Chapter 22: 251-267
That night, both Adel and Jen stayed in my room. I am not sure what happened, but at some point after dinner, the two walked off to talk on their own. And when they came back, they were much friendlier with each other. Not that I am complaining. I would prefer them to be best of friends more than anything else.
I did not try to ask what they talked about. I did not wish to be too nosy. Although I guess I can not say I am not curious as to what they spoke about, but I will just leave it at that. My days continued as they were. Most of the hostile gazes I was getting in the academy have disappeared. I have even been confessed to quite a few times now. However, I do wonder what they see in someone who still looks like a child, basically.
Well, I guess I should say I have grown a bit. A quarter of an inch, to be exact! But most importantly, I will be turning thirteen soon. I will officially be a teenager! Anyway, currently, I am getting dressed up. Today was the day of my trial, and I must say that I am a bit nervous. I already have plenty of evidence that shows that things were an accident, but my main concern was not my conviction but the nobles we were trying to bait. All of the nobles who speak out today would fall under suspicion and allow the king to investigate them fully.
Up until now, even Diablo shadow has not reported anything back that can be used against the Prime Minister, so hopefully, after losing many nobles who are at his side, he will begin to move once more. I have no idea if he is just lying low after the dungeon incident or not, but we need him to make only one mistake to close the net around him.
I walked out of the house and into the carriage surrounded by guards. Jen, Adel, and the rest would be attending the trial on their own. As I am the one on trial, I need to show up in the proper manner. Although I am not sure if showing up in a fancy carriage surrounded by guards is something a supposed criminal should be doing, but since I was only confined to my home and the academy, so I guess it is okay.
The court was situated inside the palace grounds but far away from the palace itself. When I arrived, many nobles were slowly making their way in. I, of course, garnered many curious gazes as well as ones filled with malice. I do wonder if they know that my senses are much more heightened than their own.
I was not brought through the main entrance but around back to the entrance to the dungeon below the court. I would have to spend my time in a cell for the first time in my two lives, waiting for when it was my turn to enter the court. Sir David took it upon himself to stand guard at my cell as it was needed since I was not in a cell that restricted magic.
Surprisingly compared to the dungeon entrance and dampness of the hall outside my cell, the cell itself was quite dry. I couldn't detect any kind of magic circle, so I wonder if it is something to do with the construction of the dungeon itself. Although it still smelled musty but I could get over that.
"So, are you ready for this?" Sir David asked. It has been an hour since I have arrived. In the dungeon now.
"To face all the nobles? I am sure most want me hung right now." I replied with a chuckle.
"The entire court is packed. I never thought a trial of a young girl would gain so much attention, but every seat in the court, which can hold three thousand, is now filled, and some are even standing. It's not just noble house heads but even students and others as well. You may not hear it, but there is even a huge crowd outside waiting for the verdict." Sir David replied.
"Hmmm…. Did someone publicize the trial? How could so many people come into the palace grounds?" I asked. I thought it would be hard to enter the palace. 𝚒n𝐧𝑟ea𝚍. 𝒄𝑜𝚖
"His Majesty made sure to allow anyone who wished to enter to enter after spreading word in the lower city that you were being charged for a crime. Faith, you may not know it, but your company has blossomed and changed the lives of many. A Chunk of the slums in a month's time has turned into a normal city. Thurul has been spreading your name like wildfire too. Your popularity has really grown." Sir David explained.
My guess is many commoners who are fed up with some of the nobles are also within the group and just looking for a reason to voice their complaints. But it was nice to know things are going smoothly with the company. Annie and Thurul have been doing most of the work since I have been so busy. "As long as no one tries to stir up trouble, it is fine."
"Don't worry, this is the palace grounds. They are all ushered to a certain point. No one is allowed to pass the line of guards." Sir David answered. It seemed the king had things well thought out.
"Then let's just hope everything works out how we planned," I said with a sigh. I have no idea how things will end, but I do hope it will work out in the end.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. The court session should soon start, and when it does, it will finally be show time. I guess my acting skill will come in handy today. I have done everything I can to prepare for this moment, even reading those boring law books. So hopefully, it will all work out.
"It's time." Sir David's voice caused me to open my eyes.
I stood up, stretched my arms, and let out a yawn as I said: "Already? And I was just getting comfortable too. This place is not half bad. Dry floors, quiet, and songbirds that sing beyond the barred windows. If you can get used to the smell, it is not such a bad place to be."
"What are you going on about?" Sir David asked as he gave me a strange look. 𝚒n𝐧𝑟ea𝚍. 𝒄𝑜𝚖
I shrugged and said: "Just giving you my review on the court's dungeons. Maybe next time, I will give you one on the castle dungeons."
"Stop fooling around. You need to get into your role and put these bastards in their place!" Sir David let out an exhausted sigh. It looked to me that he was more worried about the outcome of the trial than I was.
Even if the courts decided I was guilty, I was not going to go to jail. King Gravos and I had already come to an agreement last night, thanks to Diablo doing me a favor and sending a shadow to the castle with a message. The king gave his reply and agreed to my idea if things went south.
