it from the internet. "But is fated to die if that man is unfaithful to them." "Eeh!" Rin exclaimed. "Is that true!?" "Er, I don''t think Aqua has ever taught me about that," Layla said with an unsure tone. "But otherwise, you''re right. I may not have been born undine, but I can still feel our lineage flowing through my soul." "Me too!" Neptune added. "Now that you mention it, you do have body parts resembling one," Alicia said as she looked at the water spirits in detail. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Yeah! Kinda like Master Miriel!" Owen took a look for himself, noting the fin-like ears hidden within Layla''s hair and appendages on the back of her elbows along with her slim build making it easier for her to move through the water. It was the same with Neptune. "Oh! Aqua also has that too!" Rin realized. Recalling his memories, Owen did remember Aqua having fish parts. It must be the red water orbs around her that were distracting. "Something to know every day," Ronald mused, taking another sip. "Moving on, well... long story short, the world before Spiri Raia was suffering under the yoke of cursed dragons, and the fae fought against them." "...E-Eeh!?" Rin exclaimed in surprise. First, the spirits were formerly known as the fae, now dragons. It was out of place for Spiri Raia today. "Yes, little Rin, there were dragons," Layla nodded in confirmation. "Never met one myself, but Aqua has told me just how cruel they are: treating humans and fae like cattle; razing villages and settlements for fun; hoarding treasures they robbed from others; basically cursing the land with their arrogance." "Yes, they''re very evil people," Neptune summed it up. "Hence their name ''cursed dragons''," Ronald added, sipping his tea. "Well, actually it''s not an expression. There''s really a meaning behind the ''cursed'' in their name." "They can curse people?" Rin suspected, cupping her drink. "Yes," Layla nodded solemnly. "Aqua told me that one time, she and the other eventual greater spirits saw a cursed dragon dropped on a human village, cursed the villagers to attract wild beasts wherever they go, and told them to fight to the last villager for the dragon to undo the curse while tacking another curse to encourage them to do it, just for kicks. "The last villager standing was a young boy whose older sister killed herself to save him and the dragon watched in amusement as the boy was eaten by wolves attract before lifting the curse. Aqua and the others couldn''t do anything as they were afraid the dragon might notice them." "That''s just messed up!" "That''s horrible!" Rin exclaimed, horrified by the tale. "Indeed," Ronald nodded sadly. "..!" Alicia, meanwhile, flinched, not because of the story as a whole, but by the fate of the young boy as Owen suspected. Ever since the mission in Manegia, where Alicia was almost killed by a splinter of the wolf-type Maneg Beast causing Voice to go berserk, the young teen has developed a fear for canines, wolves specifically. Owen could''ve sworn she even felt uncomfortable around puppies as she didn''t even want to pet them during one dog charity event. If I has paid attention to her while fighting the wolf Maneg Beast, Alicia wouldn''t have that trauma, Owen lamented, thinking of what could have been avoided. "..." Back to the situation, on the other hand, William only showed indifference on the matter. Having known him for five years, Owen confidently knew William wasn''t being insensitive. In the simplest terms that Owen could describe it, it was William''s life experience that he saw the story as a dime in a dozen and that mulling over it would be useless. As to how William came to that mindset at such a young age Owen doesn''t want to bring that back up now. Especially since I don''t like it at all. As for Owen himself, the story tugged his heartstrings. It was very unfair what happened to them, all for an amoral dragon''s sick entertainment. He wished it had ended differently, that the boy or even the whole village was saved, but he did not express such feelings publicly as there was no meaning to it. It was probably a sensitive topic for Aqua to discuss openly - Owen at least had never heard of this story before. The greater spirit probably had to tell it to Layla as her heir. So is this why Aqua is... uncomfortable around Blaze and Luna? I remember how she looked towards Luna at tea parties. (Alicia) Probably, Owen internally replied to Alicia''s [Telepathy]. As Owen began to hang out in the fire chamber more frequently since mentoring Alicia, he noticed ever so subtly the greater water spirit''s negative attitude towards the resident dragon-morph twins under the care of the Life Guardian, Gabriel. Even if they''re not the same, centuries of bad experiences with dragons in Spiri Raia were hard to get rid of. And they''re good kids too, Owen thought sadly. Luna can be seen as shy at times, but she can be very assertive and knew how to rein in her rambunctious brother. While hot-headed at times, Blaze was a good kid at heart and a good brother to his sister. Seriously, they''re children. It was only because of her Maneg Soul that Aqua didn''t express outright disdain for them. "It was this tyrannical reign that humanity and the fae decided enough was enough and banded together to end the dragons'' oppression," Ronald then moved to the next chapter. "And this war against the cursed dragons was led by the fae who would eventually become the first greater spirits." "Uhn! So Aqua led the fight against the dragons!?" Rin exclaimed in awe. "Indeed," Layla nodded, trying her best Ronald impression. "Each future greater spirit took it upon themselves as the rallying banners of the war, adopting names derived from their ''nicknames'' they''ve had in their younger years." "Uhn? So Aqua''s nickname comes first?" Rin tilted her head in confusion as to what the greater spirit heir meant. "Yep!" Layla nodded. "The fae did not need names, we can identify each other no problem. Aqua and the other eventual greater spirits once saw a group of children having nicknames with each other and thought to have one themselves too." "So ''Aqua'' becomes ''Aquarius''?" Rin asked. "Correct. Same with the other future greater spirits, just ''Aqua'' probably wouldn''t be impressive as a banner, so she had to ''upgrade'' it for the war," Ronald nodded. "But, as you know, Aqua still maintains her actual name for those close to her." "Yes, she''s very insistent that we do," Layla smiled wryly, a sentiment shared with Neptune, much to Rin and some others'' confusion. It''s probably because they were very reluctant to call the greater spirit so casually. "Now, moving on," Ronald continued. "As for the war against the cursed dragons, well, as you can already guess, the allies succeeded, ending the dragons'' reign of terror." "That''ll teach them!" "Yes," Layla nodded with the pixie. "It was a glorious battle, according to Aqua. Humans and fae fought side by side, taking on the menaces of the sky one by one with luck, skill, and tenacity until the last dragon fell. "Aqua personally led a team of undines to trap many cursed water dragons in watery prisons, giving them a taste of their own medicine and drowning them to death!" "Yep! The dragons didn''t know what hit them!" Neptune exclaimed. Setting the spirits'' enthusiasm on cursed dragon genocide aside, they were irredeemable anyway, Ronald continued, "But, the dragons'' defeat did not come without a price, and I don''t mean the lives lost in the effort." Ronald then drank the last volumes of his tea before putting the teacup down. "When the dragons were in their last throes, they unleashed one final curse as an act of dying spite." "Does it have to do with the spirits being the way they are?" Rin tilted her head in suspicion. "Yes," Ronald nodded. "While it had missed the humans entirely, the curse had corrupted the fae''s bodies, all of them. In the simplest terms, the curse had caused their bodies to be poisoned, slowly killing them to the point where they will eventually go extinct." "Oh no!" Rin gasped. "Then what happened?" "Well, this is the part where it gets complicated." Ronald cleared his throat before he revealed, "...simply put, Aqua and the future greater spirits came upon the chance to rewrite the Fantasy Law of their world." "...Eh? Eeh!?" Rin exclaimed, and rightfully so. "To a limited extent," Ronald disclaimed. "Otherwise, they would''ve got rid of the curse entirely." Fantasy Laws are what determine how supernatural things work in a world. It governed what sapient species there are, their abilities, what magic system they can harness or lack thereof, everything that''s not scientific. For instance, Rose, being a vampire, wasn''t able to see her reflection in her homeworld Arknoir; in Manegia, there wasn''t a Fantasy Law that dictated it and so, she was able to see herself in the mirror - Owen could tell she was very subconscious of her beauty ever since. For Aqua and the other greater spirits to rewrite their world''s Fantasy Law was a feat in the realm of deities, or perhaps beyond that. The Maneg System was one of the few entities capable of something like that. Rin having only been a few months as a Court Wizard knew just how big of a deal that was and hearing it again was still just as surprising. "As how it specifically happened is something that should be left to Aqua to explain," Ronald continued before turning to Layla. "Unless she has explained it to you in full?" "Er, even I still don''t get it," Layla darted her eyes off. "Understandable, I''ll just go to the end results," Ronald shrugged. "Well, you ought to know it already." One good look at the spirits in this lobby and recalling what the Otherworldly Court called them, it was clear what was rewritten. "Because the curse inflicted the physical body, the future greater spirits chose to shed the fae of their flesh, becoming body-less souls," Ronald stated in the Court term. "Known locally as, well, spirits, each ''greater'' spirits responsible for rewriting the Fantasy Law of the world that was henceforth known as ''Spiri Raia'' also became the origin for their respective element of spirits." ''Origin'' was the informal term for referring to an entity to more or less carry a part of a Fantasy Law (Module, in the near future) of a world. It''s different for each case: some origins carry a ''copy'' of part of the Fantasy Law (Module) with the world having the ''main'' one and; some being the sole carriers that when they leave the world, that world will lose that part of the Fantasy Law (Module) while the world the origin entered will gain it. Owen heard that Spiri Raian spirits couldn''t leave Spiri Raia without their Fantasy Law - they couldn''t survive without it. Aqua, however, can leave just fine as she carried her race''s Fantasy Law and even use her spirit arts unimpeded. Perhaps Layla, Neptune, or any water spirits can be in other worlds if Aqua accompanied them. Incidentally, origins'' Fantasy Laws were ''nonintrusive'' as local Fantasy Laws seemed not to mind their presence, like an antivirus determining a foreign program to be safe - perhaps because of its ''temporary'' nature, unlike the Maneg System that''s more permanent. "However, they ran into a problem," Ronald then said, taking the attention of those who listened intently. "Becoming pure souls with elemental attributes caused them to be... incompatible opposing elements, something the greater spirits cannot get rid of." "Yes, we water spirits will get weakened in the presence of fire and make it really hard to perform spirit arts," Layla explained with a strained face as if she spoke from experience. "Only greater spirits like Aqua can shrug it off completely while the rest of us can only resist so much within our ranks." "Uhn? How can that be?" Rin wondered before quickly realizing, "is it because of the curse!?" "Possibly. Perhaps it was the intent of the curse, as the cursed dragons fell under the combined might of humans and all nine faes, they sought to break that unity apart as their last laugh, or perhaps it was just the unintentional side effect of the greater spirits'' attempt to save their kind," Ronald made his guesses. "Whatever it was, the fae, the spirits, were no longer united in immaterial body along with humanity being the only ones left with flesh. As for their unity, well..." he eyed Layla. The water spirit darted her eyes away. "...Yeah, I admit the younger spirits are getting more peeved with their opposing neighbors than the older ones, myself included," she confessed. "Oh, but Aqua very made sure I don''t carry that sentiment when I become greater spirit and that I will do the same to the younglings. She and the older spirits are really worried that the future spirits don''t get along." "You better," William suddenly spat at the greater spirit heir. It looked like he was still upset with the manager''s stunt. "Most great people had everything they''ve built destroyed by their heirs," he warned, purposefully using specific words to drive it home. "Yes, it would be very disappointing if you let your personal prejudice ruin everything Aqua and the other greater spirits built," Alicia cupped her cheeks with her remark. "Yeah!" And that really drove it home, for the lack of a better expression. "Erk! I''ll be sure not to!" Layla smiled wryly. "I-I''ll help her too!" Neptune chimed in nervously. "And to better aid that, or, well, as the most feasible solution that could be thought of, the greater spirits had carved up Spiri Raia into nine territories, controlling one each," Ronald continued. "That way, the spirits of elements have their own ''comfort zones'' to lessen the chance of conflict between elemental spirits to a minimum." "Ooh..." Rin muttered disappointedly. After going through so much together, the spirits having to be separated was upsetting. "But, in defiance to it, the greater spirit had decided to purposefully choose their territories in a way that each territory have as many opposing neighbors as possible," Ronald further explained with a contrast. "This territory alone has a major border with the fire territory and that''s not counting the other territories that are incompatible with water, problems arising from it be damned." "One of the jobs as a greater spirit is to sort out these problems with the other greater spirit," Layla added. "Ooh!" Rin''s face lit up. "And speaking of it, as beings closest to deities," Ronald continued. "The greater spirits took it upon themselves as neutral arbiters of their territories, keeping the peace between territories and the balance of humans and spirits as the former began to resettle in the new world." As for whether the Bell Branch manager was ready to explain himself or not, the Court Wizards seemed not to be impatient as their unfinished tea got cold being absorbed in the lesson. Owen had mixed feelings about this after realizing they have been in the lobby for quite some time - he wanted to seek answers as soon as possible but Rin needed to know everything about Spiri Raia lest the worst happen. In the end, he listened on. "But, as the greater spirits became comfortable with their new positions," Ronald said. "They happen upon a few... interesting interactions between humans and spirits in their territories that will change everything once again." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 3.3: Meeting the Spiri Raians - Spirits Today 1 "But, as the greater spirits became comfortable with their new positions," Ronald said. "They happen upon a few... interesting interactions between humans and spirits in their territories that will change everything once again." "Hey! What''s that cliffhanger-y ending all about!?" "Oh, I just felt like it," Ronald quipped ever so casually at the complaining pixie. "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head in confusion, the sling of the cylindrical bag carrying her missing brother''s Cherished Armament she brought everywhere slackening from her shoulder to which she promptly pulled it back up. At least, that was what Owen thought she was doing because all of it was being done under her robe. Rin slung her bag first, then put the robe on - Owen doesn''t know why she doesn''t feel uncomfortable having a long bag sticking out inside her robe. "Uh, can we continue from this cliffhanger-y ending thing?" Layla inquired with an unsure tone about what Voice remarked. "Apologies, Layla. Voice can be, well, Voice," Alicia smiled wryly. "Er, right, lady Alicia." William rolled his eyes in mild annoyance at this unnecessary banter, silently saying "Can we go now?" to the rest. "Ahem, from where we left off," Ronald continued with a fake cough. "The greater spirits happened upon some interesting interactions between humans and spirits that the greater spirits could not ignore." "Just get to the point," William deadpanned, having enough of it. He may have already known the answer being privy to the information, but the principle was still the same. "Come now, Will, everything needs to be in a good narrative," Ronald said cooly much to the Air Guardian''s annoyance. One thing Owen knew was that William no longer held back when he''s ticked off. "Now, the greater spirits have discovered that humans intermingling with spirits were asking the latter to cast magic for them." "Spirit arts used to be called just ''fae magic,''" Layla interjected. "So we do know some of the terms you are using." "The fae rarely interact with humans before the war, just with each other. That''s how the greater spirits were together when they were fae," Ronald then explained. "So seeing the spirits lending their power at the humans'' request was intriguing to the greater spirits. But, when they looked closely, they found something out with the spirits'' magic done at the behest of humans." "What is it?" Rin asked curiously. Ronald simply eyes Layla who then listed off, "Well, we found out that our ''magic'' became ''malleable.'' Aqua told me that fae magic was done with rigid spells that are very limited with what it can do. ''Spirit magic,'' on the other hand, can seemingly do anything within its element." "It''s similar to our Orders, actually," Ronald pointed out. "We can order almost anything we want with our Maneg Souls'' understanding of the Order and our imaginations as the limit." "And the problem is, while we spirits can cast our ''magic'' on our own, we sorely lack that imagination department to take advantage of it," Layla lamented. "Spirits were too ingrained with fae magic where you can only cast A, B, and C and that''s it. The next generation is only a tad bit better than the oldies - I can''t even think of anything beyond basic." "Uh-huh," Neptune nodded. "But when humans ask spirits to do ''magic,'' they can?" Rin suspected where this was going. "Precisely," Ronald nodded. "As the world of Spiri Raia was born in the aftermath of the war against the cursed dragons, much was needed to be rebuilt. As humanity began settling in the new borders, the greater spirits had sent their spirits to aid humans in reconstruction. "This has caused humans and spirits to interact like never before. One thing leads to another and the humans began to give instructions on how the spirits should cast their ''magic'' in ways the latter never knew, aiding the reconstruction effort." "Ooh! And that''s when Aqua and the others took notice?" Rin wondered. "Indeed," Ronald confirmed. "And what the greater spirits discovered with the partnership was controversial." "...Uhn?" Rin blinked, confused with the sudden contrast. "You see, the greater spirits have observed that some of the instructions humans gave to the spirits had some of the finer details stuck in their minds and yet the spirits were still able to cast those details," Ronald explained. "After some investigations, and what one spirit figured out, the greater spirits concluded a startling truth." "Basically, we can read your minds," Layla revealed. "E-Eh!?" Rin gasped in surprise. It shouldn''t be surprising, we can use [Telepathy] we''re using right now. Direct mind reading isn''t anything new. (William) Eh, cut her some slack. Rin''s still new to this. I''ll take your word for it. (William) Still mad with the manager huh? Same. Hmph, mister Bell is also still dragging this longer than necessary. (William) "Naturally, no one likes to have their mind read, and yet it was too useful to forgo," Ronald continued. "So, the greater spirits came up with a compromise: a formal system by which humans request spirits to perform what the former have in mind, the ''spirit art system''." "Ooh!" Rin perked up. It was here after all of that backstory. Afterwards, Ronald pulled out a pen and paper from his pocket as if he knew this was going to happen and began to write in it on the low table. "A ''request'' is a formal invitation by the human to ask the spirit to peer into their mind. The request itself verbally chanted thusly." Ronald rotated the paper 180 degrees and slid it to Rin. It read, "Oh, (rank) (element) spirit/s (or/and given name/s of spirit/s), lend me your (relevant noun for precision)!" "You first say the ''rank'' and then the ''element'' of the spirit or spirits plural," Ronald started. "You may call upon multiple spirits of different ranks by listing them off and the same goes for element though what spirit art that can be done with that is rare." "Uhn? Is rank what Layla and Neptune are called? Greater spirit heir and greater spirit candidate?" Rin wondered. While the element was self-explanatory, the rank was not. "Yes, it is a categorization of the spirits by their maturity," Ronald explained before listing off. "''Lesser spirits'' are like wisps flowing through the air; ''spirits'' spirits start from being infants to toddlers at the end; ''intermediate spirits'' are at kids age; ''greater spirit candidates'' are at the age of teenagers and as the name suggests, it is the rank where the spirit can be chosen to succeed a greater spirit." "So that''s Neptune?" Rin asked, leaning forward from her seat. "Yep!" The greater spirit candidate nodded happily. "And when a greater spirit picks a candidate, they become a ''greater spirit heir'' like me!" Layla added proudly before deflating. "Well, it''s the same as a candidate, just a different name being first in line as the new greater spirit." "And speaking of ''greater spirits,'' it is the final rank that you are all aware of," Ronald finished. "And as you know from Aqua, greater spirits all have the maturity of full adults and it comes with certain authorities towards other spirits." "Uhn? Like what?" Rin tilted her head in curiosity. "For one, Aqua can completely shrug off fire just fine," Layla interjected. "All of the greater spirits are strong enough to resist opposing elements completely." "Specifically, each increasing rank of spirits has increasing resistance against elements they are weak to, reducing the dampening effects on their spirit arts and selves," Ronald explained. "And the greater spirits at the top still have access to their full powers even under strenuous environment." "Yeah, it usually takes the... entire house on fire around us greater water spirit candidates to get weakened really bad," Layla explained, but not without the slight pause going unnoticed. "Huge fires are still enough to scare us though." Was she reminded of when the Illyer mansion burned down? Alicia sent a [Telepathy] to Owen, not wanting to interrupt the lesson. That could be the only context, Owen replied. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I see. Anyway, is that why Aqua is the Fire Guardian? Alicia sent another [Telepathy] to Owen. Probably, he replied again. "Ooh!" Rin listened on in interest, ignorant of the deeper secrets between her mentor and partner. "Is there anything else the greater spirits can do?" "Hm... Oh, right!" Layla remembered. "The greater spirits can also tell us which humans we shouldn''t perform spirit arts for," she said. "Aqua usually have us older spirits tell the younger ones of someone who got punished to be denied of spirit arts." "Like bad guys!" Neptune added. It made sense if the greater spirits had the chance to deny unscrupulous people to misuse spirit arts, they''d take it. "Yep, we do know evil people when we see them, but the more juvenile spirits usually don''t so we need the greater spirits to tell them," Layla shrugged. "But more often than often, we are good at gauging humans'' characters and know not to answer their requests since we can also perceive their souls." "Oh?" Rin perked up. "You can perceive our souls?" "Spiri Raian spirits are beings of pure souls, it is natural that they can sense other souls among other aspects, both good and bad," Ronald explained. "And that includes our souls, our Maneg Souls." "Our Maneg Souls?" Rin tilted her head with a surprised look on her face. "Is it because they''re our souls?" she wondered, going by her knowledge of Court Wizards, before and after being one, the former''s source being from her missing brother most likely. "Precisely," Ronald nodded. With the confirmation, a look of discomfort was seen on the two water spirits'' faces. If there were other spirits in the lobby, which there weren''t any for the likeliest reason, they''d adopted it too. Ronald looked like he was going to sigh as if he knew why, and Owen knew too. "Um, Layla, Neptune," Alicia called on the spirits with unease. "Is there something wrong?" she asked. "...Argh!" Layla suddenly groaned. "Forgive me, lady Alicia, but yes! There''s everything wrong with your Maneg Souls!" "Yes! Everything!" Neptune supported. "Uhn!?" Rin almost jolted from her seat by Layla''s outburst. "Right now I''m seeing all of your souls being fractured in two pieces! One big, one small," Layla started her rant. "The bigger one feels like it''s fake as if it''s there to fill in the gap because the smaller one feels like your real souls squashed down into absurd proportions! How could there be souls like that!? It''s blasphemous! "I''ll have you know that I''ve personally witnessed the first of you lots barging into our lovely world, blaring their fractured souls for all of us to see, and one of them, I believe, was your grandfather!" She soundlessly banged the table with her hands showing an angry face in front of Alicia. "I-Is that so?" Alicia smiled wryly. "Lady, chill!" "As you can see, spirits can sense disloyal and loyal maneg within us, with the description that best describes them," Ronald presented as if nothing''s wrong, much to the spirits'' irritation. "That said, they don''t seem to be able to sense ambient disloyal maneg." "But I have loyal maneg only," Alicia raised her hand, pointing herself out. "Oh yeah, yours is better, lady Alicia," Layla calmed down before bursting out, "if not for that thing!" while practically shooting her finger at Voice innocently munching cookies on the low table throughout the whole exchange. "Hyeh!?" Wait, where did the cookies come from? Owen stopped to think with the pixie almost falling backwards. Has she been eating them the whole time? "Huh? Is there something wrong with Voice?" Alicia asked in concern. "Something wrong!?" Layla spat. "No offense, lady Alicia, it''s almost a third of your soul floating out of your body!" "Huh? ...Oh! I get what you mean," Alicia figured out what Layla meant. "Do not worry, Layla, even if Voice looks like she is detached from me, she is still a part of me. She usually stays inside of me when things get dangerous, so no harm will come to her, to me. We will not be separated, not even worlds apart." "Erk! Uh! I mean, yeah!" Was that a flashback of Amelia''s experiment with her? Owen thought as the pixie did a spit-take before her joyful outburst. It is, he concluded looking at Ronald holding a grim expression. Well... It''s understandable... Amelia had gone overboard with her experiments with Alicia, likely because she got too excited with the first Court Wizard to have only loyal maneg. That said, that overeagerness of hers had resulted in Ronald actually beating her up which Owen was sure he could get arrested for. But really, from what Owen heard, Voice got distraughted by one of the tests Amelia conducted. The pixie gave her the ''Evil Mad Scientist Lady'' moniker because of that which was not a laughing matter when Alicia could have genuinely been harmed in some of those experiments. And Owen knew just how protective Voice was of Alicia. "Ugh! Fine, I''ll take your word, Alicia," Layla grumbled. Looking at Ronald. "Well? What are you waiting for? Let''s move on already!" "Alright then," Ronald chuckled in amusement. "Anyway, there are still a lot more benefits and responsibilities as the greater spirit, and we''ll be here all day if we were to discuss it all. So, we''ll top it off with the most relevant one to us; that spirits are the eyes and ears of greater spirits." "Uhn? So spirits tell greater spirits anything happening in Spiri Raia?" Rin guessed. "Correct. It goes to say that spirits are everywhere and observe intently the activities of human society and report anything unusual to the greater spirits," Ronald explained. "This will allow greater spirits to know if humans, or even other spirits, took a step too far and step in to rectify it." "Yes," Layla nodded. "Aside from performing spirit arts for humans, we''re also on the lookout for anyone up to something that warrants Aqua''s attention." "Like really bad people!" Neptune helped in the exposition. "Additionally," Ronald continued. "Spirits have the innate ability to phase through objects and go invisible, preventing humans from knowing they are being watched... if not for it being common knowledge that they took it with stride." "Oof!" "But if humans want their privacy, they can set up ''wards'' which are markers politely telling spirits to not snoop into the general area," Ronald informed. "That said, they''re still suggestions and can be ignored." "It''s also why Aqua and the rest of the greater spirits take neutrality very seriously," Layla added. "Since humans know the greater spirits know what they''re doing, they should at least get comfy in it." "Uhn? But we see a lot of spirits passing by," Rin pointed out the journey to this Bell Branch. "Are they not invisible?" "Oh, they are certainly invisible alright, but not for us. Our Maneg Souls negate that invisibility for us," Ronald casually explained. "The benefits of the Maneg System dictating what it gets to do in a new world." "Ooh! It can do that?" Rin asked in surprise. "Did I mention why we spirits are frightened of you all?" Layla deadpanned with a grumble. "Or that we''re afraid you all in that matter?" "My condolences," Alicia apologized, feeling the need to do so. "Of course, the greater spirits are also capable of this," Ronald continued. "That also means Aqua, being an origin thereby have full access to her species'' abilities, can just about conduct any sort of espionage undetected if a world has no means to counter it." "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. "Oh, right! Aqua is the Fire Guardian!" She actually forgot the greater water spirit was a Court Wizard for a moment. "Well, all the talk of Aqua being the greater water spirit does distract us of her other responsibilities," Alicia consoled the embarrassed Rin. "Urk!" Layla suddenly cringed. "Please, don''t remind me that." "Hm? Why, Layla?" Alicia asked. "Wait, is it because...?" "Could you imagine," Layla hunched down and broke into a monologue. "One day, you''re training under Aqua as her successor and suddenly, she started to turn red like lord Ignatius. Then, once the color change is complete, I sensed the same fractured soul coming from my lady the greater water spirit. "Could you imagine the horror when you then hear your greater spirit became one of you!" she shouted, banging the table though it made no sound. "Exactly!" Neptune crossed his arms. "I-Is that so?" Alicia chuckled sheepishly with Layla''s frustration. "My condolences." "Well, if there''s anything good out of it, it''s that we have access to Aqua''s water spirit information network from then on," Ronald smiled as he informed the brighter side of things, on the Court Wizards'' side. "That doesn''t help at all," the greater spirit heir grumbled. "Not when Aqua seems to cut us off from that network for the past few days," William suddenly interjected in a low tone. "Or maybe even longer than that." "I, er..." Layla choked, feeling the aggression coming from the Air Guardian. "You still mad, Celery Stick!?" William turned his glare at the pixie unamused. "Shut up, pixie." "Celery Stick?" Rin repeated the name in confusion. "It''s Voice''s nickname to him," Alicia explained. "Yep! And Owen''s a Short Cream!" Owen gave the offending pixie his deadliest glare, silently. Especially when he saw Rin holding a giggle. "Ahem," Ronald fake-coughed to get the kids'' attention. "Now, as I said before, being a greater spirit comes with many benefits and responsibilities to match. As we cannot possibly discuss them all, we''ll end this segment right here. So, from the history lesson as well, any thoughts?" "Uhn, I didn''t know Aqua can do all of that," Rin expressed her thoughts in the simplest terms. "Fighting against the dragons'' injustice, rewriting Spiri Raia, having powers and duties as the greater spirit all while being a Guardian at the same time. It''s amazing, really." "Yeah, and I''m going to have to shoulder all of that once Aqua passes away and her title is given to me," Layla remarked, looking to the side. "...What?" "Eh?" Probably because it''s common knowledge and accepted at this point that Layla could casually say it. This was true even on the Otherworldly Court''s side of the story. But for a little girl like Rin who''s only been in this for a few months, it''s an ugly truth that came out of nowhere. "It is unknown if the greater spirits decided it or it was a natural consequence, Aqua never told us," Ronald began. "But a spirit''s lifespan in Spiri Raia is about a thousand years regardless of maturity or element. That means, at the turn of the new millennia, all of the greater spirits will pass on and their mantles will be taken by their successors." "So when you guys are talking about Layla succeeding Aqua, it''s that?" Rin muttered in disbelief. "...Er, I thought you knew," Layla said in a strained tone. "It is true, Rin. Aqua told me herself that she does not have for long" Alicia confirmed solemnly. "I guess she does not give that impression since she does not look elderly." "But still..." Rin muttered. "I guess Master Pierre hasn''t told you yet." It was Owen''s turn to speak, refusing to call the Light Guardian by his preferred honorific. "But the Mother Souls always pick Guardians who have the remaining lifespan of an average modern human." "Ah... So the Mother Souls chose Darc and Zenya when they also don''t have long?" Rin realized with a gasp. Because they were not pure elves of either kind in Rakarok-Earth World Merge, Darcassan and Ilezenya Erith, the Dark Guardian and Nature Guardian respectively, would only live to their three-hundreds instead of much longer. "Pretty much. It''s always been the case for Guardians who are supposed to live very long," Owen nodded. "They''re only picked when they''re relatively at death''s door. Mother Souls never pick vessels who''d stick around longer than that." "Power corrupts no matter how virtuous you are, so it''s better that we die first before it gets to that," William said nonchalantly. "Even if we somehow kept ourselves clean, the older we are, the more cautious we get. The Otherworldly Court can''t beat around the bush, it needs rapid responses to internal and external threats to worlds." "Ooh..." Rin hung her head in melancholy, still cupping her unfinished tea. She may be perceptive for a young girl, but she was still a young girl nonetheless. She may have known the world wasn''t a wonderful place with the death of her parents to terrorists and her time as a Court Wizard, but she was still a child who grew up being taught that the world was a wonderful place regardless, just as any child would and should have. "That may be so, but it still does not deny the fact that they have still lived a long, fulfilling life, Guardian or not," Alicia then said. "Aqua herself told me she was content with her life and would not have it any other way. I am sure Master Darc and Master Zenya both feel the same way." "So cheer up, kiddo!" "Yes! Don''t be sad, Rin!" Neptune encouraged. "Uhn! Thank you!" Rin smiled warmly. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 3.4: Meeting the Spiri Raians - Spirits Today 2 Azhure: I had burnouts. Anyway, I got mid-term exams next week so stay tuned. Voice: Oi! That''s my line!