I walked handcuffed up the stairs to the courtroom that was connected to the dungeon I was locked up in. These handcuffs were not made for people like me, so if I really wanted to, I could easily break out of them at any time.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I was met with a large hall. I did not realize it on my way here, but the royal court was huge, and I mean huge. But this was also the place where nobles or high ranking officials from other countries were put on trial for their crimes in the kingdom. I guess it was a source of entertainment for some nobles.
But I can say this about this place. It was split. Two different factions. It was easy to tell. One side was staring daggers into me while the other did not. Even the four judges seemed to be split. No, maybe it was a three to one ratio. Three of them seemed to be on friendly terms, and the other sat there with his eyes closed. But of the three, one was looking at me as if he was going to eat me.
I was brought to the center of the room onto a platform where my handcuffs were removed and replaced with metal shackles on my ankles and wrists. Chains attached to these new shackles were anchored to the platform, making it hard for me to take even five steps forward. But even as I stood there with the shackles, I kept smiling away as if this whole thing had nothing to do with me.
A great many conversations could be heard throughout the hall, making it quite noisy. So as soon as I was chained up, one of the judges finally yelled out: "Order! Order! Order in the court!"
The hall went silent. The judge, who seemed to be taking the lead, looked around before looking at me as he began speaking: "Today's court is on the murder of many noble children within a dungeon. Faith Cyrilia, how do you plead?"
"Not guilty," I answered firmly.
"Not guilty!? You killed my son!"
"What about my daughter!? She is dead now because of you! You are nothing but a demi human. Lay down and accept your fate!"
I raised an eyebrow and looked up at a lady that was very much overweight staring at me with bloodshot eyes. I smiled as I looked at her and said: "Are you sure you want to allow your hate for demi humans to affect your judgment?"
"You! You killed my daughter! Of course, I will dislike demi humans!" The woman yelled back. I just shrugged as I looked at the judges who were letting this go on.
"Is this how you handle court? You let others talk out of line?" I asked, my smile never disappearing. I was not here for the trial but to rile these people up and make them act out. The angrier they get, the more likely they will slip up, just like the woman just now.
"Silence! You have no right to tell us how to handle our courtrooms!" The judge on the left yelled out. It was the judge that sat next to him who was in charge, yet he still yelled out. Mistake number two. His actions alone proved he was condoning the actions of the nobles.
"Then do your job, please. I do not have all day. After this, I need to check on a few things in the academy library. I also need to clip my toenails as well." I spat out, causing the judge's face to grow red with anger.
"Order!" The judge in the lead finally yelled out. "Enough! The court is already in session. Everyone should stay quiet unless spoken to by the judges or be kicked from the courtroom."
The whole room finally quieted down, but I only yawned at the horrible acting this man had. If he was really bothered by the fact that they were yelling, he would have stopped it before things had gotten this far. "Faith Cyrilia, you say you plead not guilty is this correct?"
"Yes, it is." I nodded. I could still hear people grumbling from the audience.
"Then the plaintiff can begin his questioning." The lead judge said, finally getting the trial underway. A man with slick back blonde hair wearing a fancy suit with many golden rings on his fingers stepped forward and bowed to the judges before turning to me.
"Faith Cyrilia, you pleaded not guilty, but there are many witnesses who saw you put a barrier up around the nobles' sons and daughters, keeping them from being able to receive any food or even be rescued while you dived deep into the dungeon. Are you saying that you did not do this? Do you even know the meaning behind the words 'not guilty?"
"I am not saying I did not do that. What I am saying is that you need to look at the circumstances at hand. As you well know, not only were there a great number of noble children killed by dungeon monsters but even the ones I was able to save were trapped along with me until I cleared the dungeon alongside other noble children. Did you even ask why I trapped them in the barrier beforehand? When I say I am not guilty, I mean it. I am not guilty of the crime of accidental death. But I think that them dying was much better for this kingdom than keeping them alive as they were tyrants following after their parents." I stated loudly and clearly.
"You! My Little Momo was an angel! How dare you call her a tyrant!" A noble woman yelled out as she stood up, looking as if she was about to attack me, before being pulled back into her seat by her husband.
"An angel? An angel would go and beat up a marquess's daughter!? Would she target innocent people under your orders? Your Little Momo sure was an angel, using her fists instead of words when people told her she was wrong or stood in her way of bullying. You call this being an angel? I am sorry I guess I must misunderstand the meaning of an angel…. Woe is me. It seems I must have misunderstood that the bruises she left on my friend's face and body were just angelic love taps." I made an expression as if I had really misunderstood the situation. But made sure that my words dug deep into that woman's heart.
"You dare sully my daughter's name!? She is already dead!" The woman yelled out.
"She died because of her own actions. I had to protect myself and my team. I put them under a barrier with the idea that we would be in and out of the dungeon on the same day. Who the hell would have thought that some person would go and say a dungeon is safe for kids to enter, only for it to be a nightmare for many where many had died? At least your daughter died an easier death than those poor souls who were tormented until their last dying breath. And You know what I am talking about." My eyes turned cold as I stared at the lady. My words must have struck a cord because she instantly quieted down.