"Well then, let''s continue," Ronald said before pointing at the paper. "I''ll go to the last part first." Oh, (rank) (element) spirit/s (or/and given name/s of spirit/s), lend me your (relevant noun for precision)! "After notifying the spirits that you want to request," Ronald explained. "You tell them that you want that request, asking them to lend their spirit arts." Tapping the last words inside the parentheses. "Specifically, you describe what kind of spirit art you request with a noun and it can be more than one." "Uhn? So is it like asking for their power?" Rin tilted her head. "Well, ''power'' is the common request, the default choice even though there are plenty others to choose from," Ronald chuckled. "Anyway, once you''ve completed your request, you then have to put how the spirit arts should be performed at the forefront of your mind. The spirits will then tap into your mind to read what request you want and performed it to the best of their abilities." "So you have to imagine it really well?" Rin asked. "Yes, the better you describe it in your mind, the more accurate the spirit art will be," Ronald nodded. "What you put in your mind is what the spirits need and as I''ve said before, the request is simply an invitation allowing the spirits to read your mind." "Ooh, so that''s the spirit arts system Aqua and the others created?" Rin concluded. "Yes, that''s the gist of it," Ronald confirmed. "Of course, the request has to be a verbal chant since spirits won''t enter your mind you do." "Hey! If spirits just probe your mind anyway, then what''s the noun for if it ain''t just power!?" "Well, I''m glad you asked Voice. I did just gloss over it, after all," Ronald quipped at the pixie even though she already knew the answer from the briefing. "While it seems unnecessary to have multiple choices for the noun with how the spirits read your request, there is something useful when you do so; having different words for your request allows the spirits to learn to associate them with your requests." "Oh?" Rin perked up. "Even though spirits lack imagination, it does not mean they cannot learn to have one," Alicia said with a smile. "And with centuries worth of nouns and requests, from a single deviation spirits can know the type of request you want before they even begin to read them," Ronald continued. "Furthermore, if it is your imagination that has a few holes, the spirits can fill those in with past experience. For example, if you request spirits to lend their ''beauty,'' then the spirits will know you want spirit art with aesthetics in mind and can even give a greater output than you''d think of." "Uh-huh! And I don''t even need to read what lady Irene wants to know about her requests!" Layla bragged with her fists to her waist. "Yes, and that brings to a more advanced form of it," Ronald nodded. "If you request with the same spirits many times enough, it will not be necessary for them to read your mind for your request as they can just see the context of your request along with your choice of word and recall the type of request you asked previously." "Hm, now that I have heard it again, that does sound like Memorized Orders," Alicia remarked. "Does it?" she asked everyone else. "...Eh, it kind of does," Owen blinked before muttering in realization. "Memorized Orders work with repeated usage of the same Order that''s given a name until the Maneg Soul remembers the Order with just the name alone," William made his analysis. "Spirit arts do the same with its noun but because of that limited pool, the situation at which the request is made acts to increase that pool as well. I guess they do work similarly." "Wow! What a coincidence!" "Yeah! Yeah?" Neptune nodded in agreement with Voice before realizing he doesn''t even understand what the Court Wizards are talking about. "Uhn, that''s interesting!" Rin praised the parallels. "Hm, if we''re going that way," Ronald scratched his chin. "Then even spirit arts have their version of Vague Ordering." "Oh?" Rin raises her eyebrow at the mention of that term. "Isn''t that...?" "Yes, it is the method of ordering using loyal maneg where you do not need to use the stricter ordering system and instead simply convey what you want ''vaguely,''" Alicia explained, being familiar with it as "it is what I use after practicing the traditional way since I have only loyal maneg I should take advantage of it." "Uh-huh!" "Ooh!" Rin cooed. It''s true that for the first couple of months Alicia strictly gave Orders like everyone else did to at least know the basics but once that''s done she can get vaguer with her Orders. Welp, the one that knows you the best is yourself, Owen mused as loyal maneg was the Court Wizard''s actual soul, they themself. "Indeed," Ronald nodded. "And in spirit arts'' fashion, it is by the agreement of the requester and spirit that they drop the formalities that they achieve this. The formal chant is, after all, just a formal way of doing it. As such, the requester can even revert to how early practitioners request spirit arts but with a simpler explanation that the spirit will know what to do specifically. "Speaking of which." Ronald turned to his daughter and said, "I believe you can request spirit arts, Alicia." "Huh?" Alicia blinked at her father''s sudden proposal. "I can request spirit arts?" "Actually, all of us can," Ronald admitted. "How spirit art works meant that your Fantasy Law shouldn''t matter. It''s the spirits that do the heavy lifting, you just need to convey your thoughts," he explained. "Oh, but we Court Wizards do need to tell our Maneg Souls not to block mind reading from the spirits though. You, meanwhile, will need to take off your necklace or else the disloyal maneg inside will block it since that''s how it works." "Ugh! You guys can block mind-reading too?" Layla blanched. "Scary..." Neptune whimpered. Owen had no idea how to react to that. "Please, people don''t like having their minds read, or being subjected to any indirect attacks in general," William said with a scowl. "You talk as if you like doing that." "Uhn? Uhn?" Rin turned her head left and right in confusion. "Er, it''s not what I meant," Layla defended herself. "It''s the principles, the principles!" "Well, even then," Ronald shrugged and continued. "Whether the request is heeded is still ultimately up to the spirit regardless of what you are. It''s more of the ''who'' question, after all." "Yeah! Even though I gotta be civil with you, I''m still not making spirit arts for you!" Layla spat. "Oh, but if it''s you Alicia it''s fine," she mellowed at Alicia with a blush. "I see," Alicia chuckled. "Then I will look forward to working with you." "Regardless," Ronald moved on to the topic. "Even if the spirits won''t answer our calls directly, we can still use talismans." "Uhn? What are those?" Rin asked curiously. "They are like Catalysts," Ronald explained. "They are used to store spirit arts for later use. The difference with Catalysts is that the only medium used is paper due to their practicality and they can only be used once." "Yep! Aqua told me fae can inscribe spells in grimoires and activate them, so as spirits we can still do that too," Voice added. "Humans just need to request spirit arts like usual but then tell us to store it on talismans." "Yeah! I do it a lot with Al!" Neptune exclaimed. "And much like Catalysts, they can be used by anyone," Ronald continued. "All you need to do is invoke the talisman and the spirit art inside will be cast without further assistance from spirits." "Oh?" Rin noticed the last bit Ronald said. "Naturally, spirit arts only work if there are spirits nearby, not to mention their element," Ronald explained. "Oh, I should also mention how we fit into the equation." "Uhn? We?" Rin tilted her head. "Well, as you know, the reception of spirits towards us are... less than favorable, even after Aqua became the Fire Guardian," Ronald explained. "And by less than favorable, I mean showing abject fear towards us." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Well yeah," Layla scowled. "Your fractured souls are basically eldritch horror to us spirits. Seeing our greater spirit becoming one of you is the world coming to an end." "Yeah!" Neptune agreed. "Is that so?" Alicia smiled wryly. "I''m not exaggerating," Layla deadpanned. "Oh, but you''re still better though, lady Alicia." "Ehehe..." Rin chuckled nervously. "Anyway, that sort of fear combined with other factors has caused spirits to be... reluctant to perform spirit arts around us as they try to avoid our line of sight," Ronald continued. "Do remember spirits are aware we can see them pass their invisibility." "Don''t remind me," Layla frowned. "That, of course, means that in a battle against a spirit art user, we would have the advantage as the spirits around would be too scared to cast spirit arts for the user," Ronald explained. "Why, I do recall in my younger years passing by a Spirit Bard and ruining his show." "Spirit Bard?" Rin repeated the name. "It''s a job title that involves spirits, the naming convention starting with ''Spirit'' and a normal occupation," Ronald explained. "A Spirit Bard is a bard that uses spirit arts to complement his performances but I digress." "And don''t think all of us are gonna chicken out seeing you guys!" Layla warned. "We''ve toughened up since seeing you for the first time!" "That''s right!" Neptune nodded in affirmation "So anyway, aside from our mere presence," Ronald continued to the finish. "Talismans are useful in places bereft of them or of different elements than you wanted." "So you can use water talismans in places without water spirits?" Rin concluded. "Like in other territories?" "Yeah, there''re rules about that," Layla interrupted. "You can use talismans in other territories but not all of them." "Remember that spirits get weakened when exposed to opposing elements," Ronald reminded. "Oh!" Rin realized. "Exactly," Layla nodded. "Basically using fire talismans in these parts is totally illegal and vice versa. Something like ice talismans is still fine but fire? Absolutely not!" "True, but that doesn''t stop fire talismans being smuggled here illegally," Ronald mused. "Urgh! Don''t remind me!" Layla groaned. "That''s one problem I''m gonna have to deal with every day when I become a greater spirit. Humans keep trying to bring fire talismans into the water territory even though they know we hate it and their kingdoms clearly outlaw them. Seriously, I know it''s for solidarity but keep. The. Fire. Out!" "What about me? My Element is fire," Alicia then asked curiously. "So is father." It''s at this point Voice knew, she finally let that part of Irene''s daughter sink in. And in an overly dramatic fashion, she fell to her knees, her hands slammed down, and her head hung in despair, all while she was still mid-air. "Curses..." Layla softly muttered. "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. --- "Well then, now that we have gone over the basic spirit art request," Ronald continued. "We''ll go over the very last part we haven''t discussed." He hovered his hand over the paper and placed his finger on the last parentheses in the middle, ''(or/and given name/s of spirit/s)''. "Uhn? Isn''t this just calling for which spirit to request?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah, the thing is, we don''t have names," Layla said. "Much like when we''re fae, we can identify each other no problem, unlike you humans." "...Oh! I remember you mentioned that before," Rin recalled. "But you have names, Layla, Neptune." "Huh? Oh!" Layla blinked before realizing it. "Why that''s because lady Irene''s the one who gave me my name. Lord Allister named Neptune." "Uh-huh!" Neptune nodded happily. "Oh! Is that your contract with them?" Rin remarked. "Um, no," Layla flat-out rejected. "Huh? Really?" It was Alicia''s turn to be confused. "Hm, it seems we are in a misconception with the naming of a spirit even after all this time," Ronald remarked. "It''s alright, even the people here hold the same false impression until some time after they have named a spirit or if you''re me, had your wife drill it into your head," he chuckled at the memory. "Mother did?" Alicia wryly with a hint of shame. Well, to be fair, all the times Owen heard Alicia''s mother telling stories of her life in Spiri Raia when he got invited over dinner did give the impression it was a contract. Even Ronald when he briefed them seemed to imply that as well. Probably because naming a spirit not meaning a contract was already common sense to Ronald that it slipped his mind that everyone else doesn''t. "Well yes, but before we get to that, there is something from our history lesson that I haven''t told yet," Ronald said. "As you know, spirits are nameless as they do not need it to identify each other. But what of us humans who need it, how had they addressed spirits for their arts then?" "They give them names?" Rin tilted her head. "Precisely," Ronald nodded. "Humans started to give spirits names to identify them apart and to the spirits who never had names before? Well, the effect is certainly more than just intrigue." "What kind?" Rin asked. "Hm, it''ll be more accurate if Layla takes it from here," Ronald replied nonchalantly before handing reins over to the greater spirit heir. "Gee, way to dodge responsibilities," Layla sneered before turning to the crowd. "Well, I can''t speak for the first spirits transformed from fae, I''m not part of those bunch but it''s probably the same. Well, the thing is, after we become spirits we''re no longer born. As far as we''re concerned, spirit art energy converges to poof us out of thin air or some other reason." "Uhn? So you don''t have parents?" Rin asked sadly. "Technically you could say our greater spirit is our parent," Layla replied. "But that''s beside the point because even then we still don''t get names after we''re ''born''." "Me too," Neptune said downcast. "Then we see how you humans call each other with your names and felt we want them too," Layla then continued. "But we don''t have any idea how to name ourselves and besides, you get your names from others but even then, we don''t know how to name each other." "So you asked us to give you names?" Rin asked. "Many young spirits are curious seeing it being all the rage among our seniors," Layla explained. "But those same seniors also told us not to pick random humans to give us names willy-nilly and that we should save it until we found the ''one.'' Many of us wouldn''t get it at first but we took their advice nonetheless and so it was, us spirits wandering about, waiting and finding for the right person to appear." "Is that how you met my mother?" Alicia inquired. "Mm," Layla hummed while nodding. "I was alone when I appeared as a lesser spirit. Sure there were other lesser spirits beside me but they were just that, others. Even though we were ''born'' at the same place and at the same time, we never felt any connection to each other. Being the aimless wisps that we are, we followed the trail of more mature spirits while even more mature spirits would come and teach us the world of Spiri Raia, spirit arts, and most importantly, the naming by humans. "Taking their advice to heart, we kept ourselves concealed from those with flesh and blood granting them spirit arts but never let ourselves be seen by them nonetheless. Even as we evolved to the next stage and broke off to form our followers of lesser spirits, we still make sure to hide until we find the human to get our names from. "Once I became an intermediate spirit, I would often watch the humans going to and fro with their lives together, smiling, laughing, just being in each other''s company. Then I watched the spirits who got their names with namers looking happy and that''s when I realized what the naming is all about." "Uhn? Oh!" Rin exclaimed. "So that is what Aqua meant by it," Alicia widened her eyes in realization. "Whether you are human or spirit, you always have a longing to have relationships with others," Ronald said with calm eyes. "For spirits who cannot truly connect with each other, they would soon realize they can do so with humanity. Because humans use names in it, it makes sense for spirits to do the same." "And I think that''s what the first spirits felt when they were given names," Layla continued. "Even as fae we were solitary creatures, Aqua and the other would-be greater spirits were the exception which allowed them to rally us against the cursed dragons. When humans broke us out of our solitude, there was no going back." "I see..." Alicia muttered. To her, what Layla had said struck a chord, seeing the parallels with her own solitude that was broken through the Otherworldly Court and that fateful day. And Owen knew this would apply to him as well. "That''s why we are very careful about selecting who we wish to give our names from," the greater spirit heir continued. "After all, we''re going to be with them throughout their lives." "And that led you to choose my mother?" Alicia then said. "Yeah," Layla nodded. "I... had taken a far longer time choosing my namer, none of the humans I encounter clicked. In fact, there are plenty of spirits who never end up being named. I thought I was too as I became a candidate until I met your mother, Alicia. "Neptune was there first, being named by lord Allister decades ago, and was with him driving the Fichs off. Even though he lagged behind me by rank, he''s still much older than me in terms of being named." "Yep!" Neptune nodded. "I, meanwhile, can still remember it like it was yesterday. Your mother had just broken up with your uncle, prince Albert, who liked your aunt more. I still can''t wrap my head around how that was so peaceful, I''ve seen similar incidents that go way worse before," Layla rolled her eyes to the side. "But well, when I saw your mother staring out from her window, I felt she was the one. Call it however you want, but I felt that I should show myself to her which I did and the rest is history." "Wow..." Rin gasped in awe. "Hearing it from you, I can understand just how much mother cherishes you," Alicia said with a smile. "Yeah, I really miss your mother, you know," Layla confessed. "But I''m not sad ''cause I know she''s happy in that other world since she has you, lady Alicia." "Yes," Alicia nodded with a smile. "Of course." "Yeah!" "I''m still peeved this guy married your mother," Layla gritted her teeth at Ronald. "Indeed," Ronald chuckled, making the water spirit roll her eyes. "There is neither a contract in the naming nor an increase in the capability for spirit art, the naming is just the start of a relationship between human and spirit for a lifetime. "That said, there are benefits with naming a spirit. They''re not explicit as I said before, but rather the consequence of the importance of the naming. One of them that I''ve explained before being able to convey informal requests with better ease." "True, I do it all the time with lady Irene," Layla admitted. "Furthermore, spirits with names carry a certain reputation among nameless ones," Ronald continued. "Traditionally, when one requests a spirit art to a particular spirit, other lower-ranking spirits may be inclined to... help contribute to the spirit art. When it''s a user and their named spirit, they are much more inclined to do so. It is not a ''power up,'' they don''t have to help but the naming psychologically encourages them to that effect." "Ooh," Rin noised. "And another effect of the naming culture which as Layla had said," Ronald continued. "Nameless spirits ended up hiding from humanity until finding the human they wished to be named from as the first human they reveal themselves to. Even after that, named spirits would still tend to allow themselves to be seen only by their namers and their close companions. "Well, it''s not that we have any problems with seeing them regardless." He shrugged. "Ugh! Don''t remind us that," Layla groaned. "It''s bad enough you Court Wizards ruined so many spirits'' first reveal, it feels like the sacredness of it is violated!" she growled, bashing the table with a BRAK. Although Spiri Raia spirits were body-less souls who can phase through walls, they can still interact with the physical world if they want to, otherwise Aqua wouldn''t be able to type on the keyboard. "Yeah!" Neptune nodded in agreement. "Excuse me, everyone," a voice interrupted the Court Wizards and spirits. It was the receptionist who was giving a bow. "The manager is ready to meet you." "Finally," Will said in an irritated tone whilst getting up from his seat. "Well, better late than never I suppose," Ronald commented while also leaving his seat. "Anyway, we''ll end this lesson right here. Now is the time to continue with our mission." "Right," Alicia agreed with her father, getting up. "You got it!" "Okay, mister Bell," Rin nodded, following suit. It''s time, Owen thought as he stood up and followed the rest to the manager''s office. The spirits, as Owen noticed, were particularly quiet with the arrangement for obvious reasons.
"You know, you sure know a lot about spirits, father." "Well, my daughter. When you are responsible for mentoring a greater spirit to be the next Fire Guardian and married to your mother whose family is known for their blessing by said greater spirit, you tend to know too much of these things." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 3.5: Meeting the Spiri Raians - Bell Branch Manager "It has been a long time has it, mister Bell?" the Bell Branch manager greeted from his desk. Climbing two flights of stairs, the Court Wizards and water spirits have arrived at where the manager was. Entering the office that lay on that floor, they met the man himself who looked like the ages had caught up to him. Nonetheless, the manager was surprisingly calm given the situation. "Indeed it has, mister Arnald," Ronald greeted back, taking one of the five chairs that had been moved into this relatively cramped office. The others followed suit with the water spirits floating nearby. "Though we aren''t here for pleasantries." "Yes, you''re right," the manager sighed, slumping in his chair. "I have no excuse to hide this any longer; there is, in fact, an open rebellion against the Kirash monarchy." "I see," Ronald concluded disappointedly. "And how long has this been going on?" "For years it has been planned for that very moment, I must confess," the manager confessed. "Admittedly, I''m supposed to stall until the last moment, but after deliberating for so long I decided there is no point doing so." "And who told you to do that?" William demanded with his arms crossed. "Lady Aquarius," the manager replied. "I believe she has the same standing as you are, mister Trust, is it not?" "Yes," William said begrudgingly. "So that confirms she''s doing this behind our backs." "But why though?" Alicia asked in concern being a Court Wizard under the greater water spirit. "Yeah! Why!?" "Uhn," Rin nodded in agreement. "Why would Aqua hide this from us?" "Well, ever since the tragedy of the burning of the Illyer mansion causing the supposed loss of prince Albert and the Illyer family that you have secretly prevented, prince Van ultimately became the ruler of Kirash," the manager started to iterate, betraying his earlier statement of not stalling. "But as you know, lady Aquarius had publicly denounced him, resulting in the great sea that now separates us from the Fichs." "The great sea?" Rin whispered in wonder. "It is the large body of water separating Kirash and Fichs," Alicia explained. "After father and Owen''s father saved my mother''s family, they went back with grandfather to meet up with Aqua who has yet to be the Fire Guardian at the time to tell her they were okay." "Yeah! Aqua''s like, really mad and wanted to kick Van''s butt in a bad way!" "So, they instead suggested a different solution," Alicia continued. "That is erecting an entire ocean to separate the two countries, denying the second prince the conquest of Fichs he desired." "And tell everyone else Van''s on Aqua''s naughty list!" "Whoa!" Rin muttered in awe. "A lot has happened after that." Meanwhile, the manager prattled on, "for one, we now know the greater spirits can be angered by harming the people they bless." "Oh! I forgot to talk about Aqua''s blessing lady Irene''s family!" Layla realized. "Uhn?" Rin perked up. "I have heard of that from mother a lot before," Alicia said. "Basically, you know we seek humans to name us to have a relationship with them, right?" Layla explained with a question to which the human girls nodded. "Well, the greater spirits want that too." "Oh, I guess they would yearn for that connection too," Alicia muttered. "But they already have named themselves." "And that''s why the next best thing is the blessing," Layla nodded with her arms to her waist. "So is that why Aqua blessed my mother''s family?" Alicia asked. "That''s right," the water spirit confirmed. "She''s the first to do it, in fact. She saw the first Illyer for what he is and decided to give him her blessing. Soon, the other greater spirits start conferring their blessings as well." "Ooh," Rin ooed in awe. "What does it do?" "Nothing," Layla answered nonchalantly, causing the girls to do a double take. Somehow, Owen felt this was to be expected but was still surprising nonetheless. "Same thing with how nothing really happens when humans name us." "Ah! But everyone else would think otherwise, correct?" Alicia realized. "Aqua saying she blessed the Illyers is already breaching impartiality enough. Actually giving boosts to them is a no-no," Layla continued. "Even so, that doesn''t stop everyone from thinking there are. I''m talking about instant fame, everyone and their grandma swearing fealty to them, the Illyer territory getting bigger and bigger, and most importantly them being a magnet for us water spirits wanting to get named by them." "Is that why you chose my mother?" Alicia then inquired with a hint of disappointment in her tone. That''s understandable to Owen. Especially that girl, many people would approach Alicia for her family''s wealth. This has the same vibe. "Um, no. I''ve wandered around the Illyers mansion way before lady Irene was even born. If I was that much infatuated I would''ve gotten my name by then," Layla refuted with puffed cheeks. "But I didn''t ''cause the Illyers got way over their heads with the blessing at that time." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "Oh. Is that so?" "Yeah," Layla nodded. "It''s only until your grandpa that things gotten better, but the problem is until then we pretty much gave them a wide berth, and well... some people took the wrong conclusions." "So that jerk thought it''d be a good idea to pick a fight with grandpa!?" "Uh-huh, and he was successful at that," Layla confirmed solemnly. "Truthfully, Aqua told me if it weren''t for your fathers, she probably wouldn''t cross the line and done all of that." "I see..." "Impartial to the end, huh?" Was all Owen muttered regards to all of this. "Uhn..." "Thanks in part to that and your intervention, the Illyer territory remained intact," the manager then continued. "I could not imagine this land being carved up after lord Illyer''s absence." "True. Hopefully, Kirash doesn''t fall into that after this is over," Ronald remarked. "Hm?" the manager raised an eyebrow. "I thought you Court Wizards preferred it that way?" "You misunderstand, we are not in the business of splitting countries apart," Ronald immediately shot it down. "When we say it''s better for there to be multiple kingdoms under an alliance than one united kingdom, it''s only because it''s marginally the least likely to go downhill. Mostly. "With one large kingdom, if it''s ruled by a tyrant, then everyone suffers; at the same time, if it''s a good ruler, then it will bring prosperity, especially when the ruler can arguably get things done faster than multiple people sharing power struggling to even decide on something. But again, it really depends on who''s in charge and the risk generally makes it not worth it in our world. "It''s a hit or miss sort of thing. That''s why we say multiple kingdoms are better as it''ll limit the damages of one idiot on one of those thrones, but it''s just as likely that all of those thrones are sat upon by the same kind of despots." "I see. That is certainly something to take in," the manager said. "While our organization strives to make worlds better places to live in, fracturing ''bad'' nations is not the answer," Ronald continued. "Smaller nations are bound to be weaker. Even if they are united in a coalition, they are still ultimately divided and can easily be sowed discord to by the whim of a bigger one. So it may be better if they were more united to balance the scales. "Furthermore, we prefer reforming nations instead of toppling them down and then replacing them or fracturing them, too much blood will have to be spilled for that to happen. That''s why we have left the Fichs alone despite what it is, not that we would be able to intervene anyway when we''ve only discovered this world long after the empire''s expansionism phase. "Also, in this kind of era, countries conquering other countries is a natural thing, as immoral as we would think of it. On the other hand, if people want to free themselves from such a predicament, that resolve has to come from themselves, it cannot be something that is seeded upon them by outsiders, be they other nations or even us. Countries instigating separatist movements in other countries by tricking their people only do it to weaken and control them. Divide and conquer. "Case in point, the self-determination of people must originate from themselves, not through the incitement of others. "We may nudge a few things here and there only to ensure a good outcome of such conflict, but we certainly will not be the ones who started it," Ronald admitted and denied. "Unless we absolutely have to. It''s complicated. The next generation may see things differently than us, but that''s not for us to know. Also, different worlds have different standards, so what I''ve said applies differently too, as infuriating as it is." Bruh! Daddy''s dragging this longer than mister manager is! (Voice) Well, you know how my father is. Once he gets into it, he is not going to stop until he finishes his point. (Alicia) Your father better finishes this soon. (William) Uhn? Why are we talking in [Telepathy]? (Rin) Beats me, the pixie started it. "So while the second prince becoming king is bad in our eyes." As if Ronald heard the secret conversation the kids were taking care not to let spill over to him, he finished, "it''s not to the point that we''re going to do something drastic like overthrowing him or the like. He''s still the legitimate ruler of Kirash whether we liked it or not, whether Aqua disapproved of him or not. "If the people of Kirash are to rebel against him, then that''ll be from their self-determination, or by one of the nobles. As long it''s not from outside forces meddling, it''s fine. Besides, Aqua has already taken care of Van a long time ago, we have no reason to start a rebellion." The manager blinked, taking a few moments to let Ronald''s words sink in. "...Right," he muttered. "About that..." "We were the source of the rebellion," Ronald said with a frown, the ''we'' referring to the Court itself. "Well, after lady Aquarius denounced the then-second prince, king Van had to deal with numerous revolts under her name against his rule," the manager explained. Of course, there are still people using Aqua to do whatever they want. (William) "While troublesome," the manager continued. "Being himself, he has managed to suppress them and leave minimal damage. Eventually, the revolts began to dwindle as he reaffirmed his grip on the kingdom." "Yes, we''ve heard that much," Ronald confirmed with a nod. "But then what makes the latest rebellion so special that even Aqua was willing to conceal this from us?" "To that end, I must make one final revelation," the manager said with closed eyes. "...It has to do with mister Ruze." "...Dad?" Owen widened his eyes. To say it was a bombshell would be an overstatement. The Court Wizards knew Owen''s father was somewhere in Spiri Raia and here the manager confirmed it. Nonetheless, the implications the manager conveyed the confirmation was the surprise. "So Joshua did end up here," Ronald said in a serious tone. "Indeed," the manager nodded guiltily. "Truthfully, he has been here for a long time... and we, lady Aquarius had known for a similarly long time as well." "Damn, to think he was right under our noses this entire time," Ronald cursed, palming his forehead. "How did we not look for the obvious place he could have been?" BRAK "Then what does dad have been doing the entire time!?" Owen shouted after having the facts settled in, standing up from his seat rather quickly. "Why didn''t he come back!?" "Owen!" Alicia said worriedly. "Uhn...!" Rin clenched her hands worriedly. "Are you good there!?" "I''m alright, Alicia," Owen reassured her, calming himself down. "It''s just..." "Does mister Ruze not contacting us after reabsorbing enough maneg have to do with the rebellion going on?" William then decided to take the logical guess to the manager. "This also refers to Aqua being a part of it with her deliberately hiding this from us." Narrowing his eyes. "Rebellions from what we saw from the distance that scale don''t happen overnight." "...Yes," the manager confessed, his head hung low. "Mister Ruze is involved with the current rebellion." "...Then, why would dad do that?" Owen muttered. "For that question, I can take it from here. Thank you for your effort, manager of the Illyer Bell Branch." Whether because they were too engrossed with the situation at hand or something else, the Court Wizards did not notice the oncoming signature until she was right at their faces. Phasing directly through the window, an adult woman 170cm tall with a slender build with long wavy red hair flowing like liquid as was the rest of her body which was glowing red revealed herself along with the spherical red liquids that always follow her around. "Wah!" Neptune jolted back. "A-Aqua!?" Layla muttered in surprise. "W-What are you doing here?" "Well, I am here because I believe it is time to lift the veil," Aqua explained as she drifted to the middle of the room. "About the current situation I have voluntarily kept hidden from the Court and of Owen''s father." "Dammit, so you were hiding this," William growled. Owen, on the other hand, was not concerned about that. "So dad was here this whole time and you knew?" he demanded to which the Fire Guardian nodded. "Then why!?" "I would explain it here myself, but I do not believe it would be satisfactory," Aqua shook her head. "Instead, I will take you to your father this instant." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 4: To the Freezing of Mount Vulgis Manegia Year 1418 "Catherine''s dead," Zekie, the Lightning Guardian, answered with a lumped throat. His gloved hands pressed against the desk with holograms to support him. "Sacrificed herself to save Alice." "No..." Rose closed her eyes sorrowfully. "She was so young too..." "Dammit," William cursed, palming his head in frustration with one hand and clenching the edge of another desk with the other. "Just as she helped me open up, she..." Owen winced in metaphorical pain at the loss of his Guardian, hanging his head low. "How long until she gets out of there?" he asked the operators. "Right about now, sir." One of the operators answered. PIING The rainbow light died down in the dark Transporter Room. On the wooden-looking transfer circle lay a little girl not even double digits in age with platinum blonde hair wearing a white and blue dress for winter. However, that white and blue dress had its chest area in red. Blood red. "Alice..." Owen voiced in a concerned tone. The little girl, Alice, opened her eyes. She lifted herself up and looked around her surroundings all the while tears fell from her eyes. "Owen..." she muttered. "Where is my mother...?"
"What''s going on with Alice?" Owen asked as Gabriel, the Life Guardian, stepped out of the infirmary, pulling the strands of his long blonde hair that were over his shoulders behind him. "Is she okay?" Rose asked in concern. "I will be blunt, princess Alice is the new Ice Guardian," Gabriel stated without a shred of doubt. "The scans confirmed it." "How the hell did that happen?" William quipped, pushing himself from the wall he leaned on. "Is it whatever Catherine did to save her?" Zekie inquired. After transferring her out of Kaomagi, Alice was immediately brought to the infirmary to be tended to her needs, what with the glaring chest wound. However, as Gabriel was checking up on her, a rather sharp item from the cabinet fell off from being too close to the edge and almost hit the young girl if not for the Life Guardian''s timely intervention... and some healing Orders. Having a gut feeling from the incident, he had her checked on the Maneg Soul scanner which brought them to the situation right now. "I believe queen Catherine had used an obscure and ancient spell to revive her daughter. It is the only method that I know of from the library in the cathedral," Gabriel explained. Being a pope of a major religion in Kaomagi, he''d have access to vast resources the common man couldn''t. "As to how she had known how to cast it we will never know." "And what is that spell she had used?" Zekie pressed on. "It is a spell passed down by the late human deity that allows one to save someone from death by transferring their own life force to them," he answered. "A vast oversimplification ignoring the implications, but know that princess Alice is still herself." It only took a moment for the other Court Wizards to disseminate that information. "So it''s that kind of thing," William scowled with venom. "As expected of that self-righteous prick." "And given the nature of Maneg Souls, it isn''t far-fetched that Catherine''s Maneg Soul went along in the transfer and with it the Mother Soul," Zekie concluded. "And the evidence pointed to that," the Life Guardian nodded. "As it stands, princess Alice is now the seventh Guardian of the Mother Soul of Ice." "Damn," the Lightning Guardian cradled his head. "Mother Souls only goes after someone around Will''s age at the very least, she is far too young to be a Guardian." "Agreed," Gabriel nodded sadly. "Furthermore, unrelated to her age, there are also some problems with princess Alice''s Guardian status." "Problems?" Rose asked. "Is it dangerous?" "...Does it have to do with her almost dying just now?" Owen made his suspicion. "Indeed," Gabriel nodded. "Although princess Alice''s status as Ice Guardian is undisputed, given the nature of how she obtained that title..." he took a deep breath. "The Ice Mother Soul does not see her as a worthy vessel." "...That, logically makes sense," William muttered. It does. Like normal Maneg Souls, Mother Souls choose their Guardians but Alice was never chosen to be one. Previous Guardians certainly didn''t have the say in who would be their successors and Catherine did just that by technicality. The Ice Mother Soul, being sentient, wasn''t happy with that. "Then what would that mean for Alice?" Zekie inquired. His words were tense as all the Court Wizards knew this was uncharted territory. Potentially dangerous uncharted territory. "One, I am afraid princess Alice would not enjoy the same powers we Guardians possess," Gabriel stated with his eyes closed and arms crossed. "This will render her the same as ordinary Court Wizards." That would be a terrible loss. As holders of the literal progenitor of Maneg Souls, Guardians will have extra sets of abilities that distinguish them from the rest. How else would William''s air slashes work if not for his Mother Soul commanding ambient air maneg. That said, it was the next thing Gabriel said that became the heavier topic. "Additionally, given the incident moments ago, I fear the Ice Mother Soul is attempting to... free itself from being under princess Alice''s guardianship." It didn''t take a second to put two and two together. "Oh no!" Rose gasped, covering her mouth. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Can it even do that?" Owen quipped. "With the powers they have, I don''t see why it can''t give you bad luck as well," William shrugged with a bad taste in his mouth. "Damn, this is like my faulty suppression but worse. We''re gonna have to watch out for Alice at all times lest she gets into an accident," Zekie palmed his head. "And I doubt we can maintain that kind of surveillance. Not to mention her privacy." "True," Gabriel nodded sadly. "Leaving her back in the infirmary alone is already a risk enough. I am not sure if the arrangement I left will keep her safe either." "Tell me at least her Maneg Soul works just fine," Zekie demanded. "It should. The Mother Souls in damaged states should not be able to do anything more drastic," Gabriel affirmed. "Otherwise, we would have felt antagonistic towards her." "Let us hope it never comes to that," Rose prayed. "True," the Life Guardian nodded. "The Ice Mother Soul may be able to interfere with her Orders, but the Maneg Soul should still act for her survival," he said before gritting his teeth. "That said, we cannot be sure about it as time goes forth." "Then let''s hope for the best," Zekie sighed. "Anyway, how''s Alice now?" "She should be fine now," Gabriel assured the Lightning Guardian. "But we should not leave her alone any longer now." "Especially when she can hear us talking in front of the door," William said nonchalantly. "..." "..." "...Why didn''t you point that out sooner?" Zekie practically hissed. "When it''s obvious like this, I assume that''s what we''re going for," William deadpanned. "He has a point there," Rose slowly said. "Alright, there is no time for that," Gabriel broke up the awkward tension. "We should have one of us talk to her instead. We ought to not overcrowd the infirmary." Even though he said that there''s the fact everything in the Court was built to accommodate a small dragon. The infirmary will be far from crowded with a couple of people entering but the principal remained. "I''ll go," Owen raised his hand, catching everyone else''s attention. "There''s something I want to talk to her about." "Very well," Gabriel nodded before stepping aside.
CREEK SHUT Closing the door behind him, Owen looked to the hospital bed to see Alice sitting on it with her head hung low. She appeared to be wearing a white hospital gown to replace her ruined dress and her platinum blonde hair had been tied in a braid. "Hey... Alice," Owen awkwardly greeted her, trying to start the conversation. "...Hello, Owen." Alice turned her head towards him. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as she greeted him back. Her pale complexion explained it all having been through a lot. "Can I sit beside you?" Owen asked as he walked toward her. "Sure..." she replied, hanging her head down again. Slowly, Owen placed both hands in reverse on the sheets of fabric behind his back to support himself as he lifted his feet to a tiptoe to sit beside the little girl on the bed. As Owen did so, Alice spoke, "Mother loved me..." Her voice was strained as if she had a hard time trying to say it. Owen already had an idea why that was so. "She does," so he replied. "Your mom has always loved you." "Yes," Alice nodded. "But I... I...!" Owen gently patted her head as the little girl cried her heart out, letting years of misplaced resentment wash down with tears. The older boy could tell that Alice sorely needed to let it out of her chest. "I-If only I did not fight with my mother... and went with her..." she sobbed, wiping her tears with her hands. "It''s not your fault, Alice," Owen stopped her. "Yeah, you had a fight with your mom, but that''s fine - I also had a few scuffles with my dad." He looked up to the ceiling, reminiscing a bit. "Heh, now that I think about it, some of them are rather silly." "But... if I had not done it," Alice said. "Then mother would not have to...!" "No one could predict what happened after that," Owen stopped her from beating herself further. "If anything, it should have been our job to know it was going to happen and get you out before everything went loose." "T-That is!" "And well," Owen continued. "...Maybe your mom did spend a bit too much with us instead of you... So, sorry about that." "...Oh," Alice muttered, looking back down. He definitely could have framed that better. "..." "..." Afterwards, they just sat there, awkwardly. Neither Court Wizards could come up with anything else to break the silence. That said, when one looked at them, they could easily be mistaken for brothers and sisters. Should I say it, Owen mulled. It had to be broken eventually one way or another. Bah, screw it. "...Dad told me my mom died giving birth to me," he said in the bluntest tone possible. "..." Alice looked back at him with a bewildered face, naturally not knowing what to say to his nonchalant statement. Yeah, I could''ve said that better, Owen internally cringed. He''s never able to get his words right regarding this sort of thing. Maybe he could if he had more experience with this sort of thing, but opportunities to gain those experiences were hard to come by. "S-So because of that, I never knew her, only from what my dad told me about her." "I see," Alice said. "I am sorry to hear that." "It''s alright, I usually visit her grave on her death anniversary which is also on my birthday too," Owen assured the little girl and then kicked himself internally after realizing it sounded a little morbid. "Yeah, because of that, I never have any feelings for my mom which is why I can say this so casually. "The only other thing I know from my mom is the flower brooch she apparently had," Owen trailed off. "It''s still in my apartment after she died. I think dad threw some enchantments on it to make sure it doesn''t spoil ''cause it''s organic and it should''ve been totally yellow by now." "Oh..." Alice muttered. "So then, when you met my mother, how do you feel?" "...Basically," Owen looked up to the ceiling. "The mother I never had - everyone else definitely felt the same. She got me through after my grandma died while my dad''s still missing." "Ah, right. Your father is still missing," Alice frowned. "He is the one who taught my mother, did he not?" "Yeah," Owen nodded. "Your mom told me the stuff my dad did as a Court Wizard. He never told me before." "Why not?" "...Mister Bell told me he and my dad promised to each other to not talk anything about other worlds to their kids," Owen explained. "My friend, Alicia, Mister Bell''s daughter, is still in the dark about all of this. I actually had to hide these things from her whenever we hung out." And now that he thought about it, he felt bad having to do it every time. The red-haired girl has always been so nice to him and this was what he returned to her. Hopefully, and hopefully not as he later learned, this would change and Owen could tell her about it. "Anyway, they were going to tell us if we become Court Wizards," Owen continued. "But by that point, dad got sucked into that vortex Rupture and mister Bell only told me that after I''m a Court Wizard. Apparently, my grandma knew the truth all along, but she passed away before she could tell too." "I see," Alice muttered in a sad tone. "You miss them too, do you not? Your father and grandmother." "Yeah, I do," Owen nodded. Thinking about it, he realized it wasn''t just her mother, Catherine, Alice had lost, but also her other family members in that incident. "..." "..." The two kids became silent again, having already said what needed to be said. After enough rumination, Owen decided that it was time to discuss the most important subject. "Welp, guess you''re gonna be our new Ice Guardian now," Owen said in the best way he could. "Huh!?" Alice gasped in confusion as if she wasn''t expecting that at all. "But I-" "Yes, how you got to be the Guardian is unorthodox," Owen stopped the little girl, facing her direction. "But that doesn''t make you any less." "But even so, I have heard what all of you have talked about outside," Alice said while facing Owen, aware she was supposed to eavesdrop on that conversation. "What if I am going to be a terrible Guardian when the Mother Soul is trying to kill me?" "Then we''ll help you," Owen answered calmly as he got off the bed with a THUD. Turning his back to look at the new Ice Guardian. "Just because the Ice Mother Soul doesn''t accept you doesn''t mean we will too - no matter what it thinks, you are still our Ice Guardian. "As for the Mother Soul trying to get you killed? Don''t worry about it. We''ll make sure to keep you safe and help you the best we can, that goes for your work as the Ice Guardian. So don''t go dying, alright?" "Yes, mother gave her life to save me, I promise I will not waste this second chance," Alice said resolutely before deflating. "But, I heard what pope Gabriel said. What if-" "We won''t let that happen," Owen immediately shook his head. "If the Ice Mother Soul''s gonna mess our heads for something that petty, then we''ll tell it to just shove it. "Besides-" BRAK The two were jolted by the door bursting open all of the sudden. Jerking their heads to the source, they saw William with the palm of his hand planting firmly on the door he had just barged open. The rudeness aside, Owen was surprised by the serious look on his partner''s face. "Owen, we got a situation in Beohar," William cut to the chase. "And Crom''s involved in it." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 4.1: Reuniting with Owens Father - Reunion "Uhn?" Rin blinked as she and the Court Wizards followed the greater water spirit along the road. "Big sis Alicia, does Aqua look different to you?" "Hm?" Alicia tilted her head at the little girl''s question. "Oh! I suppose you have not seen Aqua in that attire." Overhearing this, Owen took a more detailed look at the Fire Guardian in front of him as he and William were driving the carriage provided by the Bell Branch. As he recalled, Rin must have only seen Aqua in what could be described as a Roman toga which he remembered according to the internet was something male Romans wear. Details, he supposed. "Oh!" Rin perked. "So spirits also have different clothes?" "Of course," Layla, floating outside the carriage, interjected from outside the window. "Once we get passes being wisps on the air, it''ll be boring if we''re stuck to the same looks every day. Here, I''ll show you!" As if she was morphing, the simple dress she wore transformed into a more regal one. "Me too!" Neptune joined in by changing the adventurer''s cloak covering his body for a snazzy suit. "Ooh!" Rin gasped in amazement. "It is something they can do as pure souls," Alicia explained. "It is just that you have coincidentally only seen Aqua in the same attire every time. She does wear that dress to the Court from time to time." As Alicia had said, right now the greater water spirit happened to be ''wearing'' a Greek dress that complemented her figure elegantly. As always, it''s still glowing red.
Azhure: I was going to mention the clothing change in Aqua in the last chapter, but that would ruin the moment. Also, it wouldn''t make sense for Rin to catch the attention of that first.
Technically, they could have just transferred to the Court and back to the location Aqua was leading them to instead of making the long trek to the besieged capital. However, the greater water spirit had said the place they were going to was crowded making the double transfer method ill-advised for obvious reasons. That too, further confirmed the obvious situation currently happening. CLIP-CLOP CLIP-CLOP There were a lot of tents along with various wooden contraptions. Siege weapons. Especially when Owen saw a trebuchet. If it weren''t obvious already, the camp was littered with men dressed for battle, all of whom staring at them while giving them a wide berth no thanks to the greater water guardian leading the carriage. Ever since Aqua erected the great sea separating the kingdom and empire, people naturally began to not take the spirits for granted, especially the greater spirits having witnessed what one of them who once fought the cursed dragons can do. In practice, it made men cower in fear when the red greater water spirit approach them as if they had offended her. Now that I think about it, what the hell happened after Aqua turned red? Owen paused for a moment. With her ascension as Fire Guardian resulting in her skin becoming red, how did the people react to it? Mister Bell never told me anything about it. "Big sis Alicia!" Rin gasped behind the white-haired boy, interrupting his line of thought. "The water is!" To his left, Owen could see the walls of the Kirash capital situated on the island in the great pond with only three bridges connecting it to the mainland. True to the nature of being in a siege, those bridges were completely blocked off by the attackers. The walls of the capital itself were also visibly worse for wear. However, it was what was on the water below the bridges that caught the Court Wizards'' attention. "Those are very thick sheets of ice these people are using to aid their siege, in the middle of summer," Ronald said. "Owen," he called him. "Yeah, they''re from ice maneg," Owen immediately confirmed. "I can feel it from a mile away." From the distance, he could see how the ice covered the water between the capital and the rest of Kirash and the water around said capital, surrounding it. If he squinted his eyes, he could see the lakeside ports effectively frozen along with its boats, preventing anyone from escaping through the water or bringing supplies in. There were also boats from the attackers by the edges of the melting ice for good measures. "We are here," Aqua said as she stopped in front of the most important-looking tent in the camp with its entrance flanked by guards. CREEK "This signature," Ronald muttered as he stepped off the carriage. "There''s no doubt about it, it''s Joshua." Owen tensed, his entire being seemingly implanting on the ground after getting off the reins. After all those years, he had found his father just inside the tent, and yet he found himself cold on his feet as he felt the imposing aura of maneg he didn''t recognize that must be his father''s. He wondered why but quickly understood the reason. I guess I''m thinking the whole ''what would my dad think seeing me after all those years,'' he thought considering all evidence pointed to his father not bothering to contact the Court. And the ''what if- "Owen, are you alright?" Alicia asked in concern behind him, interrupting his line of thought. "Uhn... Are you okay, mister Ruze?" Rin joined it. "Yeah! You good!?" "I''m fine," Owen reassured them. "It''s just that I haven''t seen my dad for years and now he''s right there." "I see, it is that kind of feeling," Alicia nodded in understanding. "Do not worry, Owen. I am sure it will be fine, you just have to take the step forward." "Yeah!" "Like she said," William interjected, stepping down from the front seat. "Don''t back down now, not before giving your dad a piece of your mind." "...Right," Owen nodded, his feet no longer tense. "I will." "Well then," Ronald beckoned the kids. "Let us see what Joshua has to say."
"Here he is," Aqua presented. Entering the tent, Owen found it to be almost devoid of people, likely having been dismissed. That left the wide table in the middle with maps and pieces on it rather lifeless without the top generals there to discuss tactics. However, that was not the main focus, but rather the sole occupant in this tent at the other side of the table. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He was tall, very tall. Standing over two meters in height he would definitely stick out like a sore thumb in any crowd - the cloak he was wearing looked like it didn''t go all the way down. His snow-white hair really needed a trip to the barbershop along with a shave of his beard and mustache. Nevertheless, Owen could never mistake the pair of ice-blue eyes for not being the same as his. "...Dad?" Owen called him out. The man exhaled, giving a sign of resignation before answering, "Yes Owen, it''s me, your dad." Averting his gaze for a second, he continued while scratching the back of his head, "uh... sorry for not coming back even though I could have all those years ago." Contrary to what other Court Wizards say, Owen can talk to other people comfortably, but only with those he''s familiar with, like Alicia and William. As others say, he preferred to show and not tell, but if he has to explain things by word, he will do it. That said, after many years of not seeing his dad made his interactions with him an unfamiliar territory and the awkward feeling was mutual. "..." Owen looked around to find everyone else was waiting to see what he does next. Sighing, he wordlessly went to the other side and hugged his father. As others say, he preferred to show, not tell. "Yeah, I miss you too, son," Joshua softly whispered, patting Owen''s head as he hugged him back. "Boy, you''ve grown so much." Somewhere in the back of his head, Owen felt like Voice would have some snide remark to say with the last thing his father said. At least the pixie had tact - he still refuse to believe Amelia''s claim of what Voice truly was in relation to Alicia. "I''m still mad though," Owen then said, letting go. "Yeah, I figured," Joshua smiled wryly.
"You got old, Ronald," Joshua said with a smirk, his arm resting on the table. "I could say the same to you, Joshua," Ronald cooly replied, his one leg bending up to rest on his other knee. "You also need a shave." After the heartfelt reunion, the Court Wizards got themselves seated around the table since it would be tiring to keep standing around. Once that''s done, they got back to talking. Presumably, the people outside were told not to interfere. The spirits meanwhile stood by and let the humans to it. "Yeah, got no time for that," the bearded man swatted before looking at Alicia. "Well, Alicia, you''ve certainly grown to be a fine lady just like your mother!" "Thank you, mister Ruze," Alicia, sitting beside her father nicely, voiced her gratitude. "Thanks a lot, tall guy!" "And who is this pixie?" Joshua then asked, pointing at the little red flying creature around Alicia''s head. "I''m Voice!" the pixie said proudly. "Thirty percent of Alicia''s loyal maneg!" "Um, what?" "My daughter has a one hundred percent loyal maneg composition," Ronald explained. "Voice here seems to be a result of having such Maneg Soul simply put." "...Okay, something new every day." Joshua nodded in understanding. "But wouldn''t that mean she''s stuck to Vague Orders?" he asked to which Ronald nodded. "Wouldn''t that be dangerous?" "That is true," Ronald confirmed. "Which is why Alicia carries a Catalyst as a disloyal maneg battery," he said as Alicia showed the necklace Catalyst Amelia made for her. "Furthermore, she is planning to support the Court from the backlines, focusing more on managing the Bell Branches than direct fieldwork." "I see, that''ll be much safer for her." Joshua then turned to Rin. "Now who is this young lady?" "Uhn! Nice to meet you, mister Ruze," Rin greeted. "My name is Rin Fujiwara!" "Fujiwara?" Joshua rubbed his beard. "Ah, are you Haruto''s sister he''s been talking about?" he asked to which the little girl nodded happily with her signature noise. "I see. How is he these days?" he then asked only to find awkward silence indicating something was wrong. "...What happened?" "Haruto was taken by a Rupture," Ronald answered with a sigh. "The same type that had taken you in some cruel coincidence." "He tried to save me from being sucked in. But as a result, he was taken instead," Alicia confessed with her head down. "I see," Joshua nodded with a sigh. "Well, it does sound like him for the short time I''ve met him. He''s a very enthusiastic kid with his ideals." "Uhn! My big brother''s the best brother there is!" Rin exclaimed happily. "That''s why I''m not worried about him being missing because I will find him!" "Is that so, kid?" Joshua chuckled. "Well, considering you guys found me, I''m sure Haruto will be found in no time." While all of that was good and all, Owen still felt irritated at what Haruto did that day. Not to make light of the situation, but Alicia could have been fine getting abducted into that Rupture as thanks to her hundred percent loyal maneg, she wouldn''t suffer the ill effects of it that made rescuing Rupture victims so time-consuming. While Owen was still grateful that Haruto saved Alicia back there, he still thought the Japanese boy was an idiot for pulling that stunt out of sheer stubbornness of keeping his promise to Rin. "Anyway, how about you, kid?" Joshua finally looked at William. "What''s your story?" "My name is William Trust, usually called Will," William introduced himself in a rather dull fashion. "And I''m the current Air Guardian." "You''re the Air Guardian?" the man lost to the Rupture for several years blinked, letting that fact sink in. "...So the old man finally passed on, huh?" he rolled his eyes down, resting his chin on his hand which its arm was resting on the table. "A lot has happened for the past eight years, Joshua," Ronald said, putting his foot down. "A lot." Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Joshua sighed in resignation. "Alright, tell me what happened while I was missing." "For one, Edward died," Ronald said bluntly. "Got caught in an epidemic in Osianicd and was too stubborn to have us cure him." "Well, that sounds like him," Joshua sighed. "What of Jake?" "He''s doing fine," Ronald reassured. "He took over his father''s ship and quickly became an excellent captain." "I see," Joshua nodded. "What''s next?" "Melaine Fox died, killed in the penultimate of the War of Princes and Nobles in CoastLine, Qantasia," Ronald then said with what he remembered reading from the archives, mission reports, and general Court news he kept tabs with since retirement. "Melaine... She''s a very sweet half-fox," Joshua muttered. "What of Jonathan?" "He lost his arm in that chaos, as well as his friends. That war had changed him greatly," Ronald said sadly. "Furthermore, not too long ago, we learned Melaine''s death was not caused by unfortunate circumstances, but by what we could call a secret cult hidden in the shadows presumably bent on orchestrating the demise of Qantasia for who knows how long." "Cultists, huh?" the Ice Court Wizard muttered. "And I''m assuming they knew about us?" "Yes," Ronald nodded. "And it caused quite a mess as they were able to get the jump on us. No one got hurt, fortunately." It looked like Ronald wasn''t going to reveal that Owen and Alicia were one of the Court Wizards caught up in that mess right now. It''s understandable to Owen, trying to explain all of that would become a long story. "That''s good," Joshua nodded in approval. "Anything else?" "Many more, but we''ll be here all day if I have to list all of them off so I''ll cut to the most important." Taking a deep breath, Ronald revealed, "Master Catherine is dead, sacrificed herself to save her daughter. Someway or another, that caused Alice to become the next Ice Guardian." "Catherine..." Joshua covered his mouth with his hand and broke eye contact. No doubt this hit hard for him since he mentored the former Guardian. "And Alice... I still remember carrying her as a baby... How is she?" he looked straight into Ronald with a serious gaze. "Quite well as the new Ice Guardian... which is what I want to say," Ronald said with lowered brows. "The Ice Mother Soul doesn''t recognize Alice''s status as Ice Guardian and as such, she does not have access to the abilities Guardians normally have. Also, the Ice Mother Soul has since been trying to... revoke her guardianship in a dangerous fashion like we''re Final Destination." "You''re kidding me..." Joshua muttered. Contrary to popular belief, the Bells do watch movies and keep up with popular culture in general. They''re not that much of cheapskates that they would be living under a rock - Owen does see modern appliances and electricity inside the Bell mansion, just the more economical ones obviously. As for the Court side of things, it''s customary to watch gory movies to get desensitized by them and leave the least shock value when seeing the real thing for the first time. Hell, it''s a fear tactic to brutalize one enemy to scare the rest that''s often used by Court Wizards. "I exaggerate, but the accidents that happened really do look like death was after her," Ronald continued with a grimace. "But don''t worry. So far, all of the accidents have yet to even put so much of a scratch on the young girl. All of us pitched in to look out for her until the day the Ice Mother Soul finally relents and recognizes her." "Well, let''s hope that happens soon," Joshua sighed. "Anyway, I assume that''s all?" "No," Ronald shook his head. "There is still one more thing you should know." Then he turned to him, "Owen, if you may?" Owen took a deep breath, he was prepared for this. This was something that he needed to tell his father about. He faced his father who had a worried look on his face, going to break the news. "Hey, dad," he called. "What is it, son?" Joshua replied in concern. "...Grandma died." Owens Collection Chapter 4.2: Reuniting with Owens Father - While Hes Missing "Grandma died." Two words. If it''s any other words, it wouldn''t seem much. For this one, it was all he needed to convey the message. Any more may perhaps even ruin the impact it brought. Well, as far as Owen can see, it certainly had the intended effect on his father. "...W-What?" Joshua muttered shakingly and his eyes widened. "M-Mom is dead?" "Yes," Ronald nodded sadly. "I regret to inform you that your mother, Matilda Ruze, had passed away." "S-Since when?" Joshua then asked, his voice still trembling from shock. "About three years after you went missing, dad," Owen answered, falling silent. He looked to the others to see them having looks of condolence before deciding to reveal, "...It''s also when I became Court Wizard." "Indeed, with your being missing via a Rupture, it''s only a matter of time before Owen would gain a Maneg Soul," Ronald continued. "The Maneg Soul fully merging at the time of Matilda''s passing is a coincidence, I believe, but an awful one at that." He still remembered the day of his grandmother''s funeral and how he accidentally froze her grave as he awakened to his Maneg Soul - and as he recalled, he doesn''t remember telling Alicia that specific detail and he doesn''t want to divulge it now either. The ice melted off, of course, and it was already a cold day, so it could be said that no harm was done, but Owen still didn''t like it on the principles. Most importantly though, his father wasn''t there. "Owen..." Joshua muttered, his head hung low. "So that''s why you..." Owen blinked for a moment at his father''s words before they fell into place. Come to think of it, I don''t think dad ever questioned me being a Court Wizard at this point, he realized. And mister Bell is kinda the same... When Ronald found out his daughter became a Court Wizard, he was surprised at first. But Owen figured that was more because he never told him about it while he was abroad, and also the kidnapping. Once the initial shock was over, though, the older Bell was surprisingly accepting of Alicia''s recruitment despite the measures he took to prevent that previously. So that''s it, Owen internally frowned. He supposed that despite not wanting him or Alicia to become Court Wizards, their fathers knew that was something inevitable and took it for granted when they did. So when Owen''s father saw him as a Court Wizard, he didn''t think much about it until Owen mentioned the details of his recruitment. Much like when Alicia got kidnapped before being a Court Wizard. "Now this begs the question," Ronald continued. "Why didn''t you come back and instead do whatever you are doing right now, Joshua?" he demanded straight to the heart of the matter. Joshua sighed, knowing this would happen. Owen looked at Aqua who also had a similar expression cementing her involvement with his father''s situation if it wasn''t already. It only took a few moments later for Joshua to start talking. "...I''ll start from the beginning," he began. "After I got sucked into the Rupture, I ended up here on Kirash in the middle of nowhere with my memories scrambled." "You''ve lost your memories too?" Ronald quipped with worry. "No, it''s more like they''re all over the place like a file cabinet toppled over with all of its files scattered to the ground," Joshua shooked his head. "I can remember some things clearly while others require a bit of a stimulant. Then, there are the likes of two things I recalled that turned out to be the other way around. It''s complicated." Owen peeked at Rin and Alicia, who clearly wanted to know the whole memory loss thing but didn''t want to interrupt. It''ll be something he''s going to have to teach them after this was over. Memories are linked to souls, to the containers, and especially to the life force. This was how some dead souls incarnated to sister worlds could still remember their past lives as they were primarily stored in the containers of the souls rather than in the life force lost after death. For Court Wizards, this meant loyal maneg have their memories. While disloyal maneg has nothing to do with the Court Wizard''s memory, they are still a part of the container that was the Maneg Soul. A sudden loss of all disloyal maneg can jolt the Court Wizard''s Maneg Soul into amnesia like a leak suddenly bursting out. Also, taking the logic of loyal maneg containing memories, Alice also inherited her mother''s memories when she transferred her life force to revive the young girl but that was a story for another time. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my body was totally in a wreck as well, sudden loss of all disloyal maneg and all," Joshua added. "I could barely move a muscle and it hurts all over the place." As the soul''s obviously linked to the body, the adverse effects of losing all disloyal maneg naturally went beyond just memory problems. If damages to loyal maneg can reflect back to the Court Wizard, then so can disloyal maneg even though it was not supposed to. "Fortunately, I got picked up by a Bell Branch merchant traveling by who''s in the know and dragged me to Arnald''s branch," he continued. "By that time, I was able to reorganize most of my memories while resting my body." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "By that point, you would already have recovered enough maneg to make a call to the Transporter Room," Ronald commented. "Why didn''t you?" "I still haven''t recovered enough maneg to try calling the operators," Joshua shrugged. "So instead, I got the local water spirits to fetch Aqua for me." "And it was then you convinced her to hide the fact you''re here?" Ronald guessed. "Pretty much." He shrugged again. Owen could''ve sworn he heard William clicking his tongue a few seats away. Knowing him, he definitely did after hearing the blatant shenanigans happening. "Ah, yes. I remembered the surprise that Joshua was found right in my territory. It could have been a different story altogether had I informed you all first before confirming Joshua first," Aqua cupped her cheek with a sigh. "I must say, you are just as good at making convincing requests as Ronald, Joshua." Wait. I have to ask, why can''t mister Arnald make the call with the Catalyst? (Alicia) Well, I heard ever since Aqua''s a Guardian, everything the Bell Branches in Spiri Raia sends us has to go through her, and they can''t make direct calls with the ten-word Catalyst anymore. (Owen) Given what the manager had revealed earlier, it was likely that he had doctored the reports he made to make it seem like everything was fine in Kirash. Even if he refused, they will still have to go through Aqua who was in on the plot with his father and the communication Catalyst given to every Bell Branch has long since been dismantled in Spiri Raia. Speaking of the Catalyst, word on the street has it that Amelia was developing a better version of those Catalysts that''ll remove the need for Court Wizards to go down and fetch the Bell Branch managers'' reports in general. Still doesn''t change the situation in Spiri Raia though. Uhn? She can do that? (Rin) She''s a Guardian so she can, even outside of her territory. The greater spirits here always get along and they were on board with the idea. (Owen) When given the chance to use Guardian privileges to control information outflow from her world, she will. Any sort of authority would be happy to. (William) That sounds cynical of you, Will. (Alicia) I''m proud of it, I''ll never regret it. (William) Uhn? Do the other greater spirits know about the Court? (Rin) They do, it''ll be hard for them not to when Aqua''s skin color became red from her Maneg Soul or when the first Court Wizards came here sounding the alarms right off the bat. (Owen) "Anyway, for context, it took some time for Aqua to come and I was for a better part feeling much better," Joshua explained. "So I decided to take a walk outside of town since I went straight into the Bell Branch coming in and saw the deplorable state it has been reduced to." "...That was blunt," Ronald blinked in surprise. "...But yes, when we entered Illyer town, I did see the atmosphere not being what it used to be from all those years ago." "I went and interacted with some of the locals we''ve met before. They''ve completely changed, lost the liveliness they had back when Allister''s still there," Joshua continued. "The magistrate we got Aqua to place made sure the place didn''t get carved up, but it''s still in a rough spot." Uhn? What did your father mean by that, Ruze-senpai? (Rin) Well, ever since mister Bell and my dad saved Alicia''s mother''s side of the family, it left their territory with no one in charge. They promised to get a magistrate in charge of it so it wouldn''t get split between other nobles which they did... and the details of that is they got Aqua to demand the Kirash crown to do that. (Owen) Well, it does seem to be the solution that makes the most sense. (Alicia) "True, the magistrate still came from Van without further input from us," Ronald sighed. "Effectively putting Illyer''s territory under his hands. Nothing too serious happened right?" he immediately asked before turning to Aqua. "You didn''t conceal anything relating to that, did you?" "No," Aqua denied. "I can safely say no great injustice has been done to Illyer''s people. It would have caused further unrest and my further ire if Van did so out of spite." A crap solution, but the only one that works. (William) "Anyway, that was when I decided to start a rebellion and got Arnald to join in," Joshua concluded. "And by the time Aqua came, I also managed to get her in on the plan. Contrary to what she said, it didn''t take me much effort to convince her," he smirked. "At least allow me to save some dignity, Joshua," Aqua sighed with her head hung low. That said, it seemed to Owen that she didn''t have much shame in agreeing to his father''s plan. Furthermore, he had the impression the other two spirits would have their image on the greater water spirit shattering with that display, but looking at Layla and Neptune it seemed they had already done so a long time ago. It''s probably what would happen when you get to see the true nature of someone you admire after getting the chance to be with them for a long time. "And so it was. Arnald used the Bell Branch to tap into the vast merchant network in Kirash to get people disgruntled by Van''s rule to join our rebellion and overall build up the army," Joshua explained. "Aqua does the same with named water spirits in Kirash but more importantly, making sure you guys don''t know what we''re up to. Well, that is until we started the siege outside where there''s no way you wouldn''t notice the ice bridge I made - the troops should think I used a lot of ice talismans." "I still somewhat tolerate ice talismans," Aqua interjected. "They''re not as bad as fire ones." "To think you used my Bell Branches like that..." Ronald grumbled while palming his head. "Were there any missions to Spiri Raia, Will?" he then turned to the Air Guardian. "I can''t exactly read every report in my spare time." "...No, there weren''t any," William confirmed before glaring Aqua''s way. "And now I know why." "Oh yeah, Aqua also keeps me updated with the news in the Court," Joshua mentioned. "That''s how I already know my son became a Court Wizard." Turning to Aqua with a somber look. "That said, you didn''t tell me about my mom, Aqua..." "Bluntly speaking, I will not have you distracted with news of your mother''s death," the Fire Guardian said nonchalantly. "Also, that was for having me constantly leading your son and the others on a wild goose chase while you are secretly starting a rebellion." "Which begs the question, why?" Ronald said resolutely. "It''s one thing to start an uprising, why do so in secret and isolate yourself from the rest of us?" Then, he asked Aqua, "Also, the manager I could understand, but why would you even join him, Aqua? Are you unsatisfied with how we settled it with the great sea? Just knowing how different this country has become couldn''t be enough reason to do all of this." To that end, both Ice Court Wizard and Fire Guardian stayed at their place silently. The others bated their breath as they waited for their response. Eventually, Owen''s father was the first to speak. "Tell me, Ronald, what would happen if you guys knew what I''m doing?" Joshua asked. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 4.3: Reuniting with Owens Father - Reason for Absence "Tell me, Ronald, what would happen if you guys knew what I''m doing?" Joshua asked. Ronald was a bit startled when Joshua asked him back, putting his foot down. Nevertheless, he gave his answer, "We would cause some changes to your rebellion, for better or worse which would depend on the Guardians and all of our input," without a shred of doubt. "But what is certain is your rather... direct approach wouldn''t be well received." "And that''s exactly why," Joshua replied, leaning forward. "I don''t want to take the risk of the Court''s interference to jeopardize everything." "His argument is valid," Aqua interjected. "For as long as I became the Fire Guardian, I have seen the Otherworldly Court''s track record of handling things to be rather... inconsistent." Clicking to herself, she then exclaimed, "oh, who am I kidding? We fail in missions more than tolerable! Even when we do not, it is usually a bittersweet victory that all of us are unsatisfied with." Owen could tell; the constant failure to defeat the Green Deity of Geron Yor, the Vengeful Remnants in Kaomagi, the cultists at Qantasia getting the jump on them, the Maneg Beast hunt back in Kaomagi where Alicia got close to dying, and of course, everything that happened in Beohar. "I will not say I know exactly why this is so, but I do know that this has to do with the fact that we never commit fully to an action," Aqua declared, putting her hands to her waists. "For one, almost every Court Wizard I have sent off to missions barely brings anything other than their person - rarely do I see them bringing even a Catalyst for a particular assignment. And that is not to mention who the Court Wizard I have to send!" Owen only needed to look at everyone else to know the Fire Guardian was pretty much taking the opportunity to rant about the Otherworldly Court Guardian experience. Well, she''s not wrong, unless you''re on an operation, you would mostly be assigned to random missions that came out as needed, routine or otherwise. In a sense, it felt like an adventurer''s guild system where random quests that popped out were given to whoever was available. The analogy made more sense when Court Wizards were compensated by commission for every mission rather than a fixed salary. "We hold back because of guilty conscience from the First Guardians era because our predecessors before that were no different than the cursed dragons," Aqua continued her piece. "Well, the more I explain this to recruited Court Wizards, the more I believe how crippling this sentiment is. Not to make light of 1246, but our half-assed commitment is exactly why it happened!" "That''s... quite a bold statement you made there, Aqua," Ronald said agape. Even Joshua nodded in agreement on how the greater water spirit could bring up such a sensitive topic among Court Wizards. "Indeed, and I am supposed to be the conservative one," she replied sarcastically. "Please, I am the first to try new things among greater spirits - I am the one who started the blessing culture. You could say this is one of the reasons why I supported Joshua''s rebellion." "...I feel there is more to that," Ronald suspected, bending forward to have his head rest on the back of his hands and his elbows resting on the table. "I am sure you already know it," Aqua deadpanned, putting her hands down. "But I suppose you children have not," she then said as she looked at the younger Court Wizards. "It was long before I became the Fire Guardian, long before I first encountered you Court Wizards. I could start from the cursed dragons, but we will be here for a long time." "No, you don''t need to go that far," Ronald shook his head. "Get to the point, Aqua," William, her fellow Guardian, grumbled. "Ehehe..." Rin chuckled quietly. "Alright. At first, I uphold the rules we imposed on ourselves, watching over my territory impartially with the humans living there, not even with the Fichs empire''s rapid conquest," the greater water spirit began her story. "Then, I met the first Illyer, a member of the Kirash royal family who volunteered to fight the expanding empire. On a whim, I appeared before him. We talked, and by the end of it, I decided for the first time to set aside my neutrality and gave him my blessing." It was mostly the same story Owen had already heard, honestly. The difference here was that it came straight from Aqua, not by second-hand accounts, and hearing it from her person made it seem like a new experience. "Truthfully, there were no explicit benefits to it. I am still hesitant to cast my impartiality fully aside, so it was a hollow blessing, just saying I bless him," Aqua confessed. "And yet, everyone allowed their minds to run wild with its non-existent implications; it made the Illyers prominent, made the spirits adore them, and scared the Fichs empire from advancing - it is quite amazing what a single utterance can do. I had to explain myself to the other greater spirits with my decision, but soon enough they started doing it too." The last bit was new. I don''t think anyone mentioned Aqua''s perspective of things, Owen thought. "Of course, the Illyers were still people. Soon enough, the next couple of generations became more conceited over the empty blessing and the water spirits noticed it," Aqua continued. "As such, they began to give them a wide berth, breaking the cycle of arrogance bit by bit. And then came Allister." Alicia perked up when she mentioned her grandfather''s name. "Funny enough, the first Illyer I have met was named Allister too," Aqua chuckled at the memory. "And the Allister you know is just like his ancestor. Soon enough, the Illyers became what it used to be," she iterated happily, something the other two water spirits nodded to. "However, that does not erase the sins of their past. The Fichs finally invaded and Allister fended them off at the cost of his father''s life. Then, the next problem came in the form of the current king sitting on the Kirash throne, Van va Kirash," she said, catching their attention. "At the time, he was the second prince," Ronald explained to those who didn''t know. Owen and Alicia had already been bored to death with the story. "Despite not being in line for the throne, his father the previous king favored him over his firstborn, Albert, Alicia''s uncle." "Uhn?" Rin noticed something. "So does that mean king Van is also big sis Alicia''s uncle?" The others looked at the black-haired girl with a growing realization from her remark. Rin could only fluster feeling she had said something she shouldn''t have. In the end, it was best not to think about it. "...Moving on, this favoritism allowed Van to compete for the throne, not to mention his own cunning," Ronald continued. "Now, we generally interfere with local politics only if it''s clear it''ll cause people to suffer if we do not or if there is a good reason to. In this case, there was: Van wanted to wage war against the Fichs empire once he''s king." "Which surprised me when the previous king fell ill, Allister started a succession war supporting the first prince to deny Van''s ambition," Aqua interjected wearily. "Unfortunately, Allister was more of a fighter than a politician. Soon, Van managed to gain the upper hand over him." "And that''s where we come in," Ronald then said. "...I think I''m beginning to see the reason for your decision, Aqua." "Yes, I had told myself to not aid Allister''s situation, not after having blessed his lineage once. My friends were still very upset when I first broke our neutrality," Aqua continued with a sigh. "Then, you two came requesting legitimacy to protect the duke at the most convenient time. I told myself that maybe, just maybe I can save the Illyers this was. I just had to accept it." "Pretty much," Joshua nodded. "And we screwed it up," he bluntly said, surprising the younger Court Wizards. "Admittedly, yes," Ronald reluctantly agreed. "For the better part of the year protecting the duke''s party, we have managed to thwart every scheme Van enacted. But in the end, we didn''t anticipate the previous king to recover and collaborate with his son to burn the Illyer mansion. ...What''s worse, he and Allister were close friends and he betrayed him just like that." Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Owen spied William sporting a visible scowl on his face hearing the last bit. Ronald seemed to be also aware of it given that he had paused for a moment to look at the Air Guardian before saying that sentence. It was understandable given what he''s been through. "We managed to rescue most of the duke''s party and first prince, but that''s only a consolation we could salvage," Ronald continued with a frown. "That said, if that didn''t happen, we wouldn''t have our kids." Owen and Alicia could only smile at that. "I remembered walking through the aftermath of the burning. I was... not in the best state of mind after the family I blessed were all supposedly dead," Aqua then said with her eyes closed. "Even Neptune and Layla were gone. I thought the fire somehow got you too." "Don''t worry, Aqua," Layla reassured her. "We''re still here." "Yeah!" Neptune exclaimed. "Thank you, you two," Aqua smiled. "But still, I was quite ready to cast aside our principles and utterly destroy the Kirash family, the other greater spirits'' reactions be damned. It was only because you have shown the Illyers to be safe that I settled with the great sea, Ronald." "Quite," Ronald quipped. "You might be surprised with my initial intent... or you probably already knew, but there was a reason I started the blessing in the first place; to have the closest thing to being named like other spirits - that is why the other greater spirits eventually do it too," Aqua continued. "And that was almost taken from me because I did not go further beyond entrusting you Court Wizards. Not that I blame you, you still saved them in the end." "Rather if I had perhaps done more, things would have turned out differently. After I blessed the first Illyer, I had done nothing more So, when I approached Joshua who gave me that proposition, I had to see it come to fruition with my hands involved." "Aqua..." Alicia said in concern. Being a Court Wizard under her, it was natural for her to be worried about this side of the Fire Guardian she''s revealed. "I see. Then, Joshua?" Ronald then turned to Owen''s father. Considering that Aqua had taken the flow of the conversation for the last few minutes. "Is this why you did this?" Joshua was silent for a moment. Looking at Ronald in the eye, he admitted, "As Aqua said, we messed up too many times and I guess I got tired of it... Well, you know it''s not just failing and doing contingency flags, but also the other things we do that take our toll mentally." "...Yes, I can see that problem quite well," Ronald sighed, palming his head. Looking at the others, Owen could tell they knew that too because he had witnessed the effects firsthand. Alicia had broken down in the last mission and so was Rin in just her first two missions. Owen probably was too if not for his completed drive to find his father, something that cannot be said for Rin, and knowing William he couldn''t care less. But, there was a happy end to it; Alicia found her way to make peace with her status as a Court Wizard while Rin renewed her resolve to keep going forward. But what of his and Alicia''s fathers? "And speaking of that, this is also to make up for Emilia..." Joshua then admitted. "..!" Ronald flinched after Joshua uttered that name. "I see. If there''s anyone who was the most affected between the three of us, it''s her..." Emilia Willows. Owen heard much about her from Ronald. He should know, she''s the person whose name became his and Alicia''s middle name in her honor. She was one of the first Court Wizards his father mentored alongside Ronald. They went on many adventures together, bringing them very close to each other before her untimely demise. It was her death that influenced his father and Ronald''s decisions with him and Alicia involving the Otherworldly Court. Also, as Owen heard, she was the first person his father loved. "We were with her through thick and thin and yet we didn''t put much effort to help with her struggles. We failed her. I failed her," Joshua said. "That''s why this time, I want to make sure what I started goes right. No more setbacks because of a half-assed job that we have to get the last laugh as a consolation, for her and all of our failures. I wouldn''t be able to forgive myself if I don''t." "Is that so?" Ronald muttered in understanding. Owen knew it too. He knew what it''s like to fail in missions one too many times. And he knew what losses resulted in those failures. He could understand why his dad wanted to just be able to do something right for once. And yet... "You do realize you''re still missing in most of your son''s life by staying here, right?" Ronald said bluntly with a frown on his face. "Not to mention it caused your mother to pass away without seeing you one last time." "Yeah... I know. I make no excuses," Joshua sighed in admission. "Believe me that I''ve thought long and hard about this before Aqua came." "I''m sure you do, but what ultimately made you commit to this?" Ronald then demanded. "...Because I know mom would take care of Owen while I''m off being a terrible father," Joshua admitted. "And I trust that you would too when mom died." "Well, of course, I have to take care of Owen after Matilda passed," Ronald nodded with a sigh. Owen, can I punch your dad? (William) Please don''t, he''s my dad. (Owen) Fine. (William) "We have our rules to ensure something like this doesn''t happen," Ronald stated seriously. "You of all people should know that. That''s how the Rules of Engagement work, to prevent us from ruining our lives over pursuing our duties as Court Wizards and vice versa." "I know, I don''t expect to be forgiven for it," Joshua sighed. "But you also know how hard it is to balance the two contradictory halves of our rules." That was true, that was awfully true to Owen. If he and William had monitored the situation in Beohar all the time, they might''ve been able to save Crom and prevent all the tragedies to come. But if they did, they would probably have to skip school frequently which could cause many issues for them among others - Owen could imagine how hard it would be to tell Alicia why he wasn''t showing up to school. The gravity of both situations wasn''t the same to be sure, but the point still stood: what good was saving another world when your life in your world was ruined in the process? That''s why the Otherworldly Court will never allow a Court Wizard to only focus on one and ditch the other, always trying to balance protecting other worlds and maintaining a normal life. "Part of the reason why we greater spirits decided to be neutral is that we did not want to end up no better than the cursed dragons. They were able to do what they did because they were in a position of power, a position that we inherited after taking them down," Aqua interjected with a confession. "That is why I understand where the Otherworldly Court is coming from. But, the more I continue to spin both stories, the more I find them to be constricting." "Is that so?" Ronald muttered. "Hm, I suppose we aren''t so different after all." "True, and yet I feel I am not at the same time," Aqua then said. Before others asked, she continued, "Do you know the problems I had from being red because of the Fire Mother Soul? It is not just Ignis teasing me, rumors began to emerge due to named spirits running their mouths. They have not exposed the Court''s existence to the humans, but they have still told them my change in color, out of context." "Is that bad, Aqua?" Alicia asked in concern. After knowing Aqua for a while, she would naturally be worried when the Fire Guardian started sharing her grievances about being a Fire Guardian. It''s not like because Aqua''s the Fire Guardian, Alicia was also concerned with Owen when he threw himself into finding his father as a Court Wizard without knowing it and why. Also, hearing what Aqua said herself, Owen could tell what was wrong before she explained it. Her skin turned red as a result of the Fire Mother Soul merging with her has always been something the greater spirit has laughed off, so no one would think there were serious repercussions of such radical change would occur to her. Well, it appeared that she has been bottling it up all along. "They thought I turned red as a result of the ''murder'' of the Illyer family I blessed and the great sea in response to it. Supposedly, I had become the state of anger itself, being displeased with humanity ever since," Aqua explained with a sigh. "For the record, I did not regret the great sea since what I was originally going to do was much worse. But even still, it is not just the humans, even some of the lower spirits started to be afraid of me that even the slightest of slights would have me come crashing down on them. "There were benefits to it, I admit. Talisman smuggling and other cross-territory crimes have lessened over the years, but that was because it became clear that greater spirits can retaliate against them harshly. And speaking of the greater spirits, they naturally were not amused with what I have done and it was exacerbated with my recruitment as the Fire Guardian." From the sound of it, it''s going to be something many could see from a mile away. "As you would guess, they think I am increasingly becoming more unhinged the longer I spent my time with you all. Of course, my friends would not say that to my face, but every time we have gathered I can tell they were becoming more concerned," Aqua continued. "That is why to assure them I am regressing into a cursed dragon in my elderly years I cannot get involved in Joshua''s rebellion as much as I wanted to. Yes, this is still me holding back." "Aqua..." Alicia muttered with sympathy. "Uhn..." "Poor Aqua..." "As you can see, this has a lot to do with Aqua that it does with me," Joshua concluded. "And this also has a lot to do with you, Ronald. You and the Illyers still living in our world." "Yes, you''re right," Ronald nodded in agreement. "In fact, my wife and the whole family are in the Court waiting to return to their original world after Master Isaac told them why they can''t after all these years. We just need to settle this first." "Really now?" Joshua blinked in disbelief. "Well, that''s-" CLANK CLANK CLANK "Sir!" Suddenly, a soldier in light armor barged into the tent interrupting the Court Wizards and spirits. He looked to be out of breath as if he had run a marathon. His alarmed face was also a cause for concern. "Hey! This is an important part meeting, I ordered you not to interfere!" Joshua shouted angrily as he stood up from his seat in irritation. "A-Apologies, sir!" The soldier kneeled down with his fist on the ground in fear. "It''s the spirits; they''ve become feral!" 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 5: At the Freezing Mountain of Vulgis Beohar Year 480 Year 1418 in Manegia "Damn..." Owen couldn''t help but mutter, trying not to gag from the stench. The last time they were here, it was a grassy field untouched by the ever-corrupting presence of the Black Mist encircling this world. It wasn''t peaceful, Beosts roamed these lands being on top of the food chain. But the sight of more aggressive animals gave this world distinguishment from other worlds. CAW CAW CAW CAW Now, Owen and William could see the place rendered a wasteland wrought by war with the Black Must added as an enhancing backdrop. At this point, they were desensitized enough to not choke on the many corpses dyeing the green plains red and if it wasn''t red then it was black charred by fire. Already they could see the vulture Beosts and other scavengers feasting upon the dead flesh, both human and Half-Beosts alike. "Crom''s got to be here somewhere," Owen said as he looked around the pile of bodies scattered throughout the battlefield. "He''s still alive, right?" "He better be," William declared with narrowed eyes.