"I saved more lives than those that I accidentally killed. I did my best to keep those who survived the monster attack and were still locked in on the first floor alive. Many of which come from the side of your noble community that doesn't like me. So do not give me your shit about how good your daughter was because at least she wasn't toyed with by those disgusting beasts.
"To be honest, I would have rather died starving and thirsty than die as many of the others had. You sit in your fancy houses and feed off the common people taking in their tax money to make that stomach of yours as fat as it is today. And to top it off, you act all high and mighty, thinking you are better than everyone else. But if it wasn't for your status, could you have that fancy dress? Could you have that shiny jewelry? Could you have that greasy, oily skin that oozes with the fat that is trying to escape your body!?
"You people think you are so great. But ninety percent of you are inherited nobles. Meaning you did not earn your titles!" I yelled out as I looked around the hall. "You are inheritors of the hard work, the sweat, and blood of your ancestors. But now you walk around as if you own the place when you have no glory of your own!"
"Order!" The lead judge finally yelled out. His expression was not good. But I could care less. "Enough outburst! The next one to interrupt the trial will be hauled off to the dungeons!"
The room quickly fell quiet. I just shrugged and turned back to the man that was asking me questions. "Did my answer satisfy your question?"
"You! So you admit that you did kill them?" The man asked as he tried to compose himself.
"Their death was due to my barrier, yes, but as I said, unforeseen circumstances made it so that I could not remove the barrier. The dungeon, as you know, is not something we fully understand yet. When the first boss was defeated, and we tried to leave the dungeon, the entrance was sealed, and no magic could get in or out, so my link to my spell was cut off. As you know, barrier magic is an activation type spell. Once it is activated the caster has to cancel it or it has to be broken for it to go away. With my link cut I was unable to remove the spell which I did try to do when I found out that we were sealed in. so accidental death is the right word for this situation as the circumstances did not allow me to remove my barrier." I explained.
"But it all comes down to you casting the barrier int he first place!" The man yelled out trying to drive home is point.
"I casted it to keep those with bad thoughts from causing harm to my team. Let me ask you something. Would a noble daughter of high standing be standing here if she did the same thing? Would they be put on trial for their crimes?" I asked while tilting my head. 𝓲n𝑛𝓻ℯ𝗮d.＆nbsp;𝚌o𝒎
"Of course they would be!" The man yelled. But I could only chuckle in response.
"So you are saying the Little Momo as her mother called her should have been put on trial for the deaths of many commoner girls just because they were prettier than her?" I asked this question causing even the judges to knit their brow. "You speak righteously but why did she not get convicted of murder when such things were brought to this very courts attention when the evidence was against this Little Momo? You talk big but your honeyed words are just that honeyed words to make yourselves look as if you are in the right about every action you do!"
"Lies!"Little Momo's mother yelled out as she stood up. "My daughter never did such things!"
I turned and looked up at her and sneered: "She never did!? Why try to cover it up? I have more witnesses and people you threatened to back up my claim than you have as alibis. You wish to cover up everything, but you forget the paper trails, and the lips of those around you are easily pried open with a bit of coin. I may be young, but I am actually quite wealthy. All I needed was to give a bit of money for testimony and promise the safety of them and their family. Which I can do."
"You! What can words from so long ago prove!? As long as the verdict has already passed, nothing can be done about it!" The woman was so flustered that she had already spilled the beans. I sighed at her stupidity as I watched her husband stand up and slap her. "Stupid woman!"
"You hit me!? You actually hit me!?" The woman yelled out, only to be slapped once more.
I sneered and turned back to the judge and asked: "So what now? She has already basically confessed that the daughter she calls Little Momo had killed others. What does it matter if she also died now? Isn't this Karma?"
"We can not take your words as truth! So it will not be added to your defense. The fact of the matter is that you have already confessed to killing the noble children, so you have no defense left." The lead judge spat out. i𝙣𝐧r𝑒𝘢𝒅． 𝚌𝚘m
"Oh? Is that so? Then let's do this. Since you are going to convict me anyway with that indifference of yours and inability to care about what actual justice is. Why don't I take justice into my own hands? You will not listen to a word I have to say and will always side with those you have made dealing with." I said with a smile, but before I could do anything, the lead judge's face went red with anger.
"You dare sully my name now!? This is the court of law! Everything we say and do is just!" The lead judge yelled out.
I ignored him, grabbed the metal chains binding me, and ripped the metal cuffs off my wrist and ankles, to everyone's surprise. I stood there and rubbed my wrists as I looked up at the judges. His expression showed just how surprised he truly was. I guess he never believed I was strong enough to do this. But I could care less about his thoughts at this moment: "Diablo, seal the room!"
"Yes, master!" Diablo's voice echoed in the hall before he even appeared.
A heavy pressure suddenly fell over the court. At the same time, Bell used my call as her cue to come out of her space and sit on top of my head with her chin raised high. "In this world, the stronger you are, the more say you have in the world. In This courtroom right now, I am the strongest here. So let me ask you something. How corrupt are you?"
As I asked this question, I used a new technique I learned from Diablo that it seems only dragons can do. It's called Dragon Speak. Basically, I infuse mana into my voice, and it sends a suggestive signal to the target, and it will cause them to answer or do anything I say to them. To be honest, it was quite overpowered. But I was able to make Lance dress and dance like a girl out in the garden while I was practicing it. But now, for some reason, he refuses to speak with me.