"Palras and Vulgis got into a huge battle ending in a draw," William said while on the way to the Transporter Room. "And Crom didn''t come back with the retreating army, so now his dad and girlfriend are panicking. So we''re finding him."
Combing through the area, the two boys took note of every body they passed by. With one rhino Half-Beost even having a dozen arrows sticking on his back like a pincushion, they haven''t found Crom among the dead so far, so there was still hope. Going through the part with more humans, Owen sidestepped one soldier with a spear through his gut after lifting to see his face that was not the Bell Branch manager''s son when he saw a dogpile of corpses. "Ugh! Bloody! Argh!" And with the familiar voice of someone trying to push himself out of it, Owen and William immediately rushed to the bodies. While their first instinct was to push away the corpses by hand, they quickly remembered their noodle arms weren''t suited for that task, especially when the vultures were feasting through the cracks of broken armor on top. "I''ll handle it," William said as he took a good distance from the stack of dead soldiers with blades and arrows sticking out of them. WHOOSH THUD CLANG THUD CAW CAW CAW CAW In one swift motion, the pile of bodies was blown away and the vulture Beosts scared away being the scavengers they were, preferring not to fight. Under the blown pile was the familiar young man in Palras Steel armor, Crom. "Huh, that was one way to get rid of them," he quipped.
"Hahaha! I almost died back there! I must be stuck there for hours!" Crom, with his helmet off and sitting on a rock, laughed as he opened the water bag he kept on his person. "You really saved my hide! Owen, William." "You''re welcome," William remarked unamused. Watching him about to drink, Owen and William could see the young man had been through hell. His hair was disheveled and his entire person was covered in blood and grime. Even his sword laid aside was not in the best of condition with numerous nicks and cuts along the blade. After Crom downed the entire contents of his bag in one go, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Ahh, I''m revived!" he exclaimed, wiping his mouth before turning to the Court Wizards. "How did you guys find me anyway?" "Your dad called us, you didn''t come back," Owen answered. "Oh, so that''s why," Crom sighed. "He''s really worried about me." "Wouldn''t he?" William said rhetorically. "Yeah, that''s why I''m wearing all of this," Crom stretched his arms wide, showing himself. "Now it''s all busted." True, Crom''s equipment was very much better than his peers. Just seeing all the dead Palras soldiers Owen could tell Crom had more Palras Steel than they do that one might mistake him for an officer. That said, even this super tough alloy made only in the empire would break as with his sword, there were many cracks and missing pieces in Crom''s armor as a result of the battle that may have been what saved him. "That said," Crom lowered his water bag, leaned forward, and put on a serious expression. "I don''t think he gave me all of this just to keep me safe." The looks of the two Court Wizards told the manager''s son all he needed to know. From the last conversation, Owen and William knew the deep-seated hatred Crom''s father has for the Half-Beosts. "Well, I still believe my father can let go of his hatred festering his heart," Crom then said. "I know he will." "...That would be very hard to do," William blurted out. Knowing him, he probably kept this to himself since that day and finally let it out. "Yeah, I know," Crom nodded. "It might be wishful thinking that ending this war would change his heart, but I still want to believe it''s possible. Maybe not immediately, but it''ll definitely happen later down the line." Standing up, Crom then asked, "Hey, can you guys like, end the war yourselves?" This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "You know we can''t do that," William shook his head. "Even if we agreed to do it, even I can''t imagine how we are going to do it." "Can''t say I didn''t ask," Crom pouted, picking up his sword and strapping it to his waist. "...What happened to both armies? Who won?" "It''s a draw," Owen said. "Both armies went home. That''s how your dad found out you weren''t with them." "I see, then all of these lives lost were for nothing," Crom lamented, looking at the bloody aftermath of the battlefield. "I''ve lost count of how many I''ve killed and it didn''t even make any kind of progress." Sitting back on the rock in frustration, he continued, "what was our emperor thinking? Telling us to just run straight at the enemy and try not to die?" "...What do you mean?" William inquired. "Didn''t I tell you? The emperor told us to do full-scale invasions on Vulgis territory, multiple times," Crom said with an incredulous look. "It''s a lot more complicated than that but it''s a lot less sophisticated than his previous tactics. You get the idea, it''s suspicious." As the war progressed, Crom went from being a common foot soldier to one of the highest-ranking officers. Thanks to his skills in battle and having shinier armor, he was soon granted a seat in the Palras emperor''s tent and listened to his commands directly. To the Court Wizards, it was insider information on the empire''s side in the war. "Maybe he decided to brute force it?" Owen suggested. "He''s gotta be fed up having the war going nowhere, right?" "I doubt that," Crom deflected. "Sure, he was getting impatient, but nothing was indicating him getting sloppy in his strategies." From everything they heard from Crom, the Palras emperor was a war genius. Being against physically superior enemies, he had to devise brilliant strategies to counter the Vulgis'' war effort. At least, that was what Crom was saying and they do sound revolutionary to Owen and William''s ears. Of course, the initial problem still remained, and coupled with the enemy side not relying on brute strength by also having a comparable tactician, the emperor was rebuffed for every victory. "Then again, I''ve always noticed his majesty always leaned on getting as many Half-Beosts killed. We rarely take any prisoners now that I think about it..." Crom looked down and twiddled his fingers. "Perhaps he too harbors hatred for the Half-Beosts." "He was the one who started this war," Owen remarked. "Isn''t that right?" "Yeah, and it''s all the more reason to end this war as soon as possible," Crom then said before getting up again. "...Now that I remembered it, more recently I''ve begun to hear his majesty muttering wanting to kill all Half-Beosts." "We won''t let that happen," William scoffed. "Even more reason to end the war quickly," Crom quipped. "It must''ve been getting to him, all of this death and destruction with seemingly no end. If this goes any longer, he might even do something more insane." "Yeah, we''ll stop that if that happens," Owen crossed his arms. "I''ll count on you for that," Crom chuckled before sighing. "Still, I think it''d be better if his majesty just, I don''t know, forgive them or something." "That''s never going to work," William frowned. Glancing at him, Owen could see he was getting agitated. "Hear me out, okay?" Crom raised both of his hands to calm down the brown-haired boy. "It''s like my father, right? That all the grudge against the Half-Beosts is hurting him. Maybe getting rid of them might get rid of the pain too, but that could never work." "Go on." "Maybe, instead, he should forgive them to get rid of the pain," Crom explained. "It''s not like it has to be for patting them on the back, but it could be for yourself." "What do you mean?" "I mean, forgiving them a lot harder than the old-fashioned way, right?" Crom pointed out. "But if you do, it''s like saying everything the other guy did to you was nothing. It''s like you worked so hard to get a position only to be told all of your accomplishments were you being useless. I''m pretty sure you''d feel insulted by that." That, made sense, even William got it. When it was framed like that, then forgiving your enemy for everything they inflicted on you was the biggest insult you could give to them. Would my bullies feel like idiots if I said I''m cool with them? Owen wondered. Eh, if they''re still kids, they''ll think I''m easy picking but they''ll definitely get a reaction. Looking at William, Owen could tell he was having a similar retrospection. Getting screwed over and having all that made public was just asking to get picked on. Of course, after being the Air Guardian, Ronald pulled some strings to put a stop to that even across multiple states. Then again, after being Court Wizards in general, the local bullies suddenly became unimportant, like a problem very down on the list. Yeah, I guess we''re just too busy being Court Wizards to care, Owen thought. But if we weren''t, what would we do then? "I''m sure it''s hard to understand and I know it''s hard to do it, but you can go a lot of ways just from admitting each other''s mistakes," Crom remarked, straightening up his armor, preparing to go. "I''m sure that after all of this is over, we can start making peace with each other and then my father can-" "Peace!? As if!" Sometimes, Owen cursed the emotion suppression for not acting just because the enemy hadn''t any intention of attacking until the last moment. Being too invested in the conversation, neither he nor the others noticed an irate wolf Half-Beost leaping behind Crom with a sword in his hands. As it all happened too fast, neither he nor William could react in time as the Half-Beost plunged his sword into the cracks of Crom''s armor.
Manegia Year 1418 "Okay, how the hell is The Contract still active!?" Zekie ranted as he stormed from the Transporter Room. "Try not to blaspheme, Zekie," Gabriel softly reprimanded his fellow Guardian as he kept up with him. "But I do admit it was the most unexpected of him to quickly brandish it." "Exactly, it''s like he knew we were gonna immediately come for him right after we got Alice out of there, the bloody palace still burning be damned!" the Lightning Guardian said angrily. "But how does it still exist?" "I am afraid it is the consequence of the spell queen Catherine used to save princess Alice," Gabriel shook his head sadly. "The Contract considers her deceased when her Maneg Soul is. So not only did princess Alice inherit the Mother Soul, but also her mother''s Contract." "Damn, do you think he planned for all of that?" Zekie turned to Gabriel as he stopped in his tracks, right in front of the infirmary. "Making Catherine use that spell?" "It is the only explanation that makes sense," Gabriel stated. "Fantastic," Zekie groaned. "Another shortsighted fool who thinks he''s invincible just because he got us once. It already sounds like a bad plot of a book." "True, the moment queen Catherine''s husband dies, The Contract will expire," Gabriel nodded. "Surely he does not think he could strengthen himself to resist us by then?" "Considering all of the other idiots, I''m starting to wonder if letting people underestimate us does more harm than good," Zekie sighed. "You''d think us coming from another world would make them think twice before labeling us as weaklings they can stomp over." "I was afraid of that," Gabriel closed his eyes. "For now, I will see if I can apply pressure on his new regime though I cannot make any promises. My being the Guardian and the leader of my world''s faith is already a tough position." "Well, at least it couldn''t get any worse," the Lightning Guardian remarked. PIING PIING "My word! What is this!?" "Get the stretcher, John! Get him to the infirmary and call a Life Wizard too!" It got worse. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 5.1: The Dragons Curse - First Encounter Rushing outside of the tent, the Court Wizards and spirits followed the soldier closer to the lake shore where the besieged capital was not far off the distance. The soldier was particularly in a rush, certainly spooked by what he had seen and reported. Considering what he said, this was something that had never happened before and it was worrying. GRRAHH GRRAAHH GRRAHH GRRAAHH SPLASH BLAST "Careful! They''re casting spirit arts!" "Back away! Back away!" "Stay away from them, Droplet! They might turn you too!" "The hell is that?" William muttered. Floating above the ice were purple glowing objects. They were spasming in place like crazy, hurling blasts of purple randomly with no targets in particular. It was only because they were jittering uncontrollably that Owen couldn''t recognize them at first glance, but the form of their bodies and the water spirit arts stained violet they cast made them clear. "Are they not water spirits?" Alicia gasped, looking in horror as the purple spirits shot another art at the soldiers trying to get into formation. "What happened to them?" Amidst the confusion, Owen looked around. While his fellow Court Wizards were understandably confused by this development, he saw one of them adopting a different expression entirely. And if anyone in this world knew what was happening, it was Aqua. "...No ...impossible," the greater water spirit muttered aghast, her eyes widened in fright, having a bout of PTSD as she was hyperventilating at the sight. "They are dead. There could not be any more of them..." "A-Aqua, what''s wrong with them?" Layla uttered in fear, seeing the state of her fellow water spirits were in. "S-Scary!" Neptune shivered, backing away inch by inch. "They are cursed. Cursed by something that we should have never, ever seen again." Aqua said, almost mumbling as she was frozen in place. "The curse of a dragon...!" "Uhn!? Dragons!?" Rin exclaimed. "Are you certain, Aqua?" Ronald inquired, his eyes darting to her. "I am," Aqua nodded her glowing red head. "I could never mistake the aura, the presence of their curse. I have seen it too many times when I still possess my body." Literally, when they arrived at Spiri Raia, they were given a refresher of its history, how humans and fae fought and defeated the cursed dragons bringing about the current world today. The story said the dragons were all dead, and here Aqua was declaring what happened in front of them was their work, meaning they were still alive. To Owen and company, this was like being told about a nonexistent monster for fun only to find out it was real. "You!" Aqua appeared before the soldier who brought them here. "When did they appear!?" "L-Lady Aquarius!?" the soldier yelped in surprise. Though she looked different than before, no human or spirit in this world could ever not recognize the being before them. All over the camp, the same sentiment was shared among the rebels seeing the red greater water spirit suddenly revealing herself. Of course, it would be a shock to know their land''s greater spirit was among them the whole time. There would have been murmurs about it were it not for her overhearing them while in such a furious state. "Answer me!" "T-They suddenly appeared from the capital, lady greater spirit!" the soldier yelped. "Vaulted from the walls and came to the shore!" "From the capital!?" Aqua shrieked as the scared rebel nodded furiously. "Joshua," she turned to Owen''s father. "Have you encountered them before!?" "No," Joshua answered, shaking his head. "It''s the first time I''ve seen them since sieging the capital." "I see," the greater water spirit calmed down before contemplating. "Come to think of it, I have not heard from the spirits in the capital for years," she muttered floating away from the poor soldier falling on his butt after the short intense interrogation. "Is this what has been happening!?" GRRAAHH GRRAAHH "Aqua!" Layla called, snapping Aqua out of it. "They''re coming!" She pointed at the feral spirits inching closer to the shore. "What do we do!?" Seeing the unfortunate state her water spirits were in, Aqua looked conflicted about what to do. The cursed spirits were getting closer and looking like they were about to cause a rampage. Jonathan''s rebel soldiers and other pure water spirits were still there, waiting for the greater water spirits to make a decision. SWIRL SWIRL "Aqua! They''re attacking!" "Dammit!" Aqua cursed as the cursed spirits began to channel their arts, corrupted as they may be. "Subdue them! We will decide what to do later!" "And how are we supposed to knock''em out?" Joshua then asked. "They don''t have physical bodies." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "...Expose them to opposing elements and then restrain them," was all Aqua could think of, never having a plan for this. "Well, damn," Joshua muttered before turning to his rebel soldiers. "Retreat to the camp! We''ll handle this!" """Y-Yes, sir!""" CLANK CLANK CLANK As Jonathan''s forces made their retreat, the Court Wizards faced the cursed spirits. Looking at them, there were ten of them: seven water spirits and three intermediate water spirits. Being simultaneously in a state of berserk and pain, Owen could see their faces telling him they were suffering under the dragon''s curse and he didn''t like that. Emotion suppression activated. GRRAAHH What was the equivalent of a raging toddler rushed headfirst into Owen''s location. The cursed spirit had enveloped himself in a watery aura of purple spirit art, intending to plow into the Ice Court Wizard like a missile. Taking care not to hurt the spirit too much, Owen prepared the Order his father would use, Follow as I order, attach to cursed spirit attacking me, form 3 cm thick layer on entire body except head, repeat last step, repeat last step... lock. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ As always, [Ice Layer] worked its charm as ice maneg gradually formed around the spirit''s art, thickening at every second. Immediately, the spirit was slowed down, having extra weights added to him. However, despite having ''locked'' the formation in place, it did not slow the spirit''s charge to a screeching halt as he was still charging at Owen albeit at a slower pace for him to dodge. GRRAAHH Encased in ice, the spirit was still insistent on torpedoing himself to Owen''s torso, dragging the maneg formation like nothing more than troublesome weights. Owen, on the other hand, simply sidestepped out of the way, letting the spirit pass harmlessly. Dismiss formation. That said, Owen still needed to subdue the spirit. With the charging spirit in a convenient position, Owen dismissed the ice maneg trapping the spirit while not quite ending the Progressive Order yet and at the same time raised his hand in a chopping motion. Coat right hand 5 cm thick. SLAM In quick succession, Owen swung down his hand covered in ice maneg, striking the back of the spirit in a precise motion thanks to the martial arts classes he got into with Alicia. The ice maneg, like the formation previously trapping the spirit, proved effective in hitting the body-less soul where his bare hand would only pass through it and get hurt from the spirit art. I end my Order. GRRAAHH The spirit, having used more strength to overpower the formation trapping him, found himself sliding across the ground, the sudden disappearance of the ice formation, and the chop would do that to him. A huge mound of dirt piled up in front of the spirit''s head coming to a full stop not long after. How the spirits'' incorporealness worked was still a mystery to Owen. 1 cursed spirit subdued, 9 cursed spirits remain. Owen glanced at the others doing short work of subduing the cursed spirits. Like father, like son, he first looked at his father and found him doing the same move, trapping a curse intermediate spirit in ice and then summarily chopping the spirit down with a coated hand. SHATTER The only difference was that his father opted to plow through his own ice maneg as well. Now Owen really wondered what sort of arm strength would be needed to do that as he watched the spirit plant her face first on the ground and more. 2 cursed spirit subdued, 8 cursed spirits remain. Owen then turned to see Aqua. From her face, he could already tell her reluctance to harm her water spirits even with her suppression. Cursed or not, she could never be prepared to fight them. As two intermediate cursed spirits went straight for the greater spirit, Aqua couldn''t bring herself to act and hesitated. "Watch out!" GRRAAHH GRRAAHH As the two intermediate spirits charged, a thick, red [Barrier] formed between them and Aqua. Looking at the source, Owen saw it was Alicia who erected the loyal maneg formation. While it did break before, Owen was certain the two attacking spirits would not break this one that they were crashing head-on. BASH BASH SHIING SHIING "..?" As the two spirits recoiled from hitting the barrier, a bright blue light emanated from them. Literally, everyone got distracted by the light, dropping whatever spirit arts and Orders to look at the source. When the lights died down, hazes of purple escaped from them and Owen could''ve sworn his suppression was broken. "Ow...!" "Did I hit my head? Huh? Lady Aquarius?" Floating above the ground were two intermediate water spirits, a boy and a girl. They were nursing their heads after hitting them against a wall despite having no bodies, just souls that were very much blue. Just previously, they were acting like they had rabies and now they were not. "...Are they, purified?" Aqua muttered. GRRAAHH In the moment of distraction, another cursed spirit took the opportunity to attack Alicia. Just like the others, the spirit was enveloped in the sickly purple aura and intended to tackle Alicia directly. Instinctively, or maybe it was Voice, another [Barrier] appeared to cut it off. BONK SHIING Just like before, blue light shone and purple mist evaporated from the spirit with the curse undone. All that was left was an ordinary water spirit being quite confused as if waking up from a strange dream. "It happened again..." The first two spirits were happenstance and coincidence, the third one was most certainly confirmation. Owen could tell Alicia was conversing with Voice to know she had an idea because she clasped her hands together in concentration and looked out at all of the remaining cursed spirits. CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE Many [Fireball]s appeared all around her. They were smaller than usual and were inert as well, but it didn''t matter as long as her soul reached those suffering spirits. With the power of the Vague Order, Alicia had no fuss locking on the targets. 2 cursed spirit subdued, 3 spirits purified, 5 cursed spirits remain. WHOOSH WHOOSH The tiny balls of loyal maneg shot out, the first ones going to the subdued cursed spirits being the closest. As that [Fireball] reached Owen''s feet, it made a full stop before gently patting the spirit. Another [Fireball] reached and touched the spirit that Owen''s father disabled at the same time. TAP TAP SHIING SHIING 5 spirits purified, 5 cursed spirits remain. WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH The remaining five [Fireball]s zoomed past the shoreline, going after the cursed spirits still floating on the ice. Three of them reached their targets first, those cursed spirits were hurling spirit arts Ronald, Rin, and William were dodging or deflecting. Just like before it made a full stop before placing themselves upon their foreheads. SHIING SHIING SHIING 8 spirits purified, 2 cursed spirits remain. The last two spirits were at the furthest back and have yet to attack. In fact, they seemed to be spasming in place, not interested in harming anyone but themselves. Regardless, the last of Alicia''s Order put a stop to that. SHIING SHIING All spirits purified, suppression lifted. It happened so fast. Just seconds ago, these purified spirits were cursed to go berserk. Now, they were glancing around confusingly as if waking up in a different place than where they slept. The others too, were confused as to what just happened, standing in place trying to process the sight before them. Looking at Alicia, she too wasn''t sure what she just did as loyal maneg returned to her "Lady Alicia..." Layla muttered. "You-" "Uhn! You did it, big sis Alicia!" Rin exclaimed excitedly, running over to her. But there was one thing Owen was certain about and it was that everything was fine in the end. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 5.2: The Dragons Curse - Spiri Raias an Otome Game!? Manegia Year 1421 "Pardon me, granddaughter," Allister said calmly. "But what even is this I am looking at!?" In the fire chamber, a laptop was put on the low table over the edge so everyone in the sofas could see the screen albeit in an awkward position. The screen was showing the title screen of a video game. It was a visual novel, an otome game as a bunch of pretty boys were plastered in the background However, they weren''t booting this up for no reason. On that screen front and center was the heroine of this game who looked exactly like Alicia''s cousin, Maria, if she was an anime character, with a greater light spirit candidate beside her. Even more damning were Layla and Neptune being in the background as well as Maria''s parents and other people they knew. But they didn''t need to know that when the title said it all. Spirit Kingdom. "It is an otome game, grandfather," Maria answered, dragging the cursor around. "A kind of video game where you play through a story and date one of these capture targets on the screen." "I can see that," Allister nodded, rubbing his chin. "But why is your face there?" "And why are our faces there as well?" Layla added, pointing out the background characters that were them. "Yeah!" Neptune chimed in, practically doing a backflip for no reason. "I do not know," Maria shook her head. "That is why my friend gave me this. She found this game having my face on it and even the protagonist has my name." "So is this why you suddenly want to return home, dear?" Maria''s father, Albert, inquired. "To fetch this?" "Yes, father," Maria nodded, eyeing the screen. "When you told me about your original world, it felt like I have known it before. After you were done, I finally remembered it was from this game." "But how is this possible?" Maria''s mother, Elaine, gasped, looking at the title screen in detail. "It even has your looks when you were still in high school, your hair was shorter back then." "Is this the Storykeeper''s doing?" Aqua mumbled, eyeing a certain greater spirit in the background. "Yes, this is the Storykeeper''s doing," Rose nodded while sipping her tea before placing it in its saucer. "Well, now I know how it feels to have one about my world," the greater spirit mused with a wry smile. A lot had happened after encountering the cursed spirits like Owen''s father calming down his troops. After sorting out the mess, Aqua called for a meeting with the other greater spirits. As it would take days for the summit to happen despite the emergency, they decided there was no excuse to drag Joshua back to Manegia. Since Aqua carried the ''origin'' of the water spirit''s Fantasy Law, Layla and Neptune could also come. After a much tearful reunion, Maria then opened her laptop she brought back from Kaomagi Earth and showed them this. "Storykeeper?" Alicia muttered the name. "Uhn? Who''s that?" Rin tilted her head. "A Wanderer," Rose answered, patting her knees, sitting in her wheelchair. "Just like Timeless Hero." "A Wanderer?" Alicia blinked, not expecting Rose to say that. "What kind of name is Timeless Hero?" Maria asked otherwise. "Not important," Rose shook her head, brushing aside Maria''s question. "The Storykeeper is the first Wanderer we ever knew, preceding even the Wanderer Maker." "The Wanderer Maker," Alicia muttered the name. "She is the one who turns people into Wanderers like Timeless Hero, correct?" "Yes, apart from the Wanderer Maker herself, he alongside the Time Gardener are the only Wanderers we know of not coming from her," Rose explained, sipping her tea. "That makes him leagues more powerful than the likes of Timeless Hero." "Ooh..." Rin gasped in awe. "Like other Wanderers, the Storykeeper has a great ability apart from his ability to wander that gives his title," Rose continued, taking another sip. "And that is the ability to keep stories from every world and then tell them to other worlds." "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. It was understandable; the summary of the Storykeeper''s job was vague to Owen too when he was first told about him. "From the Sea of Worlds, he can view the activities of multiple worlds at once without needing to step into them directly like the Maker''s Wanderers," Rose continued. "Linear time does not seem to apply too as he can view events happening in the past, present, or future to see the ones that interest him." "Like what?" Alicia inquired. "Something like this for instance," Rose waved her hand towards the laptop. "...Wat!?" "Are you saying this otome game is real, miss Rose!?" Allister inquired, almost shouting. "Well, I suppose I know the answer to that already." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Quite. The Storykeeper is like a historian, only he records the history of another world, ''keeping'' it," Rose explained, closing her eyes. "And then writes the record to other worlds through mediums like books, television, and, of course, video games." "So then, did the developers know another world existed from the Storykeeper and make a game about it?" Maria concluded confusingly. "Yes, that is the part of Storykeeper''s power," Rose confirmed with a smile. "Unconsciously, the writers receive the knowledge from the Storykeeper and, as a flash of inspiration or simply thinking of a plot, they would unwittingly create a retelling of the story that happened in another, real reality." "Give or take a few inaccuracies when it comes to reciting them," Aqua added confidently. "Or embellishments on some parts or the lack thereof as would an ordinary historian." "That is how plot holes happen." "I see," Alicia gasped in understanding. "So can the story be anything?" "Yes! Think of a piece of fiction, chances are it is real," Rose exclaimed happily. "Not all of them are, though. And it does not need to be said that the stories originating from the same world will be recorded how the people see fit." "The Storykeeper is only in charge of exporting them," Aqua added. "Even our current conversation could be written down by someone somewhere out there." "Whoa! Now that''s some 4th wall right there!" "Quite," Rose chuckled at the pixie. "That is why it is not too surprising to see something like this. Sometimes we need to explain this to someone getting an existential crisis after seeing his work." "Huh, so that gives the many isekais where the protagonists end up in a novel world a whole new perspective," Maria mused. "That is very much a case of the Storykeeper nesting records together," Aqua interjected with a smirk. "He seems to like keeping stories of kids ending up in a world they read about in their stories." "...Oh wow." "Ooh! Lemme greet our audience! Hi, readers! Watchers! Radio listeners!" "That is certainly an incredible individual," Allister said, clearing his throat with a cup of tea. "But, how did you come to know such a man?" "Oh, we have met the Wanderer ourselves, on the rare occasion he decides to enter a world," Aqua shrugged like it was nothing. "Then Amelia immediately asked for an interview, that is how we knew all of this." "Of course it''s the Evil Mad Scientist Lady!" "I see," Allister nodded. "Then may I ask why the Storykeeper would do all this?" "Well, in his words, he wanted people''s stories to be known because many times he has seen great deeds go unnoticed and is quite frustrated by it," Rose answered with her hands put together on her lap. "Sometimes people did not know a hero sacrificed himself to save them. Sometimes one''s actions were misunderstood as evil when they had the best intentions which worked." "And sometimes, our heroes are just ordinary people who may just have an interesting daily life the Storykeeper just had to tell everyone else about it," Aqua added, her hands on her waists. "Though he will not dictate how people write their world''s myths and histories or the lack thereof, he will make sure they are recorded outside of their world even if the people reading them thought they were fiction," Rose concluded with a light clap. "As long as someone knows, that would be enough for him." "...I see," Allister muttered in thought. "But what says this then?" he asked, gesturing to the otome game. "We mention he can tell a story that would happen in the future. That possible future is something he can see," Aqua casually pointed out. "Provided no Incarnates are entering the world of their novel... or us." "Oh my!" Alicia''s mother, Irene, gasped, realizing the implication. "Heh," Joshua chuckled. "Looks like we really defied destiny, eh Ronald?" "Indeed," Ronald smiled, gulping the last drop of tea in his cup, putting it down before confronting his niece before anyone else could act further, adopting a serious expression. "So, what would have happened if we never interfered in the first place, Maria?"