The judge's expression went blank. His eyes lost all life as he stared at me. "I have convicted over three thousand one hundred innocent people for crimes they never committed after receiving payments from high ranking nobles. I have snatched girls of age from their homes and made them give birth to many children. I have protected nobles for the same reasons as well as covered up other various crimes such as murder and human trafficking."
The judge kept saying all his crimes out loud for all to hear, causing people's eyes to open wide. He was even naming the people he was involved with, causing them to stand up and shout out that he was lying and saying he was trying to take them down with him. While this was going on, the other two judges next to the lead judge kept trying to stop him, but there was nothing they could do. He was under the effects of my dragon speak. The only judge not caring about what was going on sat at the end with his eyes closed as if none of this had anything to do with him. He went on for almost thirty minutes before he finally went quiet.
"I see! I see!" I suddenly yelled out. The lead judge's eyes soon gained their life back, and he stared at me in horror. I looked at him with my lips curled up as I said: "A corrupted judges panel is not something this kingdom needs. All the people you named today are nobles this kingdom does not need. As of this moment, every noble named by him is now no longer a noble. Your house, your land will be reclaimed by this kingdom."
"You! What right do you have!?" A marquess yelled out as I turned and looked up at him while narrowing my eyes. "What, right? My right is the fact that I have the power. Do you not see the man standing next to me, making you sweat under his pressure? Do you not see my cute Little Bell on top of my head? As of this moment, my words are law. And soon, you will also spit out all your dirty deeds. Diablo, each noble on that list, make them say out their name and then secure them."
"Yes, Master!" I could see Diablo's lips curl up into a devilish grin.It seemed he was happy to finally get to do something demon like for once.
"To all in the audience right now, let me tell you that this trial was a lie. Even if I was convicted of a crime, it would never even do anything to me because there is no one in this kingdom who can keep me here. But I do not wish to leave this kingdom because I love it. I was born here and raised here. And I will be damned if I will allow anyone here to ruin such a great kingdom."
"Well said!"
I gave a faint smile as I and everyone else turned to look at the man who had just spoken out. It was the judge who had been sitting idle this entire time with his eyes closed. He got up out of his seat and walked over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. It was now his turn to take the stage. "What Baroness Cyrilia said just now is what a noble of this kingdom should be saying in such a situation. Hiding behind your titles, doing nothing to contribute to this kingdom. What use are you if you are not even going to commit to your duties and follow the laws of this kingdom!?"
"Who are you to speak about laws!? You have the same status as us judges!" The lead judge yelled out.
"Because I am the law!" The old man's body suddenly began to flicker as if he was a broken tv set. In an instant, the whole court went silent. What stood before them was the king himself under the influence of my illusion magic. King Gravos, the king of this kingdom, turned his eyes on the judges. "You three have been doing as you pleased while taking kickbacks from the nobles. You are no longer fit for your duties and are no longer fit to be a noble. Your noble titles are hereby revoked, and you will be imprisoned to work the mines from this moment on until the day you die! This same punishment goes for every noble in his courtroom who has ties to dirty dealings!"
"You dare!? You are nothing without us! We nobles are the backbone of this kingdom! Right now, we outnumber you! What good is a king who is unable to see past his own ideals!? You want to abandon us? Haha! Do you even have the ability to!? Now is the time to stand up and reform this kingdom to the ideals we nobles have so longed for! Brothers and sisters, take up arms!" The lead judge suddenly yelled out. I watched as half the hall stood up, ready to fight, and chuckled.
"Hehe…. Hahahahahahaha!" My laughter overpowered the yells of revolution that was about to occur. They all looked at me in confusion. I could understand. They were probably expecting me to quiver in fear. But these nobles…. They were just so stupid…..
"What's so funny!?" The lead judge finally asked.
"What is funny? You dare threaten the people I care about? You want to usurp the throne? That means killing those I care about, does it not?" I asked with a crazed smile on my face. It was happening again. No matter how much I tried to suppress it, it was still rising its ugly head. My ancient will. The will that was chanting for me to kill every noble here that dares to harm what I cherish.
"For change, those who hold the top must topple!" The lead judge replied without hesitation.
"Hehe…. Haha…. Then so be it. Those who stand up will no longer have a head." My eyes lit up, and a sword made of flames appeared in my hand. I took a step forward, unable to contain my bloodlust. "Wind Rush, Acceleration…."
The lead judge had no chance to even react before his head flew through the air. I turned and looked at the other two judges, my eyes bloodshot as I swung my sword once more. "Hahahaha! This day! This kingdom! Will soon be reformed under His Majesty's rule! Diablo! Every noble here who has stood up is an enemy. Kill without restraint!"
"Faith, wait!" I heard King Gravos yell out as I turned and looked at him. My expression, I am sure, was in a crazed state. But his yell caused both me and Diablo to stop and look at him. "There is no need to kill everyone. We can just sentence them to do hard labor for the rest of their lives."