"We are truly fortunate to have met you two," Allister muttered contemplatively, resting his chin on both of his hands. "I could never imagine such a thing happening to my daughters." "Oh, dear!" Marisa gasped, linking her arms to her husband''s. "How horrible!" Elaine, Maria''s mother, gasped, unconsciously holding her daughter. "Yes, it is certainly not a place for our daughter to be in too," Albert added, also taking Maria into his embrace. The screen was showing a gallery of otome CGs as it was more efficient for Maria to explain the gist of the story through them. It was quite extensive, seemingly having an illustration for almost every plot point including backstories. Seeing the silhouette of his mother stabbing Allister didn''t do any good to Owen''s heart. Even though the game itself never revealed the maid''s identity, it was undoubtedly her for obvious reasons. It was fortunate his father stopped her before she did. Case in point, it was because of Ronald and his father that pushed Aqua to create the great sea, so the otome version of her barely reacted to her blessed''s assassination. Afterwards, one thing led to another, and the first prince and the rest of the Illyer family had to flee the country. However, even though they brought both Layla and Neptune with them, Marisa got killed during the escape. That was how Maria got her name; here, her name was always just Maria but in the otome timeline it was short for Marisa in her grandmother''s honor. The survivors then settled down in the only kingdom in the greater light spirit''s territory where the game took place. At least, that was the abridged backstory explained by Maria over here. There was certainly more to it but that was something for a later date. "Ronald, if this truly happened, I would have never met you and have Alicia too..." Irene sobbed, hugging her daughter as if she could disappear at any moment. "Yes dear, I know," Ronald comforted her. "Mother..." Alicia muttered softly, returning the hug. According to the game, Irene never married and remained single. She''s literally a side character serving as Maria''s aunt who named Layla, a greater water spirit candidate, to make the foreshadowing of the entire backstory along with Neptune. She would sometimes visit her niece with a water spirit in tow in the middle of the light territory with no context until she visited otome Maria with one of the capture targets home. The game''s still in a generic noble academy but otome Maria still lived in her parents'' house being close to the place. "I don''t even want to know what happened to your mom if I didn''t stop her," Joshua muttered, rubbing Owen''s hair. Right, what felt like deja vu, not only Alicia wouldn''t exist, but also himself. That was a depressing thought. "Then it is for the best that the future seen by the Storykeeper was averted even without knowing beforehand," Rose calmly said, consoling the group. "Uhn?" Rin perked up, noticing the implication. "So all of those games and manga..." "You would be surprised how much information we could glean from the Storykeeper''s works," Aqua said in a non-joking manner. "It is indeed a part of our intelligence gathering. If we can find his work beforehand, we could know where to avert whatever disaster from happening or tie up loose ends." "If they''re just for entertainment, we wouldn''t hoard that many," William added with his arms crossed. "And we will also add this one to the collection," Aqua said, gesturing towards the game. And it''s getting even bigger, Owen mused. He could have sworn there were at least three rooms dedicated to store everything from the Storykeeper. Granted, they do double as recreation rooms so there needed to be some empty spaces. "Indeed, and to exploit such knowledge," Ronald clenched his hands together and turned to his niece, again. "Maria, please go over how the cursed spirits came to be... and why my daughter can purify them." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 5.3: The Dragons Curse - Meeting the Greater Spirits Spiri Raia Year 928 Year 1421 in Manegia In the center of the world of Spiri Raia lay the tallest mountain people have ever seen. Even from the farthest reach of the continent, its faint shape could still be recognized from the horizon. Naturally, it was made into neutral grounds for all of the greater spirits to gather for matters of most importance. The Spirit Mountain was what people call this place and for humans to enter these sacred grounds was to witness the greater spirits in all of their glory. There can be no higher honor than to be invited to climb this mountain and speak to the deities of this world directly. But it was also highly tormenting to hike to the peak of a frigid mountain given the current state of technology of this world. Fire spirit arts can only do so much to stave off the cold when it too got hammered the higher one climbed. WHOOSH "Brr! It''s cold up here!" Rin shivered even though she wore her winter clothes under her cloak, without the party mask, this time. Her brother''s sword soundlessly rattled inside the cylindrical bag she slung around her back as she tried to keep herself warm while trekking along the trail. Spirit Mountain wasn''t tall like Everest, but there was plenty of snow around the top. Because of his Maneg Soul, Owen wasn''t bothered by the cold, but artificially not feeling it doesn''t mean he was not impervious to the damaging effects of being exposed to low temperatures. Besides, he felt cold all the time because of his maneg soul which the same went for his father. Alicia''s fire Maneg Soul kept her feeling warm and so did Ronald''s. William''s air Maneg Soul allowed him to not be bothered by the chilling wind buffeting them. It was poor Rin''s Light Maneg soul not helping her in this department. "Do not worry, Rin," Aqua, leading the Court Wizards, assured the Light Court Wizard. Not only her maneg soul but being a water spirit also made her tolerant to this environment. "It will be warmer once we reach the peak." "Come on, we''re almost there," Layla said, outstretching her arm towards the group behind her. "I guarantee you''ll love the place!" "Yeah!" Neptune added. WHOOSH PSHHHH "Whoa!" Rin gasped in awe. "It''s so pretty!" What the greater water spirit meant by the peak being warmer was the natural hot spring being the first thing Owen saw. The hot steam from the water blew into his face as he stepped foot to the rocky mountaintop uncovered by snow. Looking around, various structures, statues, and knickknacks filled the place without rhyme or reason as if multiple people just dumped whatever they found fancy over time. "Aah!" "Eek!" Between all of those decorations were, for the first time, spirits of all elements hiding behind anything near them as the dreaded Court Wizards stepped on their sanctuary. The hot spring seemed to have countered the sheer cold of this mountain allowing not just fire spirits, but all of them to gather here, albeit still keeping their distance from one another. "You are here, Aqua," a voice said. "And you have brought the Court Wizards with you." The peak of the Spirit Mountain was vast, and the hot spring equally so. That allowed for a small, rocky island in the center of the spring with a trail of boulders acting as the bridge from it to the direction of the entrance of this peak. "Hm, so this is what Master Gertrude saw," Ronald muttered softly, just low enough that Owen could hear it being close to him. "Yeah, it would have been mesmerizing if the other spirits didn''t freak out like that," Joshua added, lightly gesturing toward the cowering lower-ranking spirits. Surrounding the tiny island were the rest of the greater spirits, floating above the water while making themselves comfortable - some of them were ''sitting'' lazily mid-air. Looking at them, the differences between the spirits'' previous forms as fae became even more glaring. This was despite some of them being mythologically not even fae by Earth standards. "Hello, everyone," Aqua, the greater water spirit, formerly of the undines, Aquarius, greeted with a smile, the watery red orbs revolving around her as she waved her hand, seeing her fellow greater spirits, the fins beneath her elbow swaying as she did so. "And Ven is running late again." "I am here!" another voice shouted, rushing into the circle, the large insect wings attached to his back flapping furiously though Owen wasn''t sure if it even made a difference. As his skin was glowing green, it was undoubtedly the greater air spirit, Ventus, formerly of the slyphs. "You are the last one again, Ven," Ignis, the fire greater spirit, Ignatius, formerly of the salamanders, said with a smirk. Looking at him, Owen can quickly describe him as a half-lizard with scales on his glowing red limbs and a tail. The intermediate fire spirits in the area looked more like anthropomorphic lizards while their adjacent lower-ranking counterparts were straight up giant baby lizards. "Dammit!" Ven cursed, panting on his knees which again Owen wasn''t sure he even needed to do, his pointy ears twitching as he did so. "Why did I pick the farthest territory again!?" The lower-ranking sylphs being flustered for their frustrated greater spirit weren''t radically different from the spirits. Like the water spirits, the air spirits from bottom to top looked like a fairy in the modern sense from a wisp to an infant to an adult. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Anyway, looking fire today, Aqua," Ignis then greeted Aqua, the dancing flames around him flaring up with his mischievous grin on his face. Owen could tell he was the comedian of the group. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!" Aqua grumbled in annoyance. "Do you not get tired of it?" "I still think it is hilarious," Rai, the greater lightning spirit, Raiden, formerly of the raijus, quipped. Unlike the greater fire spirit, he''s a fully anthropomorphic wolf with static electricity bouncing up and down throughout his glowing yellow body. Like the fire spirits, though, the lower-ranking lightning spirits looked less sapient. Owen took a glance at Alicia to see her reaction to them. "Now, now, let us not digress into the usual chatter," Petra, the greater earth spirit, Petranus, formerly of the dwarves, moved to dissolve the situation before it escalated further. Being formerly a dwarf, she was the shortest of the group, being half the size of the rest. Yet, she also exuded this motherly aura with the way she spoke and her rather golden glowing skin. Owen would know this because this was the same feeling he got from Master Catherine... "Indeed, how about we focus on our young guests here? It has been a while since we have seen their king apart from Aqua," Glace, the greater ice spirit, Glacies, mused in a raspy voice. He was one of the more bizarre ones, a light blue glowing old man a head taller than Petra with a very long beard and long legs that could be used for skiing. Owen looked at the lower-ranked spirits he shared an Element with to see them more or less the same as their grandfatherly greater spirit but younger. Would they eventually look elderly too? he wondered. "Yes, I can see a cute one under that little mask," Flora, the greater nature spirit, just Flora, formerly of the dryads, cooed. She was what Owen expected of a creature of plant life, vines, and other plant-like matter decorating the greater spirit''s glowing deep green skin. "Uhn!?" Rin stepped back in a fluster, gripping the strap of her bag as she felt the former dryad''s gaze of amusement. "Oh my, how cute!" Flora giggled at the young Court Wizard. "Flora, do not tease her," Luna, the greater dark spirit, Lunaria, formerly of the dark elves, sighed at her longtime friend''s antics. She''s a dark elf with shadowy purple skin, just like her light counterpart. "Phooey!" Flora pouted. "Friends, if we are done with our usual banter, shall we get acquainted with our guests Aqua brought as Glace had said?" Lux, the greater light spirit, Luxion, formerly of the light elves, suggested, his voice telling Owen he was the leader here. It made sense, the shining white elf seeming to be the most prominent one story-wise like in the otome game. "I am sure they know us, but we do not." True, Aqua had told much about them whenever they hung out in the Court. She had especially refreshed them on who they were and what they were formerly before coming here, so it was easy for Owen to identify all of them. "Well, we already know our tall rebel leader here and his buddy," Ignis quipped, eyeing Owen''s father and Alicia''s father before pointing to him. "So, who is this little guy?" "Tch!" And Owen''s opinion of this lizard plummeted to the ground. "He''s my son, Owen," Joshua said happily, rubbing Owen''s head. "Wow, for a pretty tall guy, your kid sure is small," the greater fire spirit remarked. "Heh, he has some spunk in him!" he chuckled as Owen gave him the biggest glare he''s got, greater spirit or not. "Now, now, it is best not to tease him," Petra chastised the greater fire spirit before turning to Rin. "And who might you be, dear?" "U-Uhn! My name is Rin Fujiwara!" Rin introduced herself with a bow. "Please take care of me!" "Oh my, how polite!" Petra cooed, giving the girl a warm smile. "Ehehe...!" Rin rubbed the back of her head bashfully. "Oh, come on! How come she gets to do it!?" Flora grumbled, pouting even harder. "And who are you, young man?" Ven then asked William. "You are in the same color as me." "I''m William," William replied. "...Okay then," Ven remarked, expecting something more out of it. "Is there something else you want to share?" "I''m usually called Will." "Yeah, that is not it." "...I am the Air Guardian." "Ah, that is the thing. I sensed you have the same thing hiding in your soul as Aqua''s." "Aqua, is this the girl you spoke of?" Lux asked the greater water spirit, scrutinizing Alicia while rubbing his chin. "I can already sense something she has that others do not." "Indeed," Aqua nodded. "She is Ronald''s daughter, Alicia Bell." "Um, hello, lord Luxion," Alicia greeted with a smile. "A pleasure to meet you." "And I''m Voice!" "Good faes!" Rai exclaimed, arcs of electricity jumping even more rapidly. "What is that!? Why does she have a piece of your soul!?" "It is not that she has a piece of miss Alicia''s soul!" Luna shrieked, her dark hand pointing at the pixie. "She is a piece of her soul!" That went just as Owen expected. "Huh!? Lord Luxion, what does that mean!?" While the spirits were freaking out, Owen noticed one of them in particular. Trailing behind the greater light spirit was a greater spirit candidate, presumably, talking exasperatedly to the greater spirit. He could tell he was a glowing elf in his teens if going by Layla and Neptune. He also looked familiar, as if he had seen this spirit before. "Aah! It''s the spirit from the title card!" And it appeared the damn pixie also recognized him as well, pointing her tiny finger towards the light spirit. "M-Me!?" the light spirit stuttered, pointing himself subconsciously in further exasperation. "Oh! Now that you mentioned it, he does look like that spirit," Alicia gasped, making the connection. "Uhn! He is!" Rin exclaimed excitedly. During Maria''s walkthrough of the otome game starring herself, one of the first plotlines was of otome Maria naming a greater light spirit candidate, just like her aunt did. Her bagging such a high-ranking spirit immediately landed her a scholarship to a noble academy. That academy, in the only kingdom in the greater light spirit''s territory, was also the only school for nobles in this world, so all the pretty noble boys and princes, the capture targets, attended the same school, thus starting the otome game. Now, standing before them was a greater light spirit candidate that bore a clear resemblance to the spirit responsible for alternate Maria''s adventure. "Is there something wrong?" Lux asked confusingly. "Why did you scream at him like that?" "Lux, who is that spirit?" Aqua then asked before it became even more awkward. "Him? He is my greater spirit heir," Lux answered calmly, his hands on his waist. "I had chosen him not too long ago and planned to introduce him here." "G-Greetings, lords and ladies greater spirits," the light spirit gave a bow. No matter which route otome Maria took, it will always end with her named light spirit chosen as heir. It appeared that in here, because the real Maria was never here, they never met so Lux picked him up much sooner. "I see, what is his name?" Aqua then asked. "He does not have one," Lux shook his name. "So he will inherit mine." The light spirit''s name was chosen by the player, with no default names. The history of humans naming spirits made it a great way to explain why the player got to name him. Now that the spirit never met Maria, he remained nameless. "Curiouser and curiouser," Aqua muttered with a faint smile, really connecting the events of the otome game with the current situation in real life. "So it all comes together," Joshua muttered. "Indeed," Ronald added with a nod. "Okay, Aqua," Ignis interjected, raising his hand for the heck of it. "You have us lost here." "Yes," Lux nodded. "What does my heir have to do with the serious topic we should have been discussing right now?" "A lot," Aqua smiled. "Along with Layla and Neptune, your heir is very much related to why Alicia, or more specifically, the Illyer family I blessed all those years ago came to be able to purify the cursed spirits." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 5.4: The Dragons Curse - Greater Spirits Resolve "...I had expected you to have obtained this information from something far more bizarre," Lux commented, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "But it is still bizarre nonetheless." "Please, since when did things make sense after meeting the Court Wizards all those years ago?" Aqua asked rhetorically, crossing her arms. "True," Petra nodded. "Very true." "Especially after you turned red," Ignis quipped whilst snorting. "But somehow, an outer entity watching us and recording our history in another realm does not sound farfetched," Luna muttered, rubbing her chin and thinking inquisitively. "I think it is quite flattering," Flora commented. "Yes! It is certainly an honor to have our legends spread beyond our world!" Rai laughed in pride. "Yeah, but it is about a pretty bad future, you know," Ven pointed out worriedly. "A future clearly averted thanks to our two Court Wizards here," Glace countered, his wrinkled face nodding towards Ronald and Joshua. For the next half an hour or so, Aqua regaled the tale Maria told through the otome game. She also gave her fellow greater spirits the rundown on the Storykeeper, justifying how the Court Wizards obtained this information. The greater spirits seemed to have accepted the otherwise nonsensical information, showing how much they trusted Aqua. "Alright, let us recapture the events according to this Storykeeper," Lux sighed. "My heir was supposed to be named by a member of the family you blessed after they had taken refuge in my territory." "And the girl was meant to enter the academy to pursue her romantic hijinks among the many boys there!" Flora added as if it was the most important detail. "I wished I had seen it myself!" "I would rather not. I can see a disaster waiting to happen," Lux rolled his eyes. "That said, all of those boys you mentioned were all indeed attending the academy this year." "They would be a tad bit younger than Maria then," Aqua muttered, noting to herself the discrepancy. In real life, given that the Illyers found safe refuge in Kaomagi Earth right off the bat, Maria''s parents had less pressure to wait to marry and have her. "..." The look on the greater light spirit heir did not escape Owen. He could tell the spirit was contemplating the namer he never met. He knew meeting Maria would only delay his ascension to being Lux''s successor so it was a total loss to him. He didn''t even know what he would''ve been named as the otome game let players decide. "Where did you obtain this information exactly, Aqua?" Lux then asked, not bothering with Aqua''s last remark. "There has to be an origin of where you have heard of our possible future as you said it yourself." "Oh, from Maria herself," Aqua replied casually. That they got it from Maria herself wasn''t the more important detail and Aqua wasn''t going to regale what they had discussed in Manegia word for word so the exposition to the rest of the greater spirits was abridged. "Why do you ask?" "I see," Lux nodded. "Then do you know what would she have named my heir?" "..!" It appeared Lux did notice his heir''s turmoil as well. Everyone knew what it meant for a spirit to be named by a human, that the light spirit could have gotten one but didn''t by a twist of fate was just too sad. The greater light spirit knew he had to rectify it however he could. "Yes, I do," Aqua smiled. Of course, the detail of the story in the form of an otome game was omitted - it''d be a long day if she had to open that can of worms. "What is it then?" As Maria always gave this spirit the same name at every playthrough, Aqua answered, "His name is Lucas. Luke for short." Much like otome Maria, or rather Marisa, the player can assign the formal name and then the nickname of the spirit. "...Lucas, Luke," the greater light spirit heir muttered his name. "I like it!"
"So Typhon is back," Ignis frowned, the expression he made being very uncharacteristic of him. "He has been alive and kicking the whole time." "And he is starting his revenge by cursing water spirits inside Kirash for the past few years," Lux added with a grim tone. Simply put, Typhon was the final boss of the otome game. He was one of the most powerful dragons Aqua and others had faced during the war against the cursed dragons. The otome game wasn''t clear how he survived, only that he did and orchestrated the cursed spirit crisis otome Maria and the capture targets had to face. "I have no excuse," Aqua shook her head in shame. "The Kirash royal family had always valued their privacy, no matter if the circumstances were different or not." "It is fate," Rai interjected. "Whether it is consequences of the great sea you erected or the overconfident prince''s pyrrhic conquest of Fichs, Typhon will still get his opportunity to sway him." Speaking of which, Van didn''t even reach the Fichs capital in the otome game. As Allister thought, the war with Fichs screwed Kirash more than half the territory gained from the empire to make it worth the trouble. That''s not to mention that the newly conquered territories previously conquered by Fichs immediately started rebelling. One of the capture targets was even from one of those places. At least otome Kirash was the biggest country in Aqua''s territory. "Quite a grubby fate it is," Glace continued with his arms crossed. "By the time the lads'' about to graduate, the cursed dragon will become all of our problems." "I still shudder to think how large swaths of my land are being overrun by my spirits being cursed by that bastard," Aqua nursed her head. "Even the cursed spirits I am seeing now are heartbreaking enough." "Well, at least Joshua ratted him out earlier than he liked, right?" Ven pointed out the bright side. "Yes, we have no news of cursed spirits in our territories," Petra nodded slowly. "That means Typhon has yet to finish his accursed talismans to easily start the corruption anywhere he wants." In the otome game, Typhon created these talismans in Kirash castle basement to jumpstart cursed spirits in any territory, sent by human agents he cursed under his control, of course. Such convenient plot devices allowed otome Maria and party to first encounter these befallen spirits in their second year as the dragon was testing them by giving them out to petty crooks the academy students assigned to subjugate, quality education. "Still, how did he even manage to curse the spirits?" Luna wondered, rubbing her chin. "Even dragons cannot mess with souls." "Probably why it took almost a thousand years for him to have finally done it," Lux crossed his arms. "If anyone could do it, it is probably him." It was overall a foreshadowing for the chaos that was about to come down the next year when such items were spread throughout Spiri Raia. Meanwhile, the revelation that a cursed dragon was responsible for all of it was hinted at all the way back in the first year of the history class about the fae''s war against those dragons. "But we have the solution to this conundrum," Lux continued. "Right, Aqua?" "Indeed," Aqua nodded, turning her back. "Come here, Alicia." "Right." Alicia, all of her, stepped forward into the center, hopping across the floating boulders acting as the bridge to the tiny island in the middle with the rest of the hot springs. If she felt nervous, she wouldn''t show it, but Owen knew her enough that she would be confident facing down all of the greater spirits. "So, Alicia?" Ignis remarked with a grin on his face. "I can already tell you are special. Certainly a fired-up lady too if I do say so myself." "Hihihi! He''s funny!" After the little scare, Voice was still outside. She insisted that much to the spirits'' dismay. Owen could sympathize, though not for the same reason. "Ignis'' remarks aside, it is true there is something Alicia has that others do not," Lux scrutinized the girl again. "One that allows her to nullify Typhon''s curse." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Ooh, now that I have seen it, I sense the same thing in my blessed cuties," Flora remarked excitedly. "And according to this Storykeeper, it was because of our blessings?" Luna asked confusingly. "Yes! Maria is able to do it because of her Illyer heritage," Aqua smiled. "Alicia''s mother is an Illyer so she can purify cursed spirits too." "Okay, how is that possible?" Ven inquired, raising his hand unnecessarily. "Technically, our blessings are a pretend thing everyone else thinks is real. We did not give them any tangible power boosts, right?" "Then maybe our empty blessings were not so empty after all if our blessed were granted the power to counteract the dragon''s curse," Rai chuckled, already accepting the information. "All of our blessed and their descendants are able to request the purifying spirit arts, correct?" "Yes, all of them do," Aqua nodded. "Huh, that makes her less impressive," Ignis quipped. "Hey!" "Voice, calm down," Alicia admonished the pixie. Of course, when otome Maria and company encountered their first cursed spirit, they fumbled around a bit before otome Luke hit the spirit with his spirit art Maria requested. Much like Alicia, having Maria requesting the spirit art was enough for the blessing to kick in and purify the spirit. It worked because spirit arts were powered by the soul connected by the requester. "Okay, but how still?" Ven asked again. As Aqua only gave a brief summary, the other greater spirits haven''t heard why the blessing was suddenly able to lift curses. "It is simple, really," Aqua crossed her arms confidently. "It is the same way when we reshaped this world into Spiri Raia at the end of our crusade against the dragons." "..!" "Wait, what!?" "Ah, I see..." "When the dragons laid their final, greatest curse, it is from our collective will that we refused to let them have the last laugh," Aqua explained. "We were able to shed our bodies to counteract the decay that would have ravaged us, turning us into spirits." "Yes," Luna nodded. "I am still left wondering how we were able to achieve such a feat." "But we all know how we were able to do so," Petra added. "Aye, by the rite of conquest we claimed the dragons'' power to curse," Rai stated, arcs of electricity bouncing off of him. "It is at that moment the bonds we shared allowed us to fight the final curse with a ''curse'' of our own." "And shape Spiri Raia as we envisioned," Lux finished, closing his eyes. "Yes, it is starting to make sense." "Yes, our ''curse'' is to nullify the dragon''s curse," Glace spoke slowly. "It is only appropriate that we bestowed the same ''curse'' upon our blessed." "But when did we do it?" Flora wondered, placing her finger on her lips. "I did not remember giving one to my cuties, right?" "We did when we blessed our blessed," Aqua said. "The dragons only need to say it for the curse to come forth." "So unconsciously, we had given very real blessings with only our word," Luna concluded. "With only a word of a curse, the dragon changes the world for the worse," Lux muttered the phrase. "Of course, the dragons had always been able to alter reality and bestow curses by simply saying it." "Uhn?" Rin, watching the discussion unfold, perked up at the implication. "Indeed, Rin," Ronald confirmed, surprising the young girl. "The dragons were able to modify this world''s Fantasy Law by saying what they wanted to alter, to a certain extent." "Whoa!" Rin muttered aghast. "Yep, they''re a real piece of work," Joshua added. "And with the seeds we planted, our chosen people turned the tide against Typhon''s curse," Glace then said before chuckling. "Hoho, why can we not purify our spirits ourselves, then?" "Even I do not understand the logic no matter how much I read the reason," Aqua shook her head in confusion. "Moving on, by the children''s third year, Typhon will unleash an invasion of cursed spirits in all of our territories," Lux continued the topic with a frown. "How horrible was it supposed to be?" "In your territories, not so bad," Aqua stated before her expression darkened. "In mine... I prefer not to remember what I have seen." "Damn, that bad?" Ignis said in sympathy. She was right. Even though they were still images, the otome game had quite effectively shown how dark the story got in the third year. The Kirash capital was overrun by the cursed spirits and frankly burning to the ground, figuratively since they were water spirits. Just the single image of the capital in pandemonium by the water spirits suffering under the dragon''s curse was enough to get to Aqua even though it hadn''t happened yet and Owen didn''t like the expression she made. Even Layla and Neptune were reduced to tears with Alicia''s mother and grandfather spending a long while comforting their named spirits while also being equally distraught. Unsurprisingly, this happened as Typhon backstabbed Van and took over the kingdom, using it as the staging ground for his invasion. It was a sour point for Maria''s father knowing his otome self didn''t even get to confront his brother before being killed just like that. Otome game-wise, it was anti-climatic as well having the protagonist not even meeting the man who set the entire plot into motion. "I suppose it is because we have our blessed bringing the spirits cursed by Typhon''s damnable talismans back to normal," Lux muttered before noticing. "Could it be that Typhon embedded himself in your territory because your blessed are no longer there?" "No, even he would not have realized our blessed can undo his curse," Aqua shook her head. "He really did approach Van at his weakest, the same happening here. My blessed family no longer in my territory is certainly a happy coincidence for him." "Aye, while we have all of our blessed fighting alongside us, you had to fend them off yourself," Rai stated sadly. The greater lightning spirit really meant it. Even Maria''s mother and aunt fought alongside her with Neptune and Layla in the otome game when the cursed spirits invaded the light kingdom. How otome Aqua had to deal with quite frankly the source of the infestation before Maria and party came to save the day was best left unsaid. "Well, at least it would not be for long before my blessed return to their homeland and resolve the crisis," Aqua sighed, bopping her head down as she did so. "Them and the army from Lux''s territory." "Ah, yes! Like our battle with them a millennia ago!" Rai bellowed out. The penultimate finale of the game began with a liberation force from the light kingdom into the cursed-ridden Kirash. Like a reenactment of the dragon war, with Maria and the capture targets alongside their named spirits leading the charge, they break into the capital purifying every cursed spirit in their way. Eventually, they confronted Typhon who, while a shell of his former self, transformed from a decrepit old man into his draconic form to fight them. Of course, they defeated Typhon, and Layla and Lucas got named heir in the end. The game of course has a bad ending when the player lost the battle against Typhon which was the standard villain taking over the world so no need to talk about it further. Especially how dark it is, Owen thought. Seeing it was their former home and Maria there, the Illyers didn''t like the fate that would befall her should Typhon win, and neither did he. Seeing Alicia''s face on the messed up ending of the otome version of her cousin was unpleasant enough. "So, what do we do with this information at present then?" Luna inquired, moving this discussion to the final part. "We know Typhon is holed up in Kirash and the tall human''s rebellion has pressured him to act sooner. We better make haste." "Luna, is it not obvious?" Aqua smirked, her hands on her waist. "We charge in and defeat Typhon, all of us, just as we did against the dragons when we were fae!" In the otome game, it was just the greater water and light spirit fighting Typhon. The others were still occupied with the cursed spirits in their territory. "Strike while we have the opportunity," Rai muttered with an increasing smile. "Hah! I like it!" "See, everyone?" Ignis smiled, looking at the other greater spirits. "Aqua is still the undine we know and love." "Yes," Luna sighed in relent, yet Owen could see a faint smile. "You are right, Ignis." "Hm?" Aqua blinked, naturally confused by her colleagues'' behavior. "What is wrong?" "Aqua, I am sure you and we know how much we worried about you," Petra stated as if a weight had been lifted. "And it appears such fears were unfounded." "Oh," Aqua realized. "So it is that, huh?" "We were scared, you know," Flora chastised, seeing Aqua not having a greater reaction than expected. "Ever since you turned red, no, ever since meeting the Court Wizards, we thought you were changing in a bad way." "But as it turns out, you are just being yourself as you were a millennia ago," Petra added with a soft smile. "We were too... distracted to remember it." "Definitely!" Ignis chuckled. There was no need to point out what he was referring to. "Laugh it up," Aqua grumbled though with a hint of amusement. "You were always different from other undines," Lux said. "That is to say, you do not just go against the flow, you force it to flow your way." "And we love you for it!" Ven added, raising his hand with a thumbs up for no reason. "Oh really?" Aqua asked, raising her eyebrow. "Of course," Luna stated as if it were fact. "You were the one who banded us together to fight the dragons, after all." "Aqua is the one who started the war!?" Alicia muttered agape, having long since returned to the Court Wizards group. "Wow!" "Of course, her Guardianship makes sense when you consider such things," Ronald remarked. "You were the one who started blessing people and bringing us along," Flora added. "Face it, you are the one who always comes forth new ideas and always makes us like it in the end." "And in regards to that, allow us to extend our apology, for doubting you," Lux finished solemnly. "Yes, I figured," Aqua sighed, hanging her head low. "But, I also have to apologize for doubting you all as well." "Huh? Why?" "Because I had also thought in the passing years we began to rift apart and yet I chose to pretend everything was fine," Aqua confessed with a small smile. "I suppose my fears were unfounded too because you all still cared about me." "Well, I suppose we all acted nothing was wrong of the sorts," Glace remarked. "Aqua..." Layla muttered sadly. "Uuh..." Neptune sobbed. It was supposed to be an end on a good note, with Aqua and her fellow greater spirits opening up to each other before the crack between them got worse. But as always, Owen felt something bad in his chest at what they must have felt bottling up all those emotions and suspicions towards one another because it happened in the first place. "Everyone, how did we get here?" Aqua then said. "I still remember when we were just fae, frolicking around and going on adventures like it is no one''s business." "Aye, I still remembered the shenanigans we got into," Ignis remembered fondly. "Yes, in the end, we were only playful creatures at heart," Luna lamented, reminiscing. "Then we saw what Typhon did to that village all for his kind''s brand of amusement." "I still remember that poor boy ripped apart," Petra shook her head in sorrow. "Do not remind me of that boy," Flora flinched in metaphorical pain. "He was too innocent to die like that." "Bastard even has the gall to say we would do the same if we were in their scales when we kicked them in," Ignis grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Yet we have shown to not share their hubris," Rai added resolutely. "You said it!" Ven praised. "And we shall prove that tyrant wrong again," Glace declared. "Yes, I will never regret the day I proposed to defeat the cursed dragons and rid their evil from this world," Aqua closed her eyes before opening them in determination. "And I will gladly do it again if I have to!" "That''s right!" Layla praised, happy to see her greater spirit mood back up. "Yeah!" Neptune joined in. "Well said," Lux said with enthusiasm. "So, what is the plan? Surely you have thought of it before we gathered here." "Of course I do," Aqua nodded, before turning to her fellow Court Wizards. "Will, come to the center, please." "Right," William sighed as he hopped to the center. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 6: Rising to the Freezing Mountain of Vulgis "How in the Dark Mist does dumping loads of Palras Steel into a volcano make it erupt faster!?" Miriel demanded as she palmed her head with one hand and supported herself on the podium with another. "Does that even make scientific sense!?" She continued, eyeing William. "Haven''t heard of it at school," William shrugged in disbelief. Being in an emergency meeting, not many Guardians can arrive on short notice. There were just William, Zekie, Gabriel, and Miriel. They contemplated having Alice here but decided this would be a bit too much for her first discussion. "Something about mass amounts of weight dumped into the volcano all at once destabilizing it," Zekie said with a reluctant tone. "Believe me, I''ve worked with metal all my life and I have no idea why an alloy can be used that way." The entire invasion attempt was all a ruse by Palras to distract the Vulgis while a small contingent snuck into the natural landmark of the Half-Beost kingdom and wasted so much of their precious alloy into the mouth of the volcano to accelerate its eruption. It was an inane plan with very little logic but somehow it worked and was very much confirmed by Amelia who was similarly in denial after spending a better part of her day analyzing the damage caused. She was currently resting in the light chamber after a nice shower after being around an active volcano for a long time, which practically gave her heatstroke. "Regardless, it had happened," Gabriel stated, closing his eyes for a moment. "It is best we move on to what happens after." "Right, like how that fool of an emperor will destroy Beohar with his foolish stunt!" Miriel shrieked, gripping the podium so hard it could crack. With Beohar being her homeworld, she was freaking out. "It will be more than just my kingdom becoming a sea of ashes if it erupts!" A good portion of Amelia''s time was spent on estimating how big the eruption would be. Case in point, the volcano being in the middle of Beohar would spread its ashes to not only Vulgis, but also Palras and the entirety of central Beohar, leaving only the outer regions habitable. Even then, the volcanic winter occurring afterwards would screw their harvest anyway. "Calm down, Miriel. I know you are distraught seeing it is your kingdom and world at stake," Gabriel reassured the mermaid princess. "But panicking will not do any good." "...Yes, I know," Miriel relented, her fin-like ears drooping down and her tense mermaid tail relaxing. She wasn''t like other fish half-animals who could morph their tail into human legs, so she needed her loyal maneg to let her traverse through the land. "It is just that even though it was supposed to be just between Palras and Vulgis, it still very much affected my kingdom. Vulgis is our biggest trading partner, you know." Miriel''s kingdom, the Aqua kingdom, was an underwater civilization in the largest body of water in Beohar. It was also next to Vulgis which meant trade for the things a nation with almost no dry land didn''t have, like grain, especially after getting a population boom because of it - Aqua kingdom architecture allowed for dry pockets to cook them. With Vulgis being at war with a large empire, however, such inflow of vital supplies became shaky. The kingdom of fish Half-Beosts being stuck in the water meant they couldn''t fight alongside Vulgis even if they wanted to. This naturally made Miriel who was a princess of that kingdom very anxious about the coming state of her kingdom. "I can already see bags under my father''s eyes. He tries to hide it, but I can tell. Even my younger brother is running himself ragged over the situation," Miriel continued in frustration. "Meanwhile, I am here, with powers and position greater than I had ever before, having the chance to turn things around only to make no significant progress on top of a world-ending crisis on our lap!" Panting from all the shouting, the other Guardians gave the mermaid some time to catch her breath. They knew she was under a lot of pressure so it was better not to rush too much lest it got worse. Of course, they didn''t have time to dally either. "Yes, we know, Miriel," Zekie sighed. "It does feel like we are not doing anything at all sometimes. But, we all know why we can''t rush this either." "Yes, I know that," Miriel grumbled. "But we cannot dally either." "Very true," Gabriel nodded. "In that case, do you have a plan, Will?" he turned to William. "..." For a moment, William was silent, contemplating. "I got one," he then said and looked up towards Owen watching the entire proceeding from the upper gallery.