"Why?" I asked while tilting my head to the side, my eyes wide. "Why would you even let such scum take up more of the people's taxes? Their meals all come from the taxpayers, the same people they have been abusing this entire time. This doesn't seem like a good solution. If I kill them… they will all be sent to hell where they can be tortured for all eternity."
"But if you kill them, you are no better than them, are you not?" King Gravos replied to me in a calm voice, but I still did not understand.
"These people wish to kill you, but you want to show them mercy? They wish to harm those I care about, but you want to let them live? Your Majesty, there are times when people should be kind, and there are times when people should become a demon. I will be the demon this time. I will make sure this kingdom no longer has to worry about an uprising again! For the love of my kingdom, I will turn into a demon." I truly loved this kingdom. But it was filled with filth. We now had the chance to fully clean this filth out. I may be in a crazed state, but I still had some of my rationale. 𝗶𝘯𝗻𝙧𝚎α𝘥. 𝑐o𝘮
King Gravos looked at me and was about to say something when multiple figures suddenly arrived in front of him. They all knelt not to him but to me. "We will assist you." This was Sally, Sophie, Grace, and everyone else in my team. Even Sei was kneeling to me and not him.
"Adel you!?" King Gravos called out as he looked at his daughter down on one knee.
"Father…." Adel called out without raising her head. "We shall clean this kingdom up in your stead so you can give the people of this nation a brighter future. You may not realize it because it is not clearly seen, but many are suffering. The reforms that should be passed are blocked at every turn by corrupt nobles who wish to keep the status quo and line their pockets with the taxes they take from the people they should be helping. I can no longer allow this to happen. We now have a chance we can not pass up. Because we never know what will happen in the future. They could easily break out of the confinement camps and take up arms. This I can not allow."
Adel rose to her feet and turned to look at the last judge with cold eyes, and pointed her finger at him. "Fast forward."
"Ahh!? What are you doing to me!?" The old judge's body began to shrivel up, and in a matter of seconds, his body turned into a pile of dust on the floor.
Adel's cold eyes softened when she turned back and looked at her father. "Father, I will carry part of your burden so you can still be considered a good king."
"You! Adel this…" King Gravos's words got caught in his throat. Seconds later, another figure suddenly landed in front of him and stood at his side.
"Father, we shall sit this out." Lance placed his hand on his father's shoulder and spoke in a soft voice. King Gravos looked at his son and then at his daughter.
"I never wanted it to end like this. But what was said just now is right. These nobles have amassed their own people under them. But I can not allow my daughter to shoulder the burden of this massacre alone…." King Gravos took a deep breath as he waved his hand, causing a golden magic circle to appear in the air. "By my name King William Gravos, I hereby declare all nobles appearing before you as traitors to this king and hereby announce that they and their families will be purged from this kingdom! No survivors!"
King Gravos's voice echoed through the hall, causing every noble there that had decided to stand up and revolt faces to pale. I don't know what the magic circle was for, but I can only guess the king had some secret force besides the black and white knights.
With these words, the purge began. On the day of my thirteen birthday, the streets of the capital of the Kingdom of Gravos flowed with blood. I wonder if this would have happened if they had not threatened those close to me. But they had to try to start an uprising. With Diablo's help, each noble that was corrupt was slain. No innocent noble or their families were hurt during this purge.
This day would become known as The Great Change. A day when the kingdom of Gravos officially became a kingdom that worked for its people….
—
Six months have passed since that day. During this time, I did not stop going to the academy. After all, I was still very green when it came to many things. So I was trying to learn everything possible from my classes and the books in the library. But on this particular day, I had been summoned to the castle. "Faith, are you ready?" A voice called out to me as the door to my room opened.
"That dress looks good on you!" Adel's cheerful voice filled my ear. But I couldn't help but frown. Dresses were just so airy!
"I still prefer my armor…." I couldn't hide the discomfort in my voice.
"Just put up with it for now. You are to be honored today for your part in the fall of the corrupt nobles." Adel said as she hugged my arm. She really does not change. I still wonder what choice I would have made if my ancient will had not taken over. But I guess even though the meaning of purge still leaves a sour taste in my mouth, the outcome seems to have allowed the kingdom to become a much better place. Luckily when the purge happened, anyone who was under the age of twenty that had not committed crimes had their memories erased and were allowed to live. They had to have their memories erased in order to keep them from taking revenge. When I found this out, I immediately offered my company to take them in. So that they could live a reformed and new life. Now, some of the mothers who worked for me were acting as teachers to help them relearn everything.
"Let's go."
I was not the only one going to the castle today. Everyone in my team was going. They all stood out and were willing to stain their hands in blood in order to make this kingdom a place people could all live happily. While I am sure down the road, more people would end up becoming corrupt, the number of people allowed to become nobles has dropped, and they are not allowed to handle the finances of the kingdom. It is all done by a heavily guarded new government office. To become a noble, even if your father has a noble title, you now had to work hard to have enough merits to take over the title. If you did not have the merits and your father passed away, you would be automatically demoted to commoner.
This new system was put into place in order to keep the younger generation from turning corrupt due to thinking they were better than others because they could inherit their titles. They now had to work hard just like everyone else.