"Ahoy, Ice Boy!" A jolly voice rang out into the lounge. "Fancy seeing ya here!" Owen internally groaned as he leaned forward from the couch he was sitting on in the public area of the Court''s second floor with the many inner chambers meant to house non-Guardian Court Wizards and the grand spiraling staircase nobody used in view. He already knew who it was coming from the elevator as he could recognize that kind of speech from anywhere especially being the only person who called him that nickname. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Are you here to challenge Master Miriel again, Jake?" Owen turned to see the poorly-shaven man in his pirate getup that somehow also still looked fancy enough to make him look like a nobleman. "Was gonna," Jake Rhaims admitted as he sauntered over to Owen. "Then I heard what happened today, my condolences."
"His heart has been pierced and he is losing too much blood!" Gabriel lamented, his hands stained with blood trying to save the man. "He will not make it!" "T-Tell my father... a-and Lei... t-to keep fighting for peace between... o-our races..." Crom struggled to say as he breathed his last.
As Jake took a seat on the opposite couch, he then said, "Ya know, I still clearly remembered what me pops said before he died from Winter Sickness." That was out of left field, the pirate wannabe literally just sat down and talked about how his father died from a plague hitting his world. Owen simply sat there, speechless. "Me pops was a stubborn old fool at that," Jake confessed, slacking his muscles as he sank into the couch. "Ol'' Maverick could''a easily cure him but he insists he could tough it out. Meanwhile, he kicked me outta our drowned world ''till the coast is clear." Owen didn''t know if he was supposed to chuckle or not. Jake seemed to allude to it given the hypocrisy of it, but the melancholic look on his face said otherwise. "I only got back when me pops bit the dust," the Water Court Wizard continued. "He stood there, proudly, on the Kraken he''s sailed with for all his life as he''s fading away." Owen never met Jake''s father, so he doesn''t know what to imagine of him. He can already begin to form it from what Jake told him but he still needed to hear more from the pirate as he screwed open the flask of rum he kept under his jacket. "He told me he''s sorry for kicking the bucket like that," Jake said after taking a quick swig from his flask. "Then, he told me to just keep going." "..." "Yeah, I bet you thought it would be fancier," Jake chuckled, swirling the liquor in his hand. "And it''s probably too cheesy for you modern folks." To be fair, it was. Owen has seen enough stories telling that inspirational line that people got bored of it. It was quite the effect of how darker stories were getting more and more traction. "But, you know what? It''s still one good piece of advice," Jake continued, putting both of his arms onto the armrests, the flask dangling in his right hand. "My kingdom''s through a wringer, ya''know? Bloody plague nearly wiped out the royal family. Stella''s only six when she suddenly became queen, it''s kinda the same boat as lil'' Alice now that I say it." Already it stung. The very apparent parallels between the two young girls'' situations were too hard to ignore. Sure, the Sea of World was vast, but Owen wanted to think such sad coincidences rarely happened, but it did not. "She''s practically clinging to my leg and even the small nobility we have only left us a bunch''a greenhorns for ministers!" Jake ranted. "Barely anyone''s qualified to run the government. Twas'' a miracle old man Obex''s still prime minister to keep the ship from sinking." Owen may not know much about how medieval society was governed, but he was pretty sure having most of the leadership gutted and replaced by newbies was never going to end well. Based on what he was implying, Jake along with this Obex was pretty much holding the reigns of his kingdom. "But, I still pulled it off," Jake then said calmly, swirling his flask mindlessly. "And it''s all thanks to me pops telling me to keep going." That was even harder to ignore. Jake''s father kept him motivated to save his kingdom, Owen''s father also kept him motivated to find him in the many worlds he visited. The Sea of Worlds sure was big for Owen to find someone to connect with. "...Is that why you kept challenging Master Miriel?" Owen finally spoke, being the one of the only things in his mind. "Guilty as charged, Ice Boy!" Jake chuckled, a huge grin was plastered on his face. "Gotta get that Contract back, ya know?" To be able to make a Contract, one must be a Duke/Duchess. To attain the final rank for non-Guardian Wizards, they have to fight their respective Guardians. They don''t have to win, only putting an impressive show of combat mastery that the Mother Soul gave its recognition. Actually, Amelia said it''s only the recognition by the Mother Soul that''s needed for the rank, and sparring with its host was the easiest way of getting it, something Jake was rather enthusiastic about. "I''ll get that Duke title," Jake muttered happily. "For everything me pops built, queen Stella, and our kingdom of the stars! I can feel it getting closer!" Owen''s father once told him having someone you care about can make you go very far. Sure, it sounded cringey, but Owen knew he couldn''t be any more right. If Jake''s willingness to challenge Miriel almost every day came from honoring his father''s legacy and serving his queen and country, Owen sure knew what made him willing to do. "Well, Ice Boy," Jake then stood up and pocketed his flask. "It''s a good time as any. Best of luck to ya!" he said with a wave of goodbye before heading off to the elevator. And Owen knew he would need it.
SHIING The blade of the ice rapier glistened from the sunlight as Owen gripped it straight up while his body leaned on the balcony railing. He heard it was his father who invented the [Rapier] Order to reach the Wizard rank by modifying the [Blade] Order. Because of that, Owen ended up using this Order frequently. It was quite curious how nobody else came up with this Order before. Owen heard the Ice Guardian before Master Catherine was an 18th-century noble but he settled for an Order that created flintlocks since he could use [Blade] on his cane Cherished Armament. Owen supposed the original Order was good enough that no one tried making something new out of it until his father. But well, Owen heard scientific papers and the like were built upon what others have made before and the same went for those too. Owen''s Order that got his Wizard rank was no different, taking his father''s second original Order, [Ice Layer], and developing it further as [Deep Freeze]. Amelia said something about how his Maneg Soul was currently the only one who could perform the Order and that others couldn''t. But that doubly meant he needed to see this through. "Are you good enough to go, Owen?" William asked behind him as he entered the air chamber balcony. "Yeah, I am," Owen replied as he turned his back to see his friend. He has been with him long enough to know his internal expression for making him do this. "Right, we''re going back." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 6.1: Preparation for War - His Mothers Village Spiri Raia Year 928 Year 1421 in Manegia "Huh, her village was the same as I remembered it," Joshua muttered, taking a deep breath out of nervousness. "Give or take a few new houses but it is indeed," Ronald agreed with him. In a remote part of Kirash lay a small village. It was nothing special, just a quiet medieval settlement Owen had seen many times before. While its hilly geography made it too much effort for any invader to go out of their way to attack it (while almost isolating it in return), one particular detail made it important. It was his mother''s home village. "You haven''t visited the village for all these years, Joshua?" Ronald then asked as they passed through the wooden fences surrounding the village by its entrance. "No, didn''t dare to face them," Joshua admitted unashamedly. "So I''ve been putting it off with my rebellion until now." It was only Owen, his father, and Ronald visiting the village. With the decision at the summit, everyone was preparing to invade the Kirash capital. William was back in the Court going over the plan. Alicia, being able to purify the cursed spirits, was training with Aqua and Rin went with her.
"Me? Using spirit arts?" Alicia muttered dumbfounded. "That is right," Aqua smiled with a nod, her hands on her waist. "I did say your mother is adept at it. With Layla here, I am sure you will master it in no time." "Yeah!" Layla agreed. "I know you can do it!" "We decided since you will be playing a main role in this, it will be appropriate that you do it with spirit arts as well," Aqua explained. "Your cousin would have done so if she were born in our world." "I see," Alicia nodded in understanding. "I will do it. I am interested in mother''s spirit arts too." "You won''t regret it!" Layla said excitedly at working with her namer''s daughter. "Let''s go! Training arc!" "Uhn! I''ll come with you too, big sis!" Rin exclaimed.
That left Owen with no particular task to do before the invasion. Because of that, his father and Ronald decided now would be the best time to catch up on some things, namely bringing the Illyer household back to their homeworld. The other one was bringing Owen here. Right, Owen thought as he reached into his pocket and grasped the flower brooch that belonged to his mother. "The orphanage should be around here," Joshua muttered as he led the way, ignoring the stares from the villagers at the obvious strangers coming into their unknown village. Speaking of which, Owen heard from Ronald how his father and mother met. It was probably one of the craziest stories of how someone''s parents first met; his father stopped his mother from assassinating duke Illyer and then proceeded to liberate her orphanage and village from the bandits blackmailing her into doing it. That, however, made the state of this village a bit strange. After having been held entirely hostage, one would think they ought to take better measures to prevent that from happening again. Just because it''s a small village didn''t mean they could train up a few young people to thrust a spear. But as far as Owen could see, there weren''t any villagers of the sort. If anything they gave them a wide berth, as if they decided they couldn''t do anything if they were to stir up some trouble which was quite the pessimistic thought. "There''s the orphanage," Joshua muttered as the group stopped in their tracks. "It''s the same as ever before. The place is taken care of well." "Indeed it is," Ronald nodded, looking at the place. It was a cathedral-style building which was probably a coincidence given that the greater spirits weren''t actively worshipped in that sense - Aqua herself said she and the other greater spirits found it too pretentious. As Ronald said, it was well-maintained. Save for a few discolorations on the corners, the orphanage can very well house a dozen kids. CREEK Out of the building came an elderly man whose age made him impressive to still be alive in a medieval-era world. From the distance, Owen could already tell the look of surprise adorning the old man''s face seeing his father and Ronald, digging the bottom of his cane deeper into the ground. "Director, who are they?" came the voice of a child peeking his head behind the elder, the village being this quiet allowing Owen''s sharp ear to catch it. "...They''re guests, child," the orphanage director said gently. "Why don''t you go and prepare the table? I''ll meet them first." "Okay!" the child said in a sing-song tone while going back inside. With the kid out of the way, the orphanage director walked towards the group as they approached him, leaving a trail of cane prints as he went. With every step, however, Owen felt a bit of tension in the air rising for some reason. He glanced at his father and saw a bit of stiffness on his face, the same went for Ronald. "Ronald? Joshua? Is that you, son?" the director muttered in disbelief, having not seen the two people for decades. "Yes, it''s us, director," Ronald answered stiffly. "It has been a long time since we last met, huh?" Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Yes, it has been," the director said, gripping his cane tightly. "Where-" "Hey, guys! It''s mister Ronald and mister Joshua! They''re back!" Turning to the source of the voice were four young adults, two male and two female, rushing to their side. Owen noticed both his father and Ronald stifled a bit. Despite bringing him here, they sure were unprepared to actually reconnect with old acquaintances as he could guess these villagers were the orphans he was told about all grown-up. "It''s you kids..." Joshua muttered, expecting to see them but at the same time not. "You''ve all grown..." Ronald added, feeling reminiscent. "Yeah, and you guys got old!" one of the boys quipped happily. "I''m Richter in case you forgot." He then pointed his thumb at the other man. "That''s Marco," he said while Marco shrugged and then moved on to the two women. "And they''re Sophie and Abigail," he introduced while they gave them a friendly wave. "You didn''t actually forget our names, did you?" "No, we didn''t," Joshua muttered. "Anyway, who''s this little guy?" Richter then gestured towards Owen. Now, Owen would have been miffed once again for his stature being poked but the look on his father''s face made him forget all of that. As if swallowing a bug, Joshua looked conflicted knowing it would come to this, and yet was reluctant to. Owen could feel the discomfort his father was experiencing. "...He''s my son," Joshua then answered. "...With Willow." A pin-drop silence soon followed. The revelation left the villagers speechless and the elderly director probably skipped a bear. Gone was the cheery atmosphere of the meeting replaced with a sense of melancholy, especially since Owen''s mother wasn''t here with them which could only mean one thing. "...I believe we have much to talk about inside," the director finally said.
"I see. So, Willow was saved by you two," the director sighed in relief, cupping the wooden glass in his hands filled with water. "We all thought she died in the fire along with the duke." They were at the orphanage dining table, being served cups of water by the oldest kid there. While not in the room, Owen can already spy on the other orphans peeking from the door, curious of the visitors. POKE POKE "And she has such a cute boy!" Sophie cooed, sitting beside Owen and stabbing his cheek with her index finger, much to his annoyance. "Hear! Hear!" Abigail added, sitting at the other side and poking Owen''s other cheek. For the last half an hour or so, Owen''s father and Ronald told them everything that happened since the first time they met. From their rescue via Transporter Room abuse to the Illyer household''s rescue and new life in Kaomagi Earth, they had told them all. Owen supposed they deserved to know about the Court and other worlds. Besides, it was fine to tell them - Owen personally knew that it took a lot of effort to convince the general populace of a world that other worlds and world-hopping wizards exist. "..." That said, after finishing the story, Owen''s father looked downcast as if feeling guilty. Owen could understand because in the end, his mother was... "Tell me, Joshua," the director then spoke. "Was she happy?" Joshua blinked, snapping himself out of his slight depression at the director''s sudden question. "...Yes, yes she was," he answered. "Then I''m glad she had a fulfilling life," the director smiled gently in a consoling tone. "It was raining heavily when I took her in as an infant. Her cry was so weak I thought it was too late when I finally found her left at the doorstep. Even by the blessings of the greater spirits that she survived, I was unsure if she could still live a long life with her body being so weak." Downing his cup of water, he continued, "But, I shouldn''t have worried, she has always been a strong girl." Looking at the four orphans who were listening attentively, he said, "when we had taken the four of you in, she was determined to be the older sister for you all. That led to her employment in the duke''s household. "I had once worked for the Illyer household before becoming the director of this orphanage, so I was able to recommend her," the director admitted. "From the letters I received, she performed well despite her condition and I couldn''t be any more proud of her." SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH Receiving another cup of water from the orphan boy, the director took another drink and continued, "But then those brigands captured our village and waited until Willow came back to see us. Thank the greater spirits you stopped them before the irreversible happened, I can only imagine how much it weighed upon her." "...Well, I can say she was determined to save you guys," Joshua confessed. And at another time, that determination would have succeeded in doing what the second prince wanted if it wasn''t for him interfering just in time. "That she was," the director nodded in agreement. "And I can already see it in your son together," he said, looking at Owen. "Me?" Owen muttered, pointing at himself. "You have traveled many places to search for your father, didn''t you?" the director asked rhetorically. "It''s the same tenacity your mother has. Despite not seemingly able to, both of you did not give up on what you do." And that led to him finding his father in this world. Not only that, if it weren''t for Aqua stalling him from coming to Spiri Raia the whole time, Owen could have found him sooner. It really was his determination to find him for half a decade that led him to this point. And also the volcano, Owen thought bitterly, though Jake did give him the push he needed to see it through. "Yes, it is sad that Willow has passed, but I am also happy that she had lived a good life," the director continued kindly. "She married the man she loved and had a child. Even though she never got to see you grow up, I''m sure she is very much proud of you, Owen." Turning to Owen''s father, he then said, "And that''s why, Joshua, that you also shouldn''t feel so bad. I may not know for certain what you have been doing for the past few years, but know that you shouldn''t do it with a heart full of sorrow but of strength as your wife had." His father slumped his shoulders and Owen did too. They came here to see his mother''s village and break the news of her passing after more than one and a half decades. Owen didn''t expect this to be their reaction to it, not of grief and anger but quite literally a therapy session. They needed to hear the heartfelt words. "...Thank you, director," Joshua said with a faint smile and his son shared the same sentiment. "You are very welcome," the director smiled.
"Goodbye!" "Bye-bye!" "May the greater spirits'' blessings be with you!" With waves of farewell, the three Court Wizards left the village behind them. They proceeded to go around the small hill to the spot where they transferred in, the same place where Owen''s father and Ronald began their orphanage rescue mission. "Hm, that was a fruitful meeting right, Joshua?" Ronald remarked as he entered the transfer zone. "Yeah," Joshua nodded and then turned to his son. "Come on, Owen. Let''s go back to the Court." "Right," Owen said, following after the two Court Wizards. Owen spent the next few hours listening to stories about his mother from the director and the four grown-up orphans. From the mundane things to the silly and wholesome moments, they were eager to tell Owen everything about her mother he never really knew. When it was time to leave, Owen felt more connected to his mother than ever before as he returned to Manegia. KETINK KETINK KETINK Loyal maneg flew out of Owen''s soul and rushed to his pocket. Pulling out the target item in his pocket, everyone saw Willow''s brooch glowing light blue as more and more loyal maneg became one with it. Despite having never taken it out until prior, the brooch floated from his hand and grew bigger and bigger. "This is...!" After the brooch stopped growing, its light died down, revealing the result. Plopping back to Owen''s hand, was an ice-blue shield fitting snuggly into his arm. The front of the shield bore the same flowery pattern of the brooch it once was. In other words, it''s a flower shield - a Cherished Armament. "Well, hey now," Joshua smiled at his son. "That''s a beautiful Armament you got." "What will you name it?" Ronald then asked. Marveling at the shield from the front and back, Owen already knew what to name it, what his mother had given him. "Its name is..." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 6.2: Preparation for War - Reunions and Talks "So you''re alive all this time!" the mayor exclaimed in his gasp. "Yes, I have been," Allister admitted with a sigh, preparing himself for what was to come. They were back in duke Illyer''s city, this time with the Illyers. What happened was the Court Wizards tried to arrange reunions between the duke''s servants and their families. While that was happening, Owen and his father went with Allister to meet the city mayor and the magistrate, who the Court arranged to take over Illyer''s domain via Aqua demanding it, in the city hall. "Has your family survived too?" the magistrate then inquired. "Yes, they are, most of my household as well," Allister nodded, pausing for a moment. "...And so is prince Albert." In the mayor''s office, the mayor and magistrate were stupefied and surprised when they entered this room after being asked for a private meeting with someone who turned out to be the duke who was supposed to be dead. As the city sort of became a hub for his father''s rebellion against king Van, it was easy for Owen''s father to convince them to meet an anonymous person out of the blue. "Prince Albert too?" the mayor widened his eyes in shock. "How is he?" "Doing well too," Allister smiled. "He and my youngest daughter, Elaine, tied the knot and had a daughter together." "What about your eldest?" the magistrate added the question. "Same," the duke replied. "Irene married and had a daughter with a... very wealthy man." Very wealthy indeed. Owen glanced at his father having a wry smile and imagined him thinking exactly that. "That is great to hear," the magistrate remarked. "And now, you have returned." "Yes, I have," Allister nodded, but then his expression turned melancholic. "And I have noticed the city has changed." "Indeed, it has been ever since you were gone, my lord," the mayor said in a somber tone. Ronald had said it before when they visited this place for the first time. He said the townsfolk were generally happier under Allister''s rule and were quite optimistic despite the second prince putting a lot of political pressure. Now, as Ronald noticed it, that sort of atmosphere was gone and replaced with a sense of loss because of the duke''s alleged demise which was lifted somewhat by his father''s rebellion stoking a sense of retribution against the new king. "In regards to that, where were you?" the magistrate inquired. "How did you survive the fire?" "It is a long story," Allister simply said. "But it is sir Joshua''s group who rescued us at the last moment and helped us escape." "...I see, after witnessing his valor on the battlefield, that makes sense," the magistrate sighed. By his expression, Owen imagined he and his father went way back over the years. "But why come back now? Why did you not return immediately?" "...That is the story I have to tell."
BRAK "Damn! Even though you saved his kingdom..!" the magistrate cursed, slamming the desk before palming his temple as he supported himself on the same desk. "So it was not just Van, but his majesty too..!" "And it was simply an opportunity you took to come back here," the mayor sighed. "All because Joshua started his revolt." "Yes, not only did the sting of my old friend''s betrayal hurt, but I knew the moment Albert did it, he had cemented his choice for Van to be the next king," Allister added with a sad tone. "There was nothing I could do even if I reemerged immediately. I was not in a position to rebel myself as Joshua did." For the next several minutes, Allister told them a sanitized version of what happened when Ronald and Owen''s father rescued the Illyers from the fire, the subsequent proof the previous king, who was also named Albert, was in on the plot than what the public believed, and finally the new life his household led away from Kirash; all while omitting the Court and other worlds as Joshua felt he shouldn''t reveal that to them yet. It was something that was rehearsed before coming here knowing it would happen. "So will neither you nor prince Albert ever reemerge?" the mayor asked though knowing the answer already. "We cannot," the former duke shook his head sadly. "The matter of the fact is we had still abandoned our kingdom, we have no right to simply come back and take charge after all these years." Not only that, the Illyers were pretty much used to their new lives in Kaomagi Earth. Not only do prince Albert and the rest of the surviving Illyer household have new jobs, but some even have started families there - they simply can no longer return to their previous ones in Spiri Raia. Besides, how was Alicia''s cousin supposed to suddenly be the crown princess? That would be a whole other can of worms. "So will it still be Van''s own son replacing him?" the mayor then asked Joshua who was watching the entirety of their conversation. "Yeah, he''s a good kid, nothing like his father," Joshua assured him. "A little nudging from us will make sure he''ll be better than him." After taking down Van, the plan was to ironically replace him with son, also named Van - royals do love naming their kids after themselves. In fact, one of the otome game routes was Van junior and was often seen as the ''true'' route given it was the one most connected to the protagonist''s backstory for obvious reasons. Of course, otome Van and Maria were first cousins and the same went here, so... "Well, we do need to work on his self-esteem," Joshua admitted. "But eh, it shouldn''t be too hard." Another point for Van junior was that he was the second prince - worlds sure liked writing its ironies. His older brother, who already graduated from the academy, was the heir and he was as much of a dirtbag as his father, constantly bullying his younger brother to the point he became closed off and reclusive. In the otome game, most of Van junior''s route revolved around instilling confidence back into him so that he could face his brother in battle and beat him before taking over Kirash as the new king in the final part of the game. Otome Maria, of course, became the queen. Outside of his route, Van junior still ended up being king but with his issues unresolved alluding to more problems down the line. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "So, is there really no way?" the magistrate pleaded to the former duke. "No, there is not," Allister shook his head again with a sigh. "Besides, sir Joshua is already riding high on his rebellion. If there is an opportunity to join in, it is already too late. It is better for the Kirash people to still think we have perished." "And we already picked up Van junior," Joshua added. "He was screeching like a cat after we more or less kidnapped him from the academy, it''ll be pretty awkward if we put him back now." It''ll also be a task to do what otome Maria was supposed to do to Van junior for the entire time they were in the academy in just a few weeks at best. Not only did he almost get a heart attack when Owen''s father launched the siege just as he left for the academy, but he also got dragged back to Kirash by the very same rebels and told he was going to be the next king and a legit one at that. "Damn," the magistrate palmed his head again. "If I had struggled a bit more, would you have still stayed," he mumbled. "Hm?" Allister hummed, catching what the elderly man in front of him said. "What do you mean?" "...You know I was your staunchest ally during the succession war," the magistrate started. "I was proud to be by your side then and as far back as the Fichs invasion when we first met." "Yes, I still remember seeing you for the first time," Allister reminisced. "As your forces were about to be annihilated, my father and I charged between the lines and saved you at the last moment." "Indeed, that must be the moment when I started to follow you forevermore," the magistrate chuckled before lamenting. "Yet, as much as I like to think that, in the end, as our allies were picked off one by one, I too was pressured to back out." "Even so, you still held out until the end," Allister consoled his old friend. "That is why I recommended you to the greater water spirit to look after my domain," he revealed. "It was you?" the magistrate widened his eyes before a nod of understanding. "I see. I wondered why I, of all people, was demanded by lady Aquarius to take over your territory. Not that I am complaining, it was a chance to atone for my cowardice and I took it with zeal." "And I can see my territory was taken care of with the best of your ability," Allister said. "You have my gratitude for that." "You are welcome, my lord," the magistrate smiled warmly, though with a hint of melancholy. "Perhaps that is why I also gave you a chance, mister Ruze," he then said to Owen''s father. "When you showed up in this office with the man from that merchant company stating your intention to stage a revolt, it did not occur to me to be skeptical of your claim." "Yeah, you kinda just accept it easily. I had expected you to be more suspicious of my proposal," Joshua admitted. "Like, at least ask me if I could even pull it off." "And you did," the mayor interjected. "While I heard there seemed to be trouble with the spirits in the war effort, you still have yet to make us regret putting our faith in you." "Yeah," Joshua nodded. "You still won''t regret it."
CREEK "I take it you are done, Allister?" Ronald said to his father-in-law as the group returned to the Bell Branch lobby. "How was it?" "Quite good overall, for all intents and purposes," Allister lightly coughed. "But I suppose it was not so for the others..." All around the lobby, Owen can see the maids and butlers working in Alicia''s mansion, Illyer''s household servants from this world, as well as the police officers, Allister''s guards, in a mixed state of emotions. Some were content while others were not so, and some were comforting others who were mourning. "Some of them were able to have their reunions and left on both a good and bad note," Ronald explained. "But more often than not, they either couldn''t find them or find out their relatives were already gone." "I see..." the former duke muttered. "..." Owen figured this would happen. No matter the excuse, the Illyers had still left everyone in Spiri Raia behind when they could have stayed. There were probably some shouting matches and crying among them just wanting to see their families and friends again. And just imagining it already stung his heart. "Right," Ronald nodded. "Irene and the others are inside, follow me."
Owen sat by the lake pier as he watched the besieged capital from afar. The Kirash capital, on an island a bit to the southern side of the great pond, was still surrounded by the ice made by his father in part of his rebellion. He stared listlessly at the entire reason Aqua hid the fact his father was here and sent him on a wild goose chase all this time. SHIING Owen lifted his hand and willed his loyal maneg forth, materializing his new Cherished Armament, the blue-crystal flower shield he named [What Mom Given Me]. It was quite convenient that a Court Wizard instinctively knew how to summon it after getting one for the first time and he had frequently been staring at it whenever he could. Having never known his mother, the former flower brooch was the only thing connecting him to her. "Hey, son," a voice came from behind. Owen dismissed his shield and glanced back to see it was his father. "Lemme sit next to you," he said as he sat right next to his son. Being as tall as he was, his feet reached the water''s surface as he sat in contrast to Owen''s feet dangling from the pier. They didn''t say anything for a while and instead just watched the view. Owen continued to watch the besieged capital knowing what was to come. With William finalizing the plan and Alicia training with Aqua, they would soon storm the capital to purify the cursed spirits, beat Typhon, and overthrow king Van. "Your name means ''noble,''" Joshua spoke. "Yours and Alicia''s." Owen blinked and turned his head to his father. He wasn''t sure what let that on. As for what his father said, he did remembered looking up the internet the meaning of his name and Alicia''s one time. Back then, the two of them thought it was a neat coincidence that their names shared the same meaning, but it seemed there was more to it. "Ronald and I talked about what we''re going to name our kids," Joshua continued, looking up to the sky. "And we decided your names will have to have that meaning." "Why?" Owen muttered if only to continue on. "You and Alicia were born from two parents of different worlds; this world and ours," Joshua explained. "We''d be lying if we say you two aren''t special." He heard it several times before, that his mom and dad were from two different worlds only meeting because of the Court and the same went for Alicia''s parents. But hearing it again from his father, it hit differently. "Alicia Emilia Bell and Owen Willows Ruze," Joshua continued. "Named so to honor both Emilia and your mother, and as children with noble hearts born from the most miraculous circumstances." He had also heard this before, about Emilia Willows whose last name was coincidentally the same as his mother''s without the ''s''. But what did dad mean by ''noble hearts?'', Owen wondered. Joshua, knowing what he was alluding to, then smiled. "Even though I''ve been absent for half your life, you''re still the same Owen I know," he said. "I know you have been struggling with all the bad things you''ve seen happening to others, son. You always had a good heart, Owen. You and Alicia." Hearing this, Owen knew his father was right. Thinking about it, it was his determination to find his father that distracted him. Now that he found him, Owen had the time to reflect on everything he had seen for the past five years and further; from the maids and butlers back in the Bell Branch to Alicia and Rin''s time as Court Wizards up until Spiri Raia to the events resulting freezing of the Vulgis volcano and finally, to the television news he watched with his father all those years ago. And also mister Illyer and those guys at the village, Owen thought sadly. Despite ending on a good note, the orphans and director still never got to see Owen''s mother again and at times he felt like they kept their surprisingly positive attitude for his sake. Then there was the magistrate lamenting Illyer and prince Albert never returning which he believed to be his fault. And it still hurts to think about- Joshua patted his son''s head, breaking his line of thought. "But that''s okay," he said. "Because we are Court Wizards who have such bleeding hearts we go out of our way to help people from other worlds the best we can because we can do it. "So don''t close your heart, Owen. Keep it open to what others are going through. But don''t just despair, do something about the bad things happening in front of you like you always do. And most importantly, remember you are in this together, with me, Ronald, Alicia, and everyone in the Court." Eight years ago, Owen''s father went missing. Five years ago, Owen made it his mission to find him. A few days ago, he found him. Today, he had a heart-to-heart talk with his father, making peace with everything he has experienced in his journey. "... Thanks, dad," Owen smiled. "You''re welcome, son," Joshua smiled back as he hugged his son. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Memory 7: On Top of the Freezing Mountain of Vulgis Beohar Year 480 Year 1418 in Manegia It was an eerily quiet day. All Owen could hear was the sob of a young woman falling on her knees while a middle-aged man stood by watching the undertakers lowering the casket where Crom was laid to rest. The gentle breeze blowing dry leaves along the eternally dark horizon only served to worsen this somber atmosphere. It very much reminded him of his grandmother''s funeral. "...Let it be known that Crom was a fine man. A young warrior who bravely fought for his empire and home, for his beloved lady and family," the priest iterated Crom''s eulogy as the undertakers sealed off his grave. "And may his soul rest beyond the Mist of No Return." WHIIR WHIIR They stood quietly for the rest of the time. This went on long after the priest and undertakers took their leave. It was a sordid affair in this cemetery for the people who could afford it. Owen and William were supposed to bring Crom home alive, but instead, they only brought his funeral. "T-Tell my father... a-and Lei... t-to keep fighting for peace between... o-our races..." But however it may be, there was still one last thing the two young Court Wizards needed to tell before moving on to fulfill Crom''s wish in the way they could. For the most part, Owen and William haven''t been met with a severe tongue-lashing of grief from Lei, Crom''s girlfriend, or Norman, his father, probably because they were ultimately still kids so they''re trying not to be too hard on them. Even so, the two Court Wizards prepared themselves for what may come next after they passed on Crom''s last words. "Crom wanted us to tell you to keep fighting for peace between humans and Half-Beosts," William spoke what Crom said to them word for word before contemplating what to add. "...He hopes to end the war faster by joining it so that your people could sooner start having talks than fighting because that''s the best way he can do it." "...I see," Norman, Crom''s father and Bell Branch manager, nodded slowly in a very subdued voice with Lei turning her head towards the two Court Wizards silently and still in tears. "And what will you do now?" "Ending the war," William responded before turning his back with Owen following suit. "In the best way we can." With not much time left, the two Court Wizards left the graveyard for one final thing. In doing so, they left behind two grieving people with radically different ideas to what they were told with far-reaching consequences in the future.
Manegia Year 1418 "Can he do it?" Zekie wondered as the operators tapped away monitoring the situation. "Will said he can, but..." "Scarily so," Amelia quipped, her hands tucked in her pockets. "Sure, he''ll be out of commission for a couple of days, but he''ll get back up.* "What makes you so sure?" the Lightning Guardian asked skeptically, given how sure the scientist was in her answer. "You know how powerful Maneg Users were?" Amelia answered with another question with a straight face Zekie knew she wasn''t joking around. "I have read the records," Zekie replied while crossing his arms. "And I know that after the Mother Souls were damaged, the Maneg Souls they produced only gave us a fraction of their strength. Only life and death Mother Souls were comparably better than the rest." "And do you know why the Mother Souls started living inside of you Guardians?" Amelia then asked. "Aside from getting damaged further." "To recover their strength," Zekie answered with an annoyed look. He wasn''t stupid thank you very much. "I know each generation of Court Wizards is growing more powerful than the previous, but do you think we have recovered to that extent?" "Dunno, we always hold back, after all," Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "Meanwhile, my Maneg Soul is a crappy dud," she said darkly. "I blame my brother for this." "I see..." Zekie winced at such self-deprecation. "But I do believe the rate of recovery is somewhere between linear and exponential," the Light Court Wizard continued. "It''s definitely snowballing considering Hanz got a version of [Maneg User''s Aura] going on in case Crea''s not with him." "That''s true," the Lightning Guardian rubbed his chin. "The [Lightning Strike] you and I developed was something a lot of my predecessors tried to make, but only my Maneg Soul is able to comprehend it." "That just shows how restrictive algorithmic Orders are," Amelia mused. "Despite the best solution we have after our Maneg Soul could barely process vaguer Orders, it''s still lacking. Not to mention the mental gymnastics we have to go through just to make an Order." "Right," Zekie nodded, watching the screen where Owen and company were getting into position. "But what does it have to do with Owen?" "It''s his Order, [Deep Freeze], he made based on his dad''s Order that showed how much we''ve come so far," Amelia smiled as she watched the holographic monitor with him.
Beohar Year 480 Year 1418 in Manegia RATA-RATA-RATA-RATA-RATA-RATA A red-streaked helicopter flew higher and higher over the mountain range. How Hanz managed to make an entire helicopter into a Cherished Armament was beyond Owen and he wasn''t going to question it anytime soon. Looking through the window, he could already see the destination. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. GLUBUK CRACKLE BLAST As the helicopter hovered near, Owen could already feel the heat coming from the mouth of the volcano which would have felt more intense if not for his Maneg Soul. Already he could see magma spewing violently and the volcano erupting at any moment. "Alright, kid," the red-haired soldier said, both of his hands on the controller. "You better get ready, ''cause that thing''s going to blow." "You can do it," Crea, in the seat beside Hanz, encouraged. "Just like we planned, Owen," William, sitting across Owen, stated firmly, confident in the plan. "Right," Owen nodded as he grabbed onto the railing, stood up carefully, and went to the opened door.
"[Ice Layer] is just putting the target in a straightjacket, [Deep Freeze] is the real deal," Amelia stated the comparison. "It''s the kind of freezing that Ice Wizards tries to achieve, the complete stopping of your target through sheer cold seen in movies."
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE Owen cringed his eyes as hot air blasted his face. Almost immediately, the volcano began its eruption, spewing forth magma and ashes. Despite the apparent environment, Owen felt full control of his emotions. With no time to waste, the Ice Court Wizard began his Order that would decide the fate of Beohar. I order you, attach to the entire volcano and its lava...
"Right, I recall it involves spraying cold air, for the lack of a better term, on the poor sap until they''re frozen, right?" Zekie asked. "Correct," Amelia nodded. "And what Owen does is better where instead of slowly freezing the target from the outside, [Deep Freeze] commands the ice maneg to suck out heat from the inside and outside in a much faster time.
...ensure all ice maneg are spread throughout the target and don''t hold back... Concentrating his Order, Owen made damn sure his Maneg Soul wasn''t being cheap on his reserves either. Any less and it could lead to disaster, so he made all the stops.