From what I know, the school reform is also being put into place. Schools were now being built all over the kingdom, and nobles who had minor offenses but confessed to their crimes after the purge were now going to be used as teachers as punishment. From what I understand, each month, an investigator would also arrive and test all the students to make sure that the noble was doing their job. These investigators were also going to be under a strict blood seal contract that made it impossible to be bought out.
When we arrived at the castle, I stepped out of the carriage. My white dress swayed in the breeze. It was a formal dress for occasions like this that Adel had specially made for me. Pure white with a dash of light blue on the trim. The dress at least stopped at my ankles, allowing me to still walk. However, dress shoes are still hard to walk in.
With Adel hanging from my arm I walked forward one step at a time towards the throne room of the castle.𝒊𝓃𝗻𝘳𝘦𝐚𝐝 𝒄o𝓶
As I entered the throne room, all the nobles that were standing in the room lowered their heads, not daring to make eye contact with me. I do not know if this was out of fear or respect. All I know is that this was much better than them staring daggers into my back. inn𝘳e𝑎𝘥. co𝐦
When I stood before the King, Adel let go of my arm and walked to her father's side. She now had to take on the role of a princess of the kingdom. King Gravos smiled at me warmly as he gazed upon me. Only one person in this room was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check. And that was the Prime Minister. I could see the anger in his eyes which made me inwardly chuckle. Sadly we have yet to find any kind of evidence against him, so we can not do anything to him directly just yet.
A few seconds later, I was joined by everyone in my team, minus Adel, who was standing with the King. Her role in everything was to be expected as she was the princess. But I am sure she will also have a reward of some kind coming to her.
"Baroness Cyrilia!" The king's voice brought me back from my inner thoughts. I looked at him as he gazed back at me. "On this day, myself and this entire kingdom must thank you and the people who follow you for your role in wiping out those who wished to rebel. Your actions have been able to bring a new change to this kingdom. A change that will benefit the kingdom as a whole. Not just the nobility but the commoners who are the backbone of our nation.
"Because you were willing to stain your hands in the blood of those who wished evil upon this kingdom, I will say now from the bottom of my heart thank you." At this, not only did King Gravos bow but Adel and every noble in the room did as well.
When he lifted his head once more, he closed his eyes for a second before opening them once more and looked at me and the others next to me before locking back on to me. "Faith Cyrilia, your actions from this date super exceed anyone of this kingdom. From helping those struggling to survive in the slums, helping those in a dungeon even though they might have seen you as an enemy, even in the face of an army of thousands, you never faltered in helping this kingdom. And now, with this new event, I am not even sure how I am supposed to reward you. While I know you ask for little, I guess I can only offer one thing."
I watched as the king stepped forward and placed his big hand on my head. "As of this moment, Faith Cyrilia will be known as Princess Cryilia, third in line to the throne!"
"Oi!" I yelled out, smacking the damn man's hand away, only to see the scheming smile on the king's face! This bastard! I told him many times that I did not want the damn crown! "Adel, do something about your stupid old man!"
"Huh? But I think the title princess suits you well!" Adel, you traitor! I cried out in my mind. I looked up at the King, who was smiling away. Then I looked at Adel, who was covering her mouth to hide her laughter. The damn girl really found this amusing. I then looked at Lance, who was not even looking at me. Why the hell is he looking at the ceiling whistling!? But what got me the most was when I looked at the nobles at the side, they were all smiling away. This meant they were all in agreeance with this stupid old man! I could have looked at the Prime Minister, but I did not want his help.
I hung my head. Why didn't I just go to another kingdom? Why did I stay in this kingdom only to be given things I don't want? I looked back up to the king, who was standing here teetering back and forth on his heels with a very complicated expression. "Can I give this reward back for a shiny rock?"
"NO!" The king replied flatly! At least think about it!
Actually, now that I think about it. I am probably the only one in this kingdom who would trade the title of princess for a shiny rock. I sighed and looked at the damn man in front of me and asked: "So what do I do with this new title?"
"Nothing. If Lance or Adel give up their rights to the throne, you would take the crown." The king replied, causing me to sigh.
"What about your other kids!?" I asked. I mean, come on man, you got more than one son here!
"Those idiots!? They gave up their titles a few weeks ago and are now living in the countryside." His answer stumped me. They gave up their titles!? I guess the look on my face said it all because the king continued: "They both came to me and said: We want to be free from the political drama, so we denounce our rights to the throne. Give us an allowance to live off of and a plot of land."
"Those bastards!" I yelled out. "Why are they doing this to me!? I never even met them, and I want to punch them!"
"Faith, you are speaking your mind very loudly!" The king reprimanded. But all he got from me was a humph as I turned and ignored him. But he still continued: "Even if they did not give up their rights, I still would have made you third in line. Faith, you are a treasure any kingdom would want to keep tied to them. But for me, I just want you to have the right to take control if something were to happen to Lance or Adel. I am entrusting my kingdom to you in case something we did not plan for happens."
I took a deep breath before letting out a long, drawn out sigh. "Fine. But I will be damned if they just give up the throne because they don't want it." I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Adel and Lance as I said: "Lance, Adel, if either of you says I quit, I will kill you!"
I stared at the passing blue sky as the carriage I was in slowly made its way back to my estate. My drawn out sighs could not be blocked as I watched the clouds floating aimlessly by. "I wish I was a cloud…." I muttered to myself, causing a certain Princess at my side to chuckle.
"Is it really that bad?" Adel asked.
"Well… I am not so sure, to be honest. I just don't like the idea of being forced into it. Everyone else got land and boosts in their titles, but I was basically told: hey, you are now a royal!" I answered as I sat back in my seat. Adel leaned her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.
"I am glad you got the title. It is well deserved. You have done so much for this kingdom and can be considered the strongest person in it. You are worthy of the title of queen, and my father would be happy to give up the crown, but since he knows you would not want that, he has decided to give you the title princess. He also knows you wish to work your way up through the ranks of knighthood as well, which is why he did not give you such a title." Adel replied, her voice going soft. She seemed overly tired. I guess she had been busy as well lately.
Adel fell asleep on my shoulder. Her beautiful face was close to mine. I could see the dark circles that had been forming under her eyes. She tried to hide it with a bit of light makeup, but up close, you could see it. I guess with this new title, I can now at least share more of her burden and help this friend of mine when she needs it the most.
When we arrived at the estate, I did not wake Adel. I picked her up and carried her into the house and up to her room, where I then laid her on the bed with her feet hanging over the edge. Only when I got her shoes off did I put the covers over her and leave the room.
"You seem tired." A voice came from my side. I turned to see Jen standing there, smiling at me.
"You can say that. That damn old man made me a princess." I replied with a sour face. Jen chuckled and shook her head at me. 𝓲n𝑛𝓻ℯ𝗮d.＆nbsp;𝚌o𝒎
"Only you would whine about such a thing," Jen replied.
"Where is Grace?" I asked.
"Grace is still very busy. Because of everything that had happened, she had to put off her parent's meeting. Now she is in full swing again. They are expected to be here in two days."
"Yeah, they had to cancel before due to an incident with one of their companies. Let's hope we can finally get this situation handled once and for all." I still had no idea how Grace's parents would react to their daughter's new look. Grace had not met them at all since her change. She seemed reluctant or maybe nervous. She still loved her parents, after all.
—
Two days passed by quickly, and right now I was standing waiting for the Dollen's to arrive. Grace was not to meet them until we arrived in the room we had prepared to receive them in. I wanted them to be sitting down and at least have some calming tea in case they end up having a stroke. The last thing I need is to have one of the few marquesses that the kingdom has left dying in my house.
Surprisingly the carriage pulled ten minutes earlier than the said arrival time. I guess maybe they were in a hurry to meet Grace. I guess this could be considered a good sign? The two people who got out were a middle aged man and a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. This was normal for nobles as most older men married younger women.
"My name is Niel Dollen, and this is my wife, Frera Dollen. It is our pleasure to meet the newly appointed Princess Cyrilia." Grace's father bowed his head and following after him, as did his wife.
"Please raise your head. In my house, status matters not. We are all one big family here. Whether it be commoner, noble, or royal." I answered with a smile. Grace's father looked up at me. He was a man with a squarish face and short black hair. He looked refined, and his eyes seemed to hold deep wisdom.
"I see.." He only answered with these two words. It was hard to tell what he was thinking as he remained expressionless. And his wife seemed to be tight lipped. Or maybe she was afraid to speak?
We walked into the room that Grace set up for her parents so they could be seated comfortably. When we walked in, I saw a slight twitch in the expressionless man's expression. I am not sure if it was bad or good, but since no complaints were uttered, we will just go with good.
"Please have a seat. Annie, serve us some tea, please." I called out to Annie, my ten star maid. Annie nodded and quickly went to work brewing tea. I then turned to Grace's parents and looked them directly in the eye. "Before I call Grace here, I would like you to drink the tea. It will help you relax a little. I must say, please be ready." While Grace was with me at the castle, her parents were not there. And the king forbade anyone to talk about her appearance. I made him do so as her parents had not seen her yet as she was. Although I am not sure, they even recognized her at the trial. It was hard to tell with how they were not talking much.
"Princess… You do not need to worry about us. We already know about our daughter's new appearance." Grace's father suddenly spoke up.
"I see… Then this will make things easier. There is a lot to explain as well. So I will have Grace come in now."
"Grace!" I called out, and the door opened. Grace slowly walked in, her head lowered as if she was waiting to be yelled out. She walked over and stood behind the couch, diagonally to me. I sighed as I said: "Grace, at least sit down, please."
"Yes, Master…." Grace replied as she walked around the couch and sat down.
A long sigh came from in front of me as I looked up to see Grace's father holding his head. "To think this would happen…."
"Marquess Dollien, while I know this seems strange but please do not get mad at Grace." I started, but Grace's father raised his hand to stop me.
"I am not going to chastise her at all. I said that because I was surprised that the stories I was told by my own grandfather were true. You see, our bloodline is unique to others. Our bloodline will only awaken under a certain condition, and that is to come in contact with someone of the dragonic bloodline, and it must lose to that bloodline…." Grace's father explained as he leaned back.
My ears perked up as I asked in surprise: "You know about the dragonic!?"