"So how do you think he did it?" Zekie asked. "It couldn''t just be the Mother Soul getting better at recreating the original Maneg Souls." "You''d be right, the Maneg Soul''s factory setting isn''t what makes the Court Wizard entirely," Amelia agreed. "They are also shaped by their deep emotions and desires."
And now, for the crux of his Order. Despite being a rather simple step, it was only his Maneg Soul the first to pull it off. ...lower the temperature of the target until its eruption stops and natural ice visibly covers the volcano...
"...I was not expecting such a sentimental answer from you, Amelia," Zekie blinked. "You know how I classified Vague Orders," Amelia deadpanned. "Right, you did group them that way," Zekie admitted. "And what do you think [Deep Freeze] would fall into if we use those metrics?" "Wish-fear," Amelia quipped. "No doubt about it."
...ensure no motion within the volcano remains, thus is my Order...
"A double category?" Zekie looked at the scientist for answers. "Yep," Amelia said. "That''s because [Deep Freeze] is rooted in his fear of seeing people getting screwed over and his wish for it to stop."
...[Deep Freeze]. Urgh! With the final step of his Order given, Owen staggered as he felt a surge of ice maneg escaping his soul. It rushed to the erupting volcano, covering every part of it in and out as its Court Wizard dictated in an effort to beat the break-off timer. Once it was in position, it started. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~
"I talked with Master Catherine about it," Amelia continued. "Owen''s got a little problem with the bleeding heart of his." "How is that a problem?" Zekie blinked confusingly. "As she described it, when the average person sees something bad happening to another guy they can''t do anything about it, they''d give their sympathies and move on," Amelia explained. "But when Owen sees it, he''d brood on it more than he needs to. That''s what''s going on in his mind a lot of the time." "I see, that does explain his constant mood on the surface," Zekie said in understanding. "And I guess that''s unhealthy for him." "Yeah," Amelia nodded. "Catherine says she was going to talk to him about it. But, well..." "...Right."
In pure defiance of the fundamental laws of physics, the magma and ashes in the middle of spewing out of the Vulgis volcano became still like a frozen fountain, becoming a snapshot in time. It didn''t stop there as the ice maneg continued to remove all traces of heat until the ice began to form. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ CREME~
"Evidently, after seeing so many tragedies, he''d want them to stop," Amelia explained. "[Deep Freeze] is the closest manifestation of that as an Ice Mage." "In other words, he wants to ''freeze'' time from moving forward bringing more suffering to be seen," Zekie concluded. "Even though he intends to keep going forward finding Joshua." "Such is the nature of Court Wizards and maneg. One part science, one part psychology, and always exceeding our expectations," Amelia remarked with a shrug. "We are the rule breakers, after all. And that makes it exciting."
A volcano of ice. That was what was left of mount Vulgis. What was supposed to herald the end of Beohar in a sea of fire and ashes became frozen to a halt. It was a bizarre sight to behold; the volcanic mountain covered in ice and snow along with the lava it spewed held in place. "Hah... Hah...!" Owen huffed, clenching his chest as he unceremoniously plopped back into his seat. His vision was getting blurry as the backlash from expending so much maneg on short notice took effect. "Up! Up! Up!" Hanz jerked the controller, bringing the helicopter higher. CRACKLE CRACKLE "Everyone, brace for impact!" Crea exclaimed as she willed her loyal maneg to form [Shield] surrounding the vehicle. There was one issue that Amelia pointed out when William proposed this plan. Namely, the rapid decrease of the volcano''s temperature meant all that heat energy had to go somewhere. In the end, they concluded that in regards to the next phase of the plan and given how far the mountain was from civilization, along with some number crunching, they did one thing. Nothing. KABO-OM With the ensuing shockwave flattening everything in its path, Beohar was never the same again.
Manegia Year 1418 "...I know you would be exhausted, Owen, but I have a feeling your additional trip to the infirmary was not because you used too much maneg. So, what happened?" Alice wondered, looking at Owen sinking into the other sofa being completely kaput. "...The others threw some big Orders... when revealing us to the world..." Owen huffed, staring at the ceiling the entire time. "They accidentally created Maneg Beasts... because of that." "Oh..." Alice muttered. "I guess that makes a more convincing announcement?" "In more ways than one," Owen let out. The display of what was essentially colored Beosts was sure to imprint a long-lasting impression on the locals on top of the loudspeaker making sure every corner of Beohar knew Court Wizards were real. "...Anyway, I should also get this out of the way," Alice changed the subject, getting up from the other sofa and going over to Owen. "Owen Willows Ruze, with your feat of freezing the Vulgis volcano, I, the Guardian of the Mother Soul of Ice, hereby instate you the rank of Grand Wizard," she then said as she pulled out an ice-blue card and gave it to Owen. "..." Owen wordlessly received his new ID. "Thanks..." KETINK KETINK KETINK Immediately after Owen touched the metal card, a sharp glow emanated from Alice''s soul. A light blue orb shot out from Alice and both of them knew it wasn''t a new Maneg Soul. The orb floated to Owen, hovering right above him and then shining in a bright spectacle. SHIING As the orb disappeared, Owen and Alice looked at each other and understood what it meant. Owen knew this because he was very much told about it before while Alice had seen the same thing happening with her mother a couple of times before. The requirement for the final rank was for the Court Wizard to be able to take on their Guardian with the Mother Soul being the judge for that. As Guardians were generally capable of controlling their Mother Souls to a good extent such as being able to hold off releasing a new Maneg Soul for a while, as much as the opposite applied the Mother Soul couldn''t simply turn itself off should their Guardian go rogue hence the need to make sure its Court Wizard could do the job. But given that Alice wasn''t like the others and couldn''t control her Mother Soul, who already wanted her dead, what it wanted to imply by recognizing Owen as a Duke right off the bat was very clear to both of them. "...Eh, we do get a new print every year," was all Owen could say if it was any consolation. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 7.1: Storming the Capital - Siege Two men stood at the edge of the frozen water of a great pond, overlooking a besieged capital on an internal island not too far from where they were. Staring at its walls battered yet still standing firm under the night sky, they mulled over what was to come. "Lucas has met my niece," Ronald said offhandedly about the light greater spirit heir, staring forward towards the capital. "They got along immediately as if they had met for a long time." "Yeah, I had a feeling that would be the case," Joshua chuckled, though it was a bit subdued. "...You know, I was just a kid from the countryside moving into the big city to support my mom after my dad died." "And then you received your Maneg Soul," Ronald remarked. "Yep, the hottest day of the year, sweating bullets, and my skin feels cold," Joshua complained. "Then your dad showed up in my apartment and shanghaied me to Manegia without explaining anything. Like, I literally just opened the door and saw his smug face before the transfer happened right under my feet!" "My condolences," Ronald chuckled, knowing how much of a troll his father was. "He still got you a nice job, at least." "All was forgiven after that, getting paid for every commission in the Court helps too," Joshua smiled at the memory. "But still, I never thought I''d be standing here with you in another world with ice powers leading a rebellion." "Yes, it is still an incredible experience that you and I received," Ronald remarked. "While I did expect my recruitment, I can only imagine how my grandfather reacted when his fortune changed into a Court Wizard during the Great Depression. I have not heard enough of the journey he went through." "We also did too," Joshua pointed out. "We traveled to multiple worlds, met the people there, got married to them, and had kids." "Indeed," Ronald smiled. "We truly lead a life like no other." "Yeah, we did," Joshua agreed, but with a noticeable melancholic tone. Raising his hand, he will his loyal maneg and brought forth his Cherished Armament. "That said, if Emilia was still here, how would it go differently?" Instinctively willing his Cherished Armament in response, Ronald sighed, "Honestly, it could be anything. But she''ll certainly be shocked to see you of all people launching a rebellion in another world." "If it weren''t for her I wouldn''t have done it," Joshua remarked. "But, yeah. I''m sure she will."
"So this is it, huh?" Alicia muttered as she looked at the capital they were going to invade the following morning. "Uhn...!" Rin hummed nervously. Similarly to their fathers just off the distance, Owen was overlooking the capital they were going to invade with Alicia, Rin, William, and Aqua alongside Layla and Neptune before they went to bed. After preparing as much as they can, tomorrow will see the final battle so some unease was expected. "Right, do it just as we trained, Alicia," Aqua said calmly, feeling confident in the events that will follow. "Almost all of my spirits are here, you will be sure to perform it well." "No worries, Alicia!" Layla exclaimed. "You''re natural at spirit arts, you can do it!" "Yeah!" Neptune nodded. "We got this!" Speaking of which, it was the most water spirits Owen had seen since coming to this world. It was literally a sea of blue floating above the ground as water spirits of all shapes and sizes came from all over Aqua''s land with only Layla, Neptune, and other mature spirits to coral the rest. They gave the Court Wizards a wide berth, of course, but not to the extent of the spirits at the summit given Aqua was a Court Wizard herself. "Do not forget about us, kids!" A jovial voice was heard from behind. Looking back, it was the greater fire spirit, Ignis. With an evident smirk coming from his lizard-shaped face, the greater fire spirit floated to the Court Wizards as the water spirits around him parted like the Red Sea. While the lower-ranking spirits couldn''t stand being around spirits of opposing elements, greater spirits like Ignis can shrug it off just fine.
"You want all of us to assault the Kirash capital together?" Lux raised his eyebrows. "Since you won''t have cursed spirits in your territories, you guys can work together and take down Typhon," William explained. "Just you and your candidates are enough." "True, the younger spirits would freak out if we told them to go out," Ignis crossed his arms. "So, it will be like old times, eh?" "Exactly," Aqua smirked. "Not only that, it will show the world that we will not let such depravity happen." "A sound proposal," Lux remarked. "Alright then, let us do it."
"Good evening, Ignis," Aqua greeted. "Here just for the sake of it?" "Pretty much," Ignis admitted shamelessly. "We do not sleep, so we have to do something to pass the time." "True," Aqua remarked. "So, what do you want to talk about?" "Well, if my memories are not fuzzy, I could have sworn that island was the one where we watched Typhon cursing that village," Ignis pointed towards the capital. "Am I wrong?" "Yes," Aqua nodded, crossing her arms. "It was." That was new. Layla had told them how the greater spirits watched a cursed dragon destroying a village, but not who the dragon was. The dragon being the same one they were going to face made it seem more personal to them. With such a serious topic being discussed, the others didn''t have it in them to interrupt them. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "We all knew from birth to avoid the dragons at all costs. We were all told that if we ran into one, we would face a fate worse than death," Aqua continued. "But after seeing the village torn apart by Typhon for no reason other than his sheer amusement, something snapped inside my mind." "I think we all did," Ignis closed his eyes in reminiscence. "It was those children in the village that got us the idea to give ourselves fun nicknames. We could watch for hours the various hijinks those little tykes got into with their imagination in such a bleak world and Typhon just ripped that away." "Yes, that was when I realized we cannot live like that forever," Aqua continued. "That was when our fight against the dragons began." "Yeah," Ignis nodded. "If it were not for you and Lux, we probably could not convince everyone of our daring attempt to rid the world of them. The rest of us probably would not go through with it." "True, it was a hard-fought battle, but eventually we managed to defeat the dragons," Aqua then said. "Even though we lost our bodies, it was worth the sacrifice." "You got that right," Ignis agreed. "No matter how Typhon came back, we will beat him again." "Yeah!" "Heh! I like this little creature," Ignis chuckled.
As far as Owen looked, a veritable army of rebels and greater spirits lined up in front of the three bridges and icy pond connecting the island capital to the rest of the kingdom. Joshua''s soldiers were certainly shocked beyond words seeing all of the greater spirits together with their entourage of their successor candidates fighting with them. But Joshua''s speech informed them about the cursed spirits they saw and the rising stakes involving the return of a cursed dragon, which suffice to say they were invigorated. After all, they weren''t just rebelling against the king, they were now a part of a greater battle, one with the greater spirits of this world at their side. "Okay, here we go." Standing in front of the army was Alicia in her brown robe. Both Layla and Neptune were by her side along with many water spirits gathering in one spot. All of them practically blocked the view of the capital if one could see all of them which the Court Wizards did.
"So we will lead the charge with the strongest spirit art requested to blast open the entrance," Lux repeated what William proposed. "Yes, so it will be humans and spirits working together to take down Typhon," Aqua explained. "Hah!" Ignis exclaimed. "So it will be like old times!" "Do you have someone to request it, then?" Lux then asked. William nodded. "We have a candidate."
Over the distance, Owen could see the capital guards stationed atop the walls ready to fend off the attack. While he couldn''t see their faces, he could tell their morale was rock bottom. Despite the siege going on for barely a month, they looked like they weren''t going to last any longer and it was not because all of the greater spirits were here because they hadn''t let themselves be seen by them yet. Owen heard a while back before his father besieged the capital, Van sent an army to intercept him in the open field. Naturally, the rebel army decimated the king''s forces with Owen''s father using his Orders to wipe them out which was how the Transporter Room detected him. "Oh, water spirits," Alicia chanted, closing her eyes. Her hands were clasped together as she concentrated on what she wanted the many water spirits around her to do. Without much delay, she finished, "lend me your strength!" With minds linked, all of the water spirits including Aqua channeled their power. Although her chant was quite generic as far as spirit arts went, it was all Alicia needed to get her point across from her thoughts. In a way, spirit arts and Orders weren''t all that different. GLOB GLOB GLOB GLOB GLOB GLOB To the defenders'' horror, they just saw a huge array of water droplets forming all over the place and were getting larger by the second. To the rebels, in contrast, they were witnessing this person in a brown robe requesting what was the most powerful and breathtaking spirit art of all time, one the greater water spirit was even taking part in on top of her glowing red skin. SPLISH SPLASH SPLISH SPLASH SPLISH SPLASH Soon, the water droplets had grown to bigger sizes ranging from a baseball to a basketball according to the spirit''s rank. Aqua herself had channeled her water to almost half of her body. All of them then shot out a beam of water, converging in front of Alicia. BLAST A giant beam of high-pressure water shot out from all of the smaller beams coming together. The spirit art made from the collective effort of almost all water spirits made its charge above the middle bridge unopposed and crashed into the capital gate. KABRAK Almost instantly, the formidable entrance of the capital exploded from the sheer pressure of the water. From the steel-reinforced wooden gates to the double layers of steel portcullis, everything was reduced to rubble. Even Joshua had trouble tearing them down without overextending himself more than he already had and yet the spirit art did it so effortlessly. "Incredible!" "So this is the power of the spirits!"
"Me? Using a spirit art to destroy the gate?" Alicia blinked at what she was told. "We have to keep the act," Aqua explained. "It will bring a different message if we spirit do all of the work." "We checked, and there aren''t any guards loitering behind them," William added. "You won''t get anyone killed."
PSHHHHH As the dust settled, everyone could see the gates were utterly destroyed. Debris of wood and steel were scattered everywhere being drenched by the water not to mention all of the puddles left behind the spirit art as well. While there were guards injured from falling from the post on top of the entrance as it collapsed, the attack didn''t kill anyone. Nonetheless, they were still shell-shocked by the spirit art taking down the gate that had kept the capital standing. Not even allowing the capital guards to recover from their confusion and stupor, Aqua and the rest of the greater spirits began to reveal themselves to them one by one. With each greater spirit appearing, even though the guards had never seen what they looked like, their gut feeling told them in increasing horror who they were and what they were here for. "Van!" Aqua''s voice boomed throughout the capital. It was the first time Owen heard Aqua use such a voice. It was similar to the tone of voice a Court Wizard made if their suppression broke. And if what he recalled was true, those who were old enough in this world would recognize that tone of voice being used during the formation of the great sea. "You have sided with the accursed dragon Typhon who once terrorized this world with his tyranny!" Aqua continued with vitriol. Rising up with the rest of the greater spirits, the greater water spirit exclaimed, "Just as we have defeated the dragons before, we shall defeat you and Typhon!" And with a deep breath, she swung her arm forward,
"Hey! How come Alicia''s fighting all the cursed spirits by herself!" "We can''t get the other blessed to join on short notice and Maria is a civilian here," Aqua explained. "So, unfortunately, everything rests on her shoulders." "It is fine, Voice," Alicia assured her pixie. "I think I can do it."
GROAAHHH GROAAHHH GROAAHHH The moment Aqua led the army of humans and spirits to charge, a swarm of sickly purple spirits broke out of the destroyed gate. The guards already fearful of the greater spirit''s declaration shrieked and ran away in terror upon the arrival of the most cursed spirits anyone has ever seen. Before anyone else could react, Owen immediately knew one thing. The nightmare had begun. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 7.2: Storming the Capital - Fall "Hey, Owen," William called. "Yeah?" Owen responded to his friend''s call. "What is it?" It was late at night on the day before the invasion of the capital. Inside a Bell Conglomerate inn, Owen and William were staying in the same room catching some sleep when William spoke up while staring at the dark ceiling. "I was wondering," William started, his eyes still up on the ceiling and his body prone. "The otome game mentions Typhon approached king Van when he''s at the breaking point having to deal with all of the rebellions after conquering all of Aqua''s territory." "Yeah, after the original countries taken over by the Fichs switched to being Kirash''s, they took their chances," Owen recalled, similarly looking up. "Here, it''s every lord of this kingdom revolting after Aqua denounced him. Why bring it up?" "Exactly that, Van getting internal rebellions is earlier than getting the ones from conquering Fichs in the timeframe," William explained, turning his head to Owen. "On top of Aqua disapproving of him, he would be stressed out much earlier for Typhon to approach him." "Meaning he has more time to prepare," Owen concluded, closing his eyes. "Even though we are fighting him two years earlier." "Yeah," William nodded. "We better watch out for that."
GRROARRR GRRAAHHH Like a horde of the undead, a stream of cursed spirits poured out of the broken gate. They were practically trampling over each other as they funneled into the three bridges connecting to the mainland. A mixture of pain and madness adorned their faces as they pursued the humans and spirits in front of them. "Uhn! So many!" Rin exclaimed in surprise. "Damn," William cursed softly. "So it''s just as I thought." "Hm?" Ronald noticed William''s comment. "Is there something you know?" "Yes, we counted the timeline last night," William explained. "Typhon might have approached king Van earlier so he had more time to create more cursed spirits." "...That doesn''t sound farfetched," Ronald muttered, rubbing his chin behind his mask. "The great sea does give Typhon an earlier opportunity to meet Van." "So even though I''ve launched my rebellion, he still has prepared his tricks up his sleeves!" Joshua growled in frustration. "But what about the cursed talismans then?" "I don''t think he had an opportunity to send those around," Ronald figured. "Given how unpopular the Van here was and abroad." The otome game explained Typhon had used Van''s agents to spread the cursed talismans capable of cursing a spirit throughout Spiri Raia, causing cursed epidemics across many kingdoms. With the trouble the Van here had because of Aqua denouncing him, that avenue would prove to be more difficult for obvious reasons. The fact that no cursed spirits popped up outside of Aqua''s territory yet leaned to that fact. "My word!" On the other side, Aqua gasped in disbelief. "Just how far had he reached his bloody claws!?" "Bastard!" Ignis cursed in anger, flames igniting from his skin. "Aqua, can she still do it?" Lux asked in slight discomposure. As the cursed spirits charged closer, a wave of panic ensued among the rebel forces. They were told Alicia would purify them just as they saw during the first encounter, but even the Court Wizards themselves would have doubts seeing this many. "They''re coming!" "By the greater spirits! There''s so many of them!" Despite the cursed spirits being more than expected, the suppression kicked in, allowing Alicia to not panic at the sight. With a determined look, Alicia did not will her loyal maneg to do the same thing she did before to save the cursed spirits. Instead, she forwarded her will to the spirits around her. "Yes," Aqua said resolutely.
"In the otome game, having Maria requesting the spirit art is enough for it to purify the spirits," Aqua explained. "To make it in line with rule eight, you should do the same, Alicia."
"Oh, water spirits," Alicia spoke with a firm voice, facing down the horde of cursed spirits, mask off as all the other Court Wizards did for the rebel soldiers with them. "Lend me your aid!" "All together now!" Aqua ordered the water spirits as they all gathered their power once more. SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH Together at the same time, they all sprayed large amounts of water at the incoming horde, aimed to cover as much space as possible. It could be described as a bullet storm of water droplets shot at the cursed spirits. GRRAAOHH-UH? SHIING SHIING SHIING Working its magic, the moment the spirit art touched a cursed spirit, bright light emanated from it as the purple began to evaporate. As more and more cursed spirits touched the water droplets, more and more began to be purified. SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING In a rather mesmerizing sight, a sea of purple haze floated up in the air, disappearing after a short while. The cursed spirits below it were cursed no more as their blue glow returned. Most of them looked rather confused not remembering how they got here but were otherwise fine. "Hah..." Ronald sighed in relief. "I should not have worried for my daughter." "You got that right," Joshua agreed. Much like the purified spirits, the panicking rebels were panicking no more. If anything, they looked even more invigorated by the prowess shown as if they hadn''t been caught off guard by a nightmare fuel horde coming at them. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Uoooh! This is the power of the blessed!" "The greater spirits are with us!" "Everyone! Charge!" In the otome game, it was Maria who would have been standing where Alicia was and the rebel army led by Owen''s father should have been the army from the light kingdom. The most striking of the differences was that it was supposed to be just Aqua and Lux aiding the humans, not all of the greater spirits. Regardless, the outcome was the same, even if it happened two years earlier.
"They are all gone!?" Van growled in disbelief, his hands gripping his throne until he could feel it crack. "Y-Yes, your majesty!" the soldier reported with fright, daring not to look at the furious king as he knelt. "A-As soon as the cursed spirits were released, that girl cast another powerful spirit art and it purified them!" BLAM "That wench again!" Van shrieked, slamming his fist on the armrest before showing a terrifying face to the bearer of bad news. "Grr! Get out of my sight!" "Hii...! Yes, your majesty!" the soldier screamed in terror and fled. BANG "Dammit!" Van bashed the armrest once again in frustration. It was something he had done so many times that the gold paint had peeled off. "Why do things not go my way!" Everything went wrong when that damn duke rejected his dream to conquer Fichs. The old man was too blind to see the opportunity and went so far as to oppose him in favor of his incompetent older brother. Just as he thought it was over after he got rid of him in that fire, it was the greater water spirit herself rebuking him next by erecting the great sea just to spite his ambition. That was when things turned from bad to worse. Not long after that day, his father passed and he was barely given any respect for his funeral. It was even less so for Van''s coronation as immediately after his ascension to the throne, he had to crush rebellion after rebellion with an army that had little semblance of morale. Granted, they were mostly insignificant nobles or peasants getting uppity as most of the nobility was still under his control, but dealing with one after another still took its toll on him. "Grr! Typhon!" Van shouted, his fist balling in rage. "Where are you!?" It was in a situation like this when that man appeared before him. By all means, he should have called the guards but something in his mind told him to entertain the intruder. His decision was right as he was then presented with the weapon he needed to retake what was rightfully his. Sure, it was unnerving to see that spirit violated and twisted like that, but it had awakened something primal in him that made him accept it with glee. "You called, your majesty?" Typhon said, appearing out of nowhere as he always did. To this day, Van was still startled by how the decrepit old man managed to conceal his presence so perfectly. It started small, abducting spirits one at a time. Typhon had already created special cages to capture and contain them as he had demonstrated caging the first cursed spirit. So, it was as simple as getting the agents still loyal to Van to go and capture the spirits with the devices. The captured spirits were then taken to the palace dungeon where Typhon slowly corrupted them, turning them into weapons against the greater spirits. Of course, Typhon had no plans to do the tireless work of amassing the army, so the spirits captured were also used to experiment on talismans that could be used by anyone to corrupt a spirit. "You said the cursed spirits will crush the rebels," Van growled with a low tone. "How come their corruption gets undone by a measly girl!?" Once Typhon got the talismans produced, building the army of cursed spirits began in earnest. Spreading throughout the kingdom, Van''s agents methodically corrupted and caged the spirits to be brought back into the capital. It was still relatively slow as they couldn''t catch the greater spirit''s attention so soon. But over the years, they managed to amass a veritable number of cursed spirits with none the wiser. The next phase of the plan would have been to go beyond the land of water spirits, spreading the cursed talismans throughout Spiri Raia. It was, however, difficult for Van to send his agents abroad ever since that day so it was shelved for later. But then, another rebellion was launched. "I am not sure," Typhon admitted with a frown under his hood. "It is... intriguing." Initially, Van dismissed it as yet another attempt to overthrow him by the rabble and just sent his army. But, when he expected the messenger to come back with the news of the rebellion crushed, he was shocked to hear his army was annihilated by the rebels in open battle instead of the other way around. Before he knew it, he received news that his capital was under siege by those same dissidents. At first, Van tried to think it was the troops he sent being incompetent and the rebels simply landing a surprise attack on them - it wasn''t the first time it happened. However, he was soon forced to acknowledge that the threat before him was more serious than he thought when the leader of the damn rebellion froze the water around the capital with so many ice talismans, rendering the three bridges'' role as choke points useless. "There is no time for that!" Van growled frustratingly. "All of the cursed spirits released were lost as soon as they got out of the gate!" After fending off the first few attempts to break into the capital in a hard-fought battle, Van fully realized the scope of this revolt. It had been too quiet when Van built up his army of cursed spirits, he should have known better that someone would have the idea to also amass a rebel force larger than any other in secret in those same years. As Van contemplated how to break the siege best, Typhon approached him and suggested it was time to unleash the fruit of their labor. So, Van ordered his men to pick up several cursed spirits in their cages and throw them into the rebel encampment to test the waters. As he and Typhon expected the insurgents to be frightened and run like the cowards they were, they were shocked to hear that not only had the attack failed, but the cursed spirits seemed to be purified! When the cursed spirits attacked, they were repelled by a bunch of brown-hooded people using talismans, and when a girl with red hair''s talisman touched the cursed spirits, they were purified. "Quiet," Typhon said calmly. "It is indeed a significant setback, nothing more." "A setback!" Van snapped, being at the edge of his seat. "The enemy is in the capital and we are facing all of the greater spirits! All of them!" After the cursed spirits failed though, the rebels didn''t launch another attack, just maintaining their siege. Van knew it was strange for them not to and prepared for the worst. Almost a month into the siege, it was much worse than Van could ever imagine as when the rebels finally mounted another assault, the same girl suddenly requested the most powerful water spirit art Van had ever seen. The resulting spirit art was so massive he could see it from the balcony and the destruction that came with it. Van thought that was the worst of it as the rebels could now storm the capital, but he was wrong. Very wrong. Immediately after the gates fell, Van heard a voice he hadn''t heard for decades, from one greater water spirit Aquarius. If anything, he had expected to earn her ire again, the act of corrupting the water spirits warranted so. Her same condescending speech said that much about how he colluded with Typhon to create the cursed spirits. But, what he didn''t expect was for every greater spirit to also appear on the rebel''s side. "True, the plan was to unleash cursed spirits in their territories to keep them separated," Typhon admitted. "But all of them in one place do serve me just as well." "And how do you suppose we fight all of them!?" Van retorted, finding Typhon''s uncaring attitude more and more indignant. "Your cursed spirits turned out to be useless!" He and Typhon, for their part, had used the time to prepare. As soon as the rebels were about to launch another assault, they would unleash hordes upon hordes of cursed spirits to overwhelm their adversary so that not even that girl could purify them before they slaughtered her and the rest of the brigands. Even with the gates destroyed and all of the greater spirits revealed, the plan still went ahead only for that wench to dash his hopes by casting a water spirit art of all things that methodically rid all of the cursed spirits. With that, Van was at his wit''s end, trying to turn around this situation while Typhon was standing here as if nothing was wrong. "It is simple, very simple," Typhon chuckled darkly. "I merely need to do this myself." "...What?" There was one thing in the back of Van''s mind he finally remembered. When Aqua denounced him once again, she called Typhon a cursed dragon of old. That makes sense in terms of how he was able to create cursed spirits. Van didn''t have much time to think about it as Typhon grew in size. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 7.3: Storming the Capital - Invasion and Fall Owen entered the Kirash capital for the first time following the rebel forces and spirits'' invasion of the place. He could tell it was once a bustling city with life and he had a feeling its decline didn''t start with his father''s siege from a gradual descent beginning decades ago. The streets were empty with all the buildings shutting their doors and windows as the occupants did not want to get raided. Lines of empty stalls stretched to infinity with most of them looking as if they had been abandoned the entire time. "Leave the guards alone!" Joshua commanded, having himself leading the charge. "We go straight to the palace!" """Uuoohhh!""" As Owen''s father said, the capital defenders have all lost their will to fight. Seeing their greatest asset defeated in mere moments by a single spirit art from Alicia and seeing all of the greater spirits against them would do that to them. Owen even spied a few of them huddled together in a corner, tucked in like ostriches in the sand hoping this would blow over. GRROOAAHH GRRAAHHH "Cursed spirits! Up ahead!" Standing in their way, with more coming out of the alleyway, were cursed spirits that must have lagged behind the initial wave from the gate. Seeing the marching army, they howled in ferocity and lunged at them. The rebels also seeing the attacking cursed spirits stopped in their tracks and assumed defensive positions. "Oh, water spirit, lend me your aid!" Just as quickly, Alicia channeled another spirit art, and the spirits following the humans obliged. Charging their power, Aqua and the water spirits performed the same move they did earlier. SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH GRRAAOHH-UH? SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING SHIING Just like before, the purified spirits were left confused as the purple haze of corruption evaporated from them. They became even more confused seeing an army of humans and almost every water spirit on top of all of the greater spirits with them. Then they looked at the Court Wizards with the large group and got startled. "All of you!" Aqua called. "Follow us!" Hearing their greater spirit''s call, the purified spirits broke out of their stupor and went over to the rebel ranks. While they still looked unsure of what was happening, given that Aqua and literally all of the greater spirits were here, they went over without hesitation. "Forward!" Joshua then commanded, willing the soldiers to continue. CLING CLANG CLING CLANG To the marching sounds of metal, the army pressed onward to the palace. Like a ghost town, Owen still saw no people on the streets or any open buildings. Glancing up, he spied an open window from a house''s second story with a woman taking a peek. Suffice it to say, as soon as she realized Owen saw her she quickly shut the window. Forward and forward, the rebels marched unimpeded with literally no one in sight. While Owen figured a good chunk of the residents had moved out over the years due to the social impact of Aqua''s great sea, it was still too quiet. Even during the month-long siege, the inhabitants still had to come outside every now and then. It could be the cursed spirits, Owen figured. There was no doubt the kind of effect the first time the cursed spirits were revealed had on the capital folk. Realizing their king had dabbled into forbidden arts would have made them terrified and just shut their doors from then on. It''s best not to think about it further. Coming to the center of the capital, Owen could see the public gathering of the place having seen better days. The fountain dried up and the bulletin board in front of it was barely standing with nothing but scratches and nail holes on it. Even the greeneries decorating the public place were left unkempt and dried. It really accentuated the state of decline the Kirash capital was in as the army marched around the fountain. ROOAAAAAARRRRR "W-What was that!?" "It''s coming from the palace!" "What manner of beast makes that sound!?" To the humans and spirits who lived in Spiri Raia, it was the most foreign noise they had heard. Even so, they could still feel the malice coming from that cry to their very core, shaking them with unease. While the Court Wizards had a good idea what it was, greater spirits very much knew that kind of roar. The roar of a dragon. RUMBLE RUMBLE KABOOM Bricks and stones flew as though a volcanic eruption happened caused by a growing figure bursting out of the castle over the distance. It kept growing and growing, eventually growing half the size of the palace it utterly ruined by enlargening itself inside of the place. And the creature itself was nothing short of an eldritch horror. BRAK BRAK BRAM BRAK CRASH As all of the debris came falling down to the ground, everyone saw the most terrifying monster they had ever seen. It was serpentine as a whole while still having arms and legs, but it was the least accurate description. He had scaly, sickly purple skin like the cursed spirits and wings stretching many times his size. What made him horrifying, however, was the snakes-like hair on his snake-like head like he was a medusa, they were that big. "W-What kind of monster is that!?" "It''s the dragon!"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Truly an abomination!" ROOAAAAAARRRRR Seeing the army of humans and spirits, he gave another roar with the snake hairs hissing at them as well. Such a display unnerved the party greatly. After all, the Spiri Raians of today were now witnessing a cursed dragon of a bygone age, something they''d never expected to see in their whole life. So that''s Typhon, Owen thought, looking and the monstrosity. But he wasn''t supposed to be this big... Owen, he wasn''t supposed to be this big in the otome game. (William) I can see that, Owen replied back. He distinctly remembered the CG depicting Typhon to only be as big as the throne room where the party fought him. He didn''t even look as fearsome as the Typhon he was seeing now. His transforming into his draconic form was a last desperate attempt and it showed with the weakened state he could only morph into which was why he resorted to cursing spirits. Here, it appeared Typhon was back in his full glory. He... is in his original form as a thousand years ago! (Aqua) Uhn...! What''s happening!? (Rin) Clearly, he was not weakened as we thought. Could it be a butterfly effect of our actions? (Ronald) I had a feeling it might be the case, as far back as when we helped Allister. (Joshua) Usually, when protagonists get transported to the world of a novel they read about, they would use the knowledge of the story to their advantage. However, the more changes they made to the world, the more unreliable the source material became. That was always a constant, even the protagonists'' mere presence would be enough to change the script no matter how uninvolved they tried to be. This was something the Court Wizards knew very well when relying on information from the Storykeeper, but they didn''t expect the changes they were seeing to be this drastic. "Damnable spirits!" Typhon''s voice bellowed throughout everything that could be seen. "For a thousand years you have fancied yourselves as rulers of this world but now your arrogance comes to an end for I, Typhon, shall put you back to your place!" Just from those words alone, Owen could see where this was going. One would figure villain monologues to be a fictional thing, but many a fiction came from the Storykeeper who got it from watching worlds. And much like that chubby noble from Kaomagi, Owen could tell the dragon was about to make a narcissistic rant trying so hard to justify himself as being in the right while sounding insane to everyone else like so many others who will come out of nowhere on the internet for the next few years. Ronald was doing his best to make sure that didn''t happen at the turn of the next decade. "And we will stop you!" Aqua shouted with a booming voice. "We have defeated you once and we can defeat you again! Your curses have failed!" "Hahahaha! As if I would use my might for mere useless fodders!" the dragon boasted, whether or not it was to hide his own weakness. "You may have beaten me into a shadow of my former self, but while you were fighting amongst yourselves, I grew stronger than I have ever before!" "Oh yeah!? Like what!?" Ignis snarked, spewing out flames from his body. "You did some push-ups or something!?" "Hah! I need not of your peasantry for I have a more refined method!" Typhon declared with a grin on his snake face. "For I merely need to ''curse'' myself stronger!" It was another sentence that hammered home how absurd the cursed dragon''s powers were. The ability to warp reality around them even to a limited degree made them the most dangerous beings to encounter if Typhon could just tell himself to be stronger. But that made it more impressive and horrifying how Aqua and the greater spirits managed to beat them.
"If cursed dragons have all of that power, how did you defeat them?" Alicia wondered. "Well, that is why we needed to have everyone together for the attack. While not numerous, the cursed dragon''s power truly stumped any sophisticated tactics." Aqua explained. "So, we concluded the only way to defeat them was through brute force, to say the least." "So you just charged at them!?" Alicia gasped in disbelief, having an idea what that implied. "We picked them off one by one, using our sheer numbers to overwhelm them faster than they can curse us all," Aqua continued. "Many died, but all of us were under the dragons'' tyranny for so long that we kept pushing until all of them were dead."
He didn''t do that in the otome game. Why here? (William) ...I think it might have something to do with the great sea I erected. (Aqua) Yes... After seeing your true power, it would be natural for him to realize he needed to work much harder to take you all down. (Ronald) True, part of how we defeated the dragons was how they kept underestimating us, so they did not fight fully with their curses until it was too late. (Aqua) This was bad. The otome game depicted the fight against Typhon to be a hard-fought battle as he kept cursing the party and otome Maria had to constantly undo those curses. Even so, it was still a fight where the dragon was backed into a corner, a desperate last stand after his plan to flood the world with cursed spirits failed. But here, it appeared Typhon realized he couldn''t underestimate his opponent again after seeing just how powerful Aqua was compared to when she was a fae. While still carrying out his cursed spirits plan, he also didn''t put all of his eggs in one basket and made himself stronger too. "Now, allow me to show you my power!" Typhon bellowed with the biggest grin imaginable. "I, Typhon, curse you madness spirits!" WHOOOOOM A wretched, purple aura emanated from the serpentine dragon. It pulsated and expanded like a dome, looking absolutely unavoidable. In fact, it happened so fast that it created a minor shockwave that blew away leaves, parchment, and anything small not pinned to the ground. It happened so fast that the rebel army had no time to react as the curse came crashing like a wave. URK-GRRAAAHHH NGU-GRROOOAAAHHH AHH-GRAAAAHHHH The effects were immediate as the younger spirits around them began convulsing and screaming incoherently. Like blinking lightbulbs holding on to the last of their lives, the water spirits flashed blue and purple struggling in futility against the dragon''s curse. The humans and the rest of the more powerful spirits had a front-row seat just how Typhon was able to curse spirits to do his bidding as the newly minted cursed spirits howled in pain. "A-Aaaaaah!" "Spirits save us!" The ranks fell into disarray as soldiers and spirits panicked as the cursed spirits started tearing into their ranks in a berserker fury. In pandemonium, Owen could see his father trying to calm his men down to no avail as they scattered about, flailing their weapons to swat off cursed spirits coming for them. The greater spirits were in a similar situation as the higher ranking spirits unaffected by Typhon''s curse were also panicking, casting spirit arts left and right. "Ggh!" Owen grunted as he tried not to get squished by the rebel soldiers running amok. Slipping through the crowd, there was one person he needed to find in his mind more than anything. Pushing himself forward, Owen slipped through the crack to find Alicia pacing her head left and right looking at all of the cursed spirits, preparing to purify them. "Alicia!" Owen called for her, reaching out his hand to her instinctively... FWOOOOOM PIERCE ...just as a purple beam plunged through her chest. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 7.4: Storming the Capital - Slaying the Dragon Owen never liked seeing suffering. Call him a crybaby, even though he could confidently say he never cried even when getting bullied, but he could say no sane person would ever like it either. But Amelia once told Owen that his dislike of it was to a larger extent even though he didn''t look like it.
"Didn''t think you''d be a psychologist, Amelia," Owen remarked after listening to what the scientist told him about his brand of Orders. "Feelings and emotions have much to do with Court Wizards," Amelia explained with a shrug, chugging down the mug of coffee she made for herself with lots of sugar and milk. "So it naturally became a part of my study." "Right..." Owen rolled his eyes. "Is that really what you think about [Deep Freeze]?" "Very much so," Amelia answered with no hesitation.
Owen could see the point. From losing his mother before he was even aware of things, to seeing his father going missing and his grandmother passing away, perhaps he had always wished they never happened as well as other bad things happening in his life. Suffice it to say, he was sensitive to unfortunate circumstances as a kid, something he had come to realize as he grew up.
"...Yeah, you''re right," Owen relented, straightening his back against the office chair he sat on. "I don''t like bad things happening much more than others." "And it''s not just the ones happening to yourself," Amelia added while sipping her coffee. "Well, it means you don''t like seeing yourself or other people getting injustice in general." "...Yep," Owen nodded. "You''re right."
By now, he has never touched social media and that has made him healthier than some of his peers he would know from school. Regardless, it happened because he could avoid reading the depressing content the algorithm loved to shove into people''s feeds. Honestly, the way people were attracted to these things.
"You probably need therapy," Amelia remarked, putting down her mug. "I don''t know about you, but you look depressed to me." "Huh, surprised you care about that stuff," Owen commented, raising his eyebrows skeptically. "Contrary to the people of my world of its era, I do care," Amelia huffed, crossing her arms. "I''m not just some mad scientist, I''ll have you know."
Owen didn''t know if he would break from it, but he could confidently say such experiences made him stronger. Even then, even the toughest person would crumble under enough pressure. However, Owen didn''t have to find that out because of the people around him getting through.
"Is it what you talked with Amelia?" Catherine asked as she found Owen on the couch in the ice chamber. "How''d you know?" Owen blinked as he asked back. "I was the one who gave her the idea of where to look," Catherine gave a warm, motherly smile as she sat on the couch across from him. "Apologies, but I needed to see what you have been through. You hide it well, but I have still seen through the burden you carry and I believe we should talk about it." "...Sure."
"I see..." Catherine nodded in understanding. "I believe you do not need pity from me but I believe I know what you need to hear." "...What is it?" Owen wondered what the Ice Guardian had to say. "It is simple, really. Now that you are a Court Wizard, could you not do something about the sad things you see in front of you?" Catherine said calmly. "While searching for your father, you should also help what is in front of you whenever you can." "Can I really do it, though?" Owen said doubtfully. "You will not know if you do not try. You just need to do it," Catherine smiled. "And remember, you have people around you to shoulder the weight with you."
"So don''t close your heart, Owen. Keep it open to what others are going through. But don''t just despair, do something about the bad things happening in front of you like you always do. And most importantly, remember you are in this together, with me, Ronald, Alicia, and everyone in the Court."
And now he was seeing them about to die. GRRAAAHHHH TZANG GGROOOAAAAGH Owen''s vision tunneled as he dashed to Alicia, weaving through confused and panicked rebel soldiers and spirits along the way. Sliding to his knees, he caught Alicia just before she hit the ground. Pulling off her hood, Owen found her to be unconscious from the shock of the beam going through her chest and he highly doubted Voice could even come out in a berserk state as she did on the mission in Manegia at this rate. Checking her wounds, Owen silently breathed a sigh of relief that it narrowly missed her vital organs against all odds - he knew his anatomy. [Coat] Alicia''s wounds. CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ A layer of ice formed on Alicia''s chest and back, sealing the hole from spilling blood even further. Still clutching her body with his hands soaked in her blood, Owen quickly looked around at the chaos happening around him. Already casualties started to rise up primarily from soldiers trampling each other from the chaos. He tried to find the others in this pandemonium, but it was so hard to do. Owen eventually saw Ronald first, making his way to him after seeing his daughter gravely hurt but with great difficulty in this crowd. Then, he looked to see William and Rin where the latter was pacing around unsure what to do while the former was channeling wind around them to make sure they didn''t get trampled. Turning up, he saw Aqua and the rest of the greater spirits still trying to calm the spirits down in futility. Finally, Owen saw his father attempting to calm his panicking men with little success as the greater spirits did. Before Owen or anyone could act any further, the dragon who started this nightmare began to gleefully laugh. "Squirm like the lower beings you are! We are the rightful rulers of this realm and you arrogant fools better remember it!" the dragon boasted. "And now, I, Typhon, curse you...!"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It was at that moment that time seemed to slow down for Owen. Here he was, seeing everyone around him suffering under the dragon''s curse. In his arms was his childhood friend he cared deeply dying to protect everyone. After coming this far, it cannot end like this. Owen has experienced suffering and seen suffering of others that he was sick of it. From his tumultuous childhood to the events leading up to the freezing of the Vulgis volcano, he will not let another event like this go by just like that. He was going to stop this and make sure it never happened again. Taking a deep breath, Owen shouted one thing. "Stop!" And everything did.
Everything had been going so well, Joshua lamented as hard as he could under the suppression. Since being thrown into this world and then starting a rebellion, everything has gone smoothly until now. When Joshua took the selfish decision of launching this revolt all those years ago, he had been determined to see it through, knowing he would not be coming back home for a long time. It had been a slow process. It was a good thing Joshua got picked up by the Bell Branch manager after getting out of the Rupture and quickly recollected his memories while recovering. It was another stroke of luck that the arrangement for Bell Branch managers to contact Aqua directly meant that the rest of the Court was kept in the dark after convincing the greater spirit to go along with the plan he made up before Aqua got to him. It took all of the speaking skills he absorbed from Ronald to persuade her. The hardest part was building his army. Given that Van needed to not know there was even a rebellion until it was too late for him, the bulk of the years in Spiri Raia was Joshua slowly recruiting and training his rebel army into a professional fighting force. They consisted of anyone discontent enough with the king to rebel and plenty of defectors from Van''s army who made training the rookies much smoother. Even then, it was still slow-paced so as to not recruit someone who would snitch no matter how unlikely that was. Joshua knew this ruse would be over as soon as he made his first strike which was why he even took all that time and effort to keep it under wraps. He knew what was coming after the Court finally realized what was happening and he was prepared to face it. However, he probably should have also prepared for his son to meet him first or what happened while he was gone. He knew many things would happen back in the Otherworldly Court and other worlds at large without him. To not get distracted, he purposely asked Aqua to not tell him anything that happened while he was planning a rebellion and it was sadly right. His mother died and he didn''t attend her funeral. Furthermore, Catherine, whom he had mentored, also died leaving her daughter as the new Ice Guardian except the Ice Mother Soul didn''t recognize her. All of this, however, pushed him forward. He cannot go back after making it this far. But, ever since the cursed spirits and Typhon appeared, the barest feeling of everything Joshua planned slipping away gnawed at his mind. And with the chaos now, Joshua had no idea how he was going to- "Stop!" CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Despite never hearing his voice for years, Joshua knew it was unmistakably his son crying that word with all his might and the moment he did, a flash of blue went by his vision and the world froze. The cursed spirits flying amok stopped in their tracks, a light blue aura enveloping and locking them in place. It was not just the cursed spirits, but everyone and even the dragon stopped what they were doing although it was a momentary pause instead. Looking towards his son, Joshua couldn''t help but gasp, not noticing the suppression was lifted, at what he saw. Glowing radiantly, an aura of ice maneg enveloped Owen, making him glow in its protection. Carrying Alicia''s unconscious body in his arms, his son had a determined look when he began to shout again. "And break!" CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Another pulse of ice maneg shot out from Owen, covering everyone as it went. This time, however, it didn''t have the same feeling as the last one. GRRAAOHH-UH? SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER They''re... purified! Joshua''s eyes widened as an impossibility occurred. One by one, the cursed spirits were purified. Unlike Alicia''s purification, the purple curses shattered from the spirits like chicks breaking out of their shells. It still led to the same effect leaving behind confused spirits unsure what just happened as pieces of purple evaporated the same way. "What is this!?" Typhon shrieked with his snake eyes as wide as he could. "No matter! I, Typhon, curse you madness!" "Not this time!" WHOOOOOM CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ The moment the dragon laid its curse again, Owen immediately responded with his own. A pulse of purple and a pulse of light blue shot out at the same time. The curse and Order made contact with each other and clashed. SHATTER And almost immediately, both pulses broke, canceling each other out. "Inconceivable! My curse destroyed!?" Typhon raged in bewilderment. "I, Typhon, curse you destruction!" "Not on my watch!" WHOOOOOM CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ SHATTER Once again, two pulses flashed and two pulses destroyed each other. In this incredible sight, everybody else could only watch with bated breath seeing the small boy doing the impossible and stopping the dragon''s curse from happening. "Again!? No power could break my curse!" Typhon growled, his eyes twitching as his claws crushed the palace he still stood on. "This is no puny spirit art! No, is this the power that turns the undine red!?" It appeared the dragon caught on what Owen did wasn''t any spirit arts. He could already tell something was off when Aqua turned red all of a sudden but he must''ve dismissed it as being the arrogant dragon he was. Now, such ignorance has come to bite him. "Quiet," Owen stated coldly, ice maneg surrounding his body flaring up as he did so. Handing over Alicia to her father after he finally reached him, he continued, "you''re going down." BWOOOOOSH "No!" Typhon cried, taking to the air. "You usurpers will corrupt the world order no longer!" The dragon opened its mouth and a sickly purple energy gathered from it. As soon as it reached critical mass, the dragon fired. FWOOOOM FWOOOOM FWOOOOM Numerous purple beams shot out from Typhon''s mouth, intending to wipe out the army in the old-fashioned way. With all of those lasers spread out like that, it did indeed have the intended effect that would be devastating if it hit them. "Freeze!" CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ Once again, Owen let out another pulse and it was even more impressive this time. As the purple beams touched the aura of maneg, they froze. Locked by ice, it was a surreal sight to see pure plasma frozen in the air like a snapshot being taken before disaster. "And shatter!" SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER And it was an even more bizarre phenomenon seeing literal lasers break like glass. Joshua wasn''t even sure if physics or the Scientific Law was even working anymore. Such sentiment was shared by others and for the dragon, it was pure shock and frustration. "You! You!" the dragon seethed. Owen, looking determined as ever, decided it had to end now. As long as the dragon was still alive, everyone was still in danger and the Ice Court Wizard couldn''t keep countering the dragon''s attack forever. Seizing the chance as Typhon was stupefied by the chain of events, Owen cast his sentence. "I order you, die." Everyone watched speechlessly as the most feared cursed dragon of Spiri Raia slowly became frozen solid from the inside out. It was a too surreal sight to immediately start cheering when Typhon plummeted down to the earth and shattered into countless pieces in a deafening explosion. But one thing was clear to everyone: the dragon had been slain. 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 8.1: Thereafter - Growth Manegia Year 1421 When Owen woke up, he saw the familiar ceiling of the infirmary. Groaning internally, he clearly remembered he was supposed to be in Spiri Raia, not back in the Court. Rising up from the bed, he tried to recall what happened before he woke up here. That''s right, I beat Typhon, Owen realized, remembering countering the dragon''s curse over and over with a Vague Order he somehow was able to do and then stopping the laser beams before freezing the giant lizard solid. While he remembered doing it, he still wasn''t sure how he did it. It just felt natural to me after Alicia... Wait, Alicia! "Alicia is fine, Owen," Gabriel said as Owen turned to look at the Life Guardian. "It is you who is worse for wear. How are you feeling?" "Sore, but good," Owen answered briefly. "How did I get here?" "You had used too much maneg in quick succession in your battle and the surge of power you obtained along with adrenaline tired you out after it was over," Gabriel explained. "Fortunately, it is not as crippling as when you froze the volcano, but do be more careful in the future." "How long was I out for?" Owen then asked given he felt rather refreshed after waking up despite the body ache. "Two days, give or take," Gabriel replied. "Again, not as bad as the week-long recovery you went through after freezing mount Vulgis." CREEK "Owen, you are awake!" Alicia exclaimed as she practically kicked the door open. How she knew he was back up was beyond him and he doubt Gabriel had the time to message her with [Telepathy] between their conversation but he appreciated it. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I''m good," Owen replied as Alicia sat on the other chair beside his bed. "Hooray! Sleeping beauty''s awake!" "Right," Owen sighed. This time, he decided to be nicer given the occasion. "Good to see you, Voice." "Gasp! Who are you!? What have you done to Short Cream!?" "Are you okay, Alicia?" Owen asked her back, ignoring the pixie''s woes. "Typhon punched a laser through you." "I am fine thanks to you," Alicia smiled warmly. Owen had no reason not to believe her, the Life and Death Wizards allowed them to survive even deadlier injuries with little to no scar that they need to specifically ask to keep it. "You saved me again, huh?" "Right," Owen smiled back, remembering a time similar to this happening before. Actually, Alicia was always by his side as he suffered in bed whenever he got sick which happened a lot. PIING Suddenly, the familiar sound of transfer could be heard faintly through the soundproof walls of the infirmary. Somehow, Owen got a feeling he knew who it was coming to the Court even before the signature was there. PIING TZANG TZANG CREEK With the sound of launching steps, Owen''s father opened the door and almost hit his head on the door frame that was a part of the bigger door meant to accommodate the small dragon Guardian back in the day which somehow managed to be inconspicuous. He was visibly panting, having rushed into Manegia after knowing his son was awake a few minutes ago. How he knew was Owen''s guess given that Gabriel was still in the room and cross-world [Telepathy] required the Transporter Room but it still felt nice. "Huff...! Hah...! Am I getting old now?" Joshua wheezed as he rested against the door frame before looking up to see his son. "Are you good, son?" "Yeah," Owen replied happily. "I''m good."
CREME~ CREME~ CREME~ "Whoa! Short Cream''s glowing!" "His eyes are glowing too," Alicia added, widening her eyes in amazement. "So cool!" Rin muttered with sparkling eyes. In the Training Ground, Owen recalled the same feeling when he faced Typhon. After taking a deep breath, he felt maneg permeating his entire body similar to the aura Aqua passively emitted. He also felt a significant amount of maneg in his eyes as Alicia mentioned. Unlike last time, it didn''t feel too tiring to maintain. It was probably the adrenaline compounding to the effect that didn''t happen here. "That checks it. That''s [Court Wizard''s Aura]," Amelia nodded in confirmation as Owen deactivated it. "I say congratulations is in order being the second Court Wizard to achieve this." "Who is the first?" Alicia asked. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Hanz," Amelia replied casually. "And he needed to say a long chant out loud to activate it. Owen here can do it as easy as breathing." Literally after Owen made a full recovery over the week, Amelia showed up and dragged him into the Training Grounds just so she could make him do the same thing he did to defeat Typhon with Alicia and Rin in tow because they were there at the time - Owen expected this since the scientist kept visiting him the past week to interview him about his new powers. Despite being an in-the-moment situation, Owen was able to pull it off again as naturally as breathing or so Amelia described. He did feel something instinctive within him that told him how to do it again. "Ooh!" Rin exclaimed before turning to Amelia. "What is [Court Wizard''s Aura]?" she quipped with a neutral face. "The ultimate form of Maneg Users," Amelia replied nonchalantly. "It''s what allowed them to demolish any resistance from the many worlds they invaded." Somehow, Owen had a feeling that was the case. The Maneg Users of old were exponentially stronger than the Court Wizards of today before the Mother Souls were damaged causing subsequent Maneg Souls to be weaker. They had to be to be able to face the strongest beings of any world they broke into. The Maneg System rewriting Fantasy Laws to its advantage wouldn''t be enough if Maneg Users couldn''t even make use of such a cheat, after all. "It is the most powerful defensive Order they have," Amelia explained. "And it''s quite simple, really. It allows the user to hide into the Fantasy Law itself." "Eeh!" Rin gasped in surpise. "It is exactly what you think," Amelia continued with a smirk. "By being in an entirely different plane of reality, literally no attack can hit you. You, meanwhile, can make as many Orders as you want and have them shift back to reality just as it''s about to hit the opponent. It is really the true expression of the Power of Ignorance, not just maneg but yourself entirely pretending whatever''s trying to kill you isn''t there, winning every battle of attrition." "Wow," Alicia muttered. "And Owen and Hanz have that?" "Nope," Amelia quipped with a trollish grin. "Their version is a downgrade. It''s nothing more than a full-body shield, one that no one has been able to replicate manually. Not without it being a maneg drain or making you a human statue," she shrugged. True, Owen didn''t feel too much drain of maneg than it should have. And to actually have it protect him, the ice maneg would have to encase him as he did to many of his adversaries. By that logic, [Court Wizard''s Aura] should never work, but it did. "Of course, it still has the benefit of making your Orders resolve faster since it''s right on your skin ready to go," Amelia continued with a shrug. "All without draining your reserves like there''s no tomorrow." That was true as well. When he fought Typhon in that state, there wasn''t any such delay from the Order cast compared to the usual. Granted, it was only a split second of delay from the Order given and carried out but Owen has heard such an amount of lag was unacceptable to video gamers. "Anyway, let''s talk about the new Order you used with it!" Amelia then said excitedly. "You finally pulled yourself together, huh?" "Yeah, I do," Owen nodded resolutely. "Uhn?" Rin tilted her head in confusion at what Amelia and Owen were talking about. "It''s nothing, Rin," Amelia waved off as she then produced a lot of things out of nowhere. "Now, show me what you can do, Owen." "Right." If there was one thing Owen knew about Amelia it was that she always went above and beyond to study maneg, even if it meant getting beaten up by Alicia''s father one time.
"I don''t know if I should be impressed or terrified," Amelia muttered as they all saw the results in front of them. It started simple enough. A glass of water Owen froze with his new Vague Order as control, nothing too special. Then Amelia made him freeze hotter objects like molten metal. How Amelia convinced Master Zekie to lend her his equipment not to mention letting her use it for this was beyond him. Regardless, his Vague Order solidified the molten tungsten almost instantaneously when his conventional [Deep Freeze] would have struggled to do so in comparison. He had a feeling it would have made the freezing of the Vulgis volcano effortless if he had it back then. The real absurdity started from the smoke of a grill burning wood. All Owen did was command it to freeze and now they''re seeing the dry, white air particles stay in place instead of floating away and that was not to mention the fire burning the wood being frozen as well no matter how much it made no sense. Amelia even touched them with her hands just to make sure their eyes weren''t tricking them. Finally, Amelia ordered a ball of light maneg to which Owen also froze in place. While the sight of what frozen light looked like was surreal and all, the Court Wizards were focused more on the maneg construct itself being locked in place with Owen''s Order. Never before had an Order interacted with another like that. Not even a Maneg Beast was born out of it despite expecting and being prepared for it. "And they''re not even breaking off its own for all this time too," Amelia muttered further, rubbing her chin. "Alright Owen, shatter them." "Right," Owen nodded as he looked at his handiwork. "Break." SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER "Ooh!" Rin exclaimed in amazement. It was a rather beautiful sight, seeing motes of blue light floating away into the atmosphere as all of the frozen objects were broken down into tiny, glowing particles like glitter. The way the light reflected off of them also enhanced the aesthetic. Owen didn''t pay much attention to it back at the fight with Typhon, but now that he did he could see why Rin thought as such. "Stop the problem and make sure it doesn''t happen again," Amelia commented, analyzing Owen''s performance. "So that''s your answer, Owen?'' "Pretty much," Owen nodded with a shrug. "Well, it''s obviously an upgraded version of [Deep Freeze], but it''s definitely something else," Amelia then said, moving the topic on while seeing the last of the motes fade away. "To be able to freeze even other Orders and then smash them into pieces makes it one of the best already. And you said you use it to counter Typhon''s curse?" "Pretty much, yeah," Owen confirmed. "So even conceptual phenomenons can be stopped and destroyed," Amelia nodded in understanding. "It must be a sight to behold." "Uhn! It was so cool!" Rin beamed, her eyes flashing in excitement. "Ruze-senpai even froze the dragon''s laser attack and then shattered them!" "Is that so?" Alicia chuckled. "Wish I had seen it for myself." "Definitely a Wish type Vague Order," Amelia remarked, having jotted down her observations the entire time on the board she was carrying or was it a tablet? Owen wasn''t sure. "And it can with or without [Court Wizard''s Aura]," she then muttered to which Owen realized that fact. "Anyway, what are you going to name your Vague Order or do I get to do it?" That was a good question. Amelia did end up naming Alicia''s Vague Orders, [Avatar] and [Mundane Ordering], since she would have given them terrible names. He named [Deep Freeze] that name because of how it froze things from the inside and outside all at once. This Vague Order was essentially a step above that. Glancing at Rin waiting for his answer excitedly, Owen figured out his answer. "[Ultimate Freeze]." "..." "..." "...I was thinking of [True Freeze]. How about that?" "...Yeah, let''s go with that." 5, 23, 29 Owens Collection Chapter 8.2: Thereafter - Settling On TAP TAP TAP TAP "So is it as you suspect, Amelia?" Zekie asked, approaching the maneg scientist who was busy typing new records in the archives. "That and more," Amelia said, typing the last few sentences, saving the new records before turning the office chair around to face the Lightning Guardian. "Let''s just say they have exceeded expectations." "Are you saying the Mother Souls are recovering their strength much faster than we thought?" Zekie blinked in surprise. "And with it comes stronger Maneg Souls," Amelia replied, crossing her legs and tapping her fingers together like a stereotypical mastermind. "Between Owen''s [Court Wizard''s Aura] on top of his far-reaching Vague Order and Alicia''s Maneg Soul, we are getting a glimpse of what power our predecessors used to have. You of all people ought to know that." "...That, is true," Zekie admitted, scratching the back of his head. He would be a fool not to notice how stronger he was than the previous Lightning Guardian. "And it''s not just them, isn''t it?" "Obviously, Hanz has more Cherished Armaments than anyone has the right to have in addition to his own aura and not to mention Crea''s Vague Order because she is too much of a pacifist," Amelia listed on. "In fact, this generation has more Vague Orders than any previous ones." "There is also Jonathan''s and mine," Zekie muttered to himself. "I see what you mean." "And Master William showed how powerful a Court Wizard with a Mother Soul can be," Amelia continued. "Having that much control over ambient air maneg is terrifying if you think about it." "Yes... With air maneg being naturally abundant, Will would be a most formidable foe to face in battle," the Lightning Guardian muttered. "You are right about that especially if it''s him..."
"So, we''re done?" Owen asked, sitting on the sofa opposite his friend. "Yeah, we''re done," William muttered as he sank into the sofa tiredly. A couple of weeks have passed since the rebellion in Kirash succeeded and the cursed dragon Typhon was defeated. Lots of cleanup was done while Owen was recovering. Owen''s father, Ronald, Aqua, and William had given him updates here and there, but most of it went over his head in favor of recovering and dealing with Amelia. They were in the air chamber for a change as Aqua was still back in Spiri Raia. Owen hadn''t been in William''s Guardian room for the past few months having to mentor both Alicia and Rin. This place hadn''t changed much, it was still the same undecorated chamber in contrast to the light chamber, just the basic furnishings of two sofas facing a low table and the office desk with the terminal. William never bothered with that stuff. "So everything is resolved?" Alicia asked, clasping her hands in wonder. "More or less," William shrugged, bending forward to nab a cookie on the low table much to Voice''s protest. Incidentally, Alicia''s cousin, Maria, along with the rest of her extended family had returned to Kaomagi Earth as her college break was about to end. Rin was similarly back to school and was also looking for which middle school she would go to after graduating. The rest of the Kaomagi Earth kids'' sophomore years will only start a few weeks from now. "So, what happened?" Alicia then asked. Similarly, she was too focused on watching over Owen''s recovery to pay much attention to the aftermath of the development in Spiri Raia. "After you guys were knocked out and Owen killed Typhon, the battle obviously won," William began with a yawn. "We went ahead and took control of the capital after that, making sure no one else gets any funny ideas after all of that." "What happened to king Van?" Owen then asked. "Surprisingly, he''s still alive," William replied nonchalantly. "We found him under the rubble when Typhon morphed into his dragon form." "Did uncle meet him then?" Alicia wondered. In the otome game, king Van died during the confrontation with Typhon so otome Alicia''s uncle never had the chance to meet him again. "He did. Don''t know what they talked about, but it''s probably not about him being salty that he''s not king instead of him," William shrugged, grabbing another cookie with his hand and swiftly dodging Voice''s claws. "Your uncle looked pretty satisfied after he left the room." True, now that Owen thought about it, the first prince ultimately won. While Van spent the rest of his life in stress desperately holding onto his fragile throne to the point of consorting with a cursed dragon, Albert lived the best life he could ever have. He has a wife and daughter; and he has a cushy, stable job in Bell Conglomerate out of his medieval princely education. He had the more enviable position compared to his younger half-brother and the same was true to some degree with the otome version of him. "Van croaked shortly after that," William continued. "He was still on death''s door when we rescued him and was bedridden the whole time." "Oh, I see," Alicia muttered in understanding. "At least uncle had closure." Evidently, otome Albert had lamented not being able to settle things with his brother because of his death. Although it was from a couple of throwaway lines during the wedding scene between the protagonist and capture target, he did sound very hung up about it. "What happened to the kingdom after that?" This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "The next thing we did was consolidate power over the kingdom after the successful coup," William then explained, still looking unengaged in the topic for as long Owen knew him. "Aqua and the greater spirits helped with that." Certainly, having the literal deities of their world backing the new government will crush any opposition, especially after their former king had consorted with the ''devil'' of their world. Since the Kirash people were very much sick of Van''s rule, any noble still loyal to the dead king would be hard-pressed to raise an army in resistance not to mention the political suicide for doing such a thing. "After we got things settled down, we crowned Van junior the new king," William continued, nabbing another cookie much to Voice''s dismay. "Kid''s half passed out on his coronation, probably because Aqua''s putting the crown on him." That made sense, having Aqua personally crown the new king would shut up anyone doubting his capability. Van junior should be a capable king in time, it''s just that it was supposed to be built throughout his academy years regardless of whether or not Maria was with him. His being plucked out before even entering his first year simply meant he had to build his confidence while he was king. "What about his older brother?" Owen asked. "Dead in the rubble," William quipped. "Okay." Owen nodded. Facing his bully of an older brother was one of the pivotal moments of otome Van junior but it wasn''t as if it was that necessary for his growth. A potential challenger to Van junior''s throne being gone was also a plus. "Will he be okay?" Alicia asked in concern. The problem of Van junior building up his skills while being king was that he was building up his skills while being king. "He''ll be fine," William shrugged, unconcerned. "We set up a regency council for him and Aqua''s helping." "I see, that is good," Alicia said satisfied. With all of that work, getting Kirash up and running should go relatively smoothly.
"Well, it is a bit late to say," Aqua began, coughing lightly despite biologically not needing to. "But I would like to announce this operation is a success!" "Uhn! Yay!" Rin cheered. "Hooray!" A few days after everything that happened in Spiri Raia settled down, Aqua returned to the Court and invited the kids for the debriefing however late that was. It was mostly a formality since Aqua was just using it as an excuse for a get-together after all that happened. "It was certainly a surprise to see Typhon having survived all this time, but all that is well had ended well," Aqua remarked before sighing. "Hah, to think my life would turn out like this." "Uh oh! Aqua''s having a mid-life crisis!" "I do not think that is the case, Voice," Alicia said calmly. "Perhaps not, but it is true that I would have never expected to be here," Aqua continued, reminiscing about the past. "Just as I would have never thought of leading the first rebellion against the dragons, I would have never expected to meet Alicia''s grandfather and then become a Court Wizard myself after more than nine hundred years of being a greater spirit." "You are right, Aqua," Alicia agreed. "That would make all of us never expecting to become Court Wizards." "Uhn!" In retrospect, the Fire Guardian was right. Very few would have ever expected themselves to travel to other worlds, it was simply fantasy found only in light novels, after all. If someone told Owen about the Otherworldly Court before being a Court Wizard, he would have certainly thought that person was insane. Really, if it weren''t for the Maneg Souls calming down its Court Wizards, any new recruits would have an episode before even getting to Manegia. "Anyway, I have another assignment for you in Osainicd," Aqua then said in a complete reversal. "I am sure you do not mind." "Huh?" "Uhn?" "What!?" The surprise was just as expected, going by the jovial attitude Aqua usually didn''t give - she must have been more relaxed after everything had settled. Given the purpose of this meeting, ending it off with another mission was completely out of left field which made Owen and the others wonder where did that come from. "And Owen," Aqua then turned to him. "Bring William with you too." "Eh, sure." "Um, I am supposed to be working in the background, Aqua?" "Oh, just one more time, Alicia?" "Fine! Last one, got it!?" "Uhn! Let''s go!"
"It''s finally over..." Joshua sighed, sinking into the couch that littered the center of the court that housed the grand, spiraling stairway that nobody used. "Indeed," Ronald nodded in agreement. "With the younger Van on the throne under Aqua''s guidance, Kirash should be heading in a better direction." "Yeah," Joshua relaxed his head and looked at the ceiling. "It feels like a long story decades in the making finally done." "Yes..." Ronald closed his eyes in reminiscing. "Twenty-nine years ago, I stepped foot into this world for the first time as a Court Wizard, meeting you and Willow." "And twenty-three years ago, we failed our operation and had to evacuate the Illyers out of their world," Joshua then muttered sadly. "But, it had also given us the family we never had." "And then five years ago, while you were in Spiri Raia, Owen became a Court Wizard to find you," Ronald said accusingly, straightening his back to look at his longtime friend. "To even convince Aqua to cover for you, you were very determined to avenge our failure." "Guilty as charged," was all Joshua could admit. "Well," Ronald''s feature softened. "It matters little now because today, your son found you and we have completed our mission one way or another." "Heh, you got that right," Joshua smiled. "Indeed," Ronald nodded while smiling back. "Now that the rest of my family have returned to our world, we need to handle your return." "Right, I was ''missing'' for almost a decade, and I also need to visit mom''s grave and tell her I''m back," Joshua muttered, looking at the ceiling again in contemplation before turning to Ronald. "You got any ideas?" "I''m sure I''m able to work things out," Ronald shrugged. Being the richest man of multiple worlds meant he had more than enough money to throw at whatever solution he decided on. DING With the sound of the elevator opening, the two men turned their heads to see Alicia, Owen, William, and Rin coming out. Rin particularly skipped out of the elevator first in enthusiasm much to Alicia''s amusement who followed right after. Owen and William then stepped out in the same near-bored expression as they always do, according to Ronald at least. "Uhn! Adventure! Adventure!" Rin sang as she hopped to the Transporter Room. "Be careful not to trip, Rin!" Alicia exclaimed, catching up to the younger girl. "Overworked, much?" William complained, his hands tucked into his pockets despite the robe in the way. "Eh, I''d say it''s still normal," Owen shrugged, walking not far behind the group. Watching their backs become farther and farther, the two fathers smiled, feeling rather nostalgic. For a moment, they imagined it was the three of them, young and energetic, traveling through many worlds without a care in many worlds. After all, having gone through trials and tribulations, the twenty-nine years story had come to an end. "Kinda reminds me of our early days, doesn''t it?" Joshua mused. "Just the three of us going on a journey no one else ever will." "Indeed, Joshua," Ronald nodded. "Indeed."