"No… sadly, I do not. All knowledge of the race disappeared many, many years ago. I only know the name of our rightful masters. I only know it was an ancient race that stood above all the other races and that the angelic race was its subordinate. Beyond that, I only know a little bit about the angelic race and how our bloodline works. But in Grace's case, it seems your bloodline took a larger effect." Grace's father explained, causing my hopes to die down.
"I see…" I couldn't hide my disappointment since I did not know anything about the dragonic. I wanted to know about their history. I wanted to know everything about them. Any clues that would help me keep my sanity were clues I would grasp at.
I took a deep breath as I looked at Grace's father and asked: "So how should we go from here? Grace does not want to leave my side. If I tried to tell her that she doesn't need to do these things, she would try to take her own life. I, for one, do not want Grace to lose her life. She is my friend, after all."
"Master!" Grace lifted her head with a bright smile as she called out to me. I sighed and patted her head, which caused her smile to brighten even more.
"Ahem…" Grace's father coughed. "The angelic race is and always will be subordinates of the dragonic. The stories I heard say that they were absolutely obedient to the dragonic. I guess these stories are very much true. And from the look on Grace's face, I can tell she is truly happy. I love my daughter, and I know with this new change that, she will not be able to turn back now. I can only leave her in your care. And to be honest, I am grateful that you were the one who had the bloodline, or else Grace would suffer with no will to resist."
"I would never let Grace suffer. As I said, Grace is my friend. She has become part of my small family that seems to be slowly growing here." I replied. Grace was important to me just as much as Jen and Adel. I would never let her suffer any unfair treatment.
"I know. You did what you did because of my daughter, which caused the trial. But it seems that this was used as a ploy to rid this kingdom of the corrupt nobles. When I saw the people who have gathered around you willing to kneel to you, I was quite surprised. Each one of them held the determination to follow you no matter what. I could see it in their eyes. And what really surprised me the most is how you are no less influential in this kingdom now than the king himself. You may not know because you were busy at the time, but the people outside the court were all praying for your freedom. They cared more about their savior than the king. You have a place amongst the commoners of the capital that can not be moved any time soon.
"I had people mingle into the crowd, and the words being said by those in the crowd talked about what you have been doing. Reforming the east side slums. Making it a place no different than the rest of the capital. People have even begun to look at it as a place of investment, even among the other nobles. I am sure many proposals have been sent to your assistant Thurul there." Grace's father explained with a faint smile. His stoic face had finally cracked, and he had a small smile on his lips.
"Now that you mention it…. I guess I have had Annie mention this a few times. I just have not had time to look them over. I will be sure to take a look today." I had a stack of papers on my desk but have yet to go through them. I really need to get myself together and work harder! I looked at the parents that were gazing at their daughter and smiled softly. "Since I have work to do, I will leave you in the care of Grace. Please do excuse me. And…." I looked at Grace's father and continued: "Take your time. Feel free to even steal her for the day or two or three." 𝓲n𝑛𝓻ℯ𝗮d.＆nbsp;𝚌o𝒎
"Master!" Grace cried out, but I could see she was not antsy or angry. She was looking at me with a look that showed how grateful she was.
"Grace, have fun. Your parents love you deeply. Whether you have them stay here for a while or you go with them for a while. You should spend more time with them." I said before turning to leave,
"Princess Cyrilia" Grace's mother suddenly called out to me causing me to pause my steps. I turned to see the beautiful woman looking at me with tears in her eyes but smiling. "Thank you!"
"You do not need to thank me. Grace is my friend and family. I will never let anything bad happen to her or keep her from those she holds dear and hold her dear. Enjoy your time together. Grace, take your time. There is no need to hurry."
When I left the room, I walked toward my office. I had not dealt with the company things for a while, and Annie had been making most of the decisions on my behalf. She had become less of a maid and more of a CEO of my company. She was genuinely good at it. It was as if it was a natural born talent.
When I walked into the office, Annie was sitting at my desk looking over the papers. When she heard me, she looked up and smiled. "Young Miss."
"Annie. You have been working way too hard. Your eyes have bags." I said as I walked over. She had been doing both maid duties and company duties, and it was my fault that she was being overworked. "Go rest. From now on, you will only do company things. I do not want you to be overworked. This way, you can enjoy some free time to yourself."
"This… Young Miss, if I did that, then who would be the head maid? There are many new maids we just took in to take care of the increase of people living here. They still need to be trained. If I don't train the…."
"Stop!" I yelled out. "Annie." I walked over to stand behind her and covered her eyes with my hand. "You do not need to worry about such things anymore. From this moment on, you only need to worry about the company. Rina and Brooke both know how to do the same things as you. I will also be lightening your load a bit as well. So for today, give me a rundown on what is going on so I can get caught up. I apologize for slacking on this."
"But…" Annie tried to speak, but I cut her off again.
"No buts! I forgot to tell you, but you are no longer contracted with the royal family but under me now. What I say goes. Give me a run down, and then go get some much needed rest. You are no longer a servant. You are my employee now. You are no longer bound by contracts." I replied. Although working for a company is really no different from a maid job. She was just switching carriers with more time off and higher pay.
"Young miss…" Annie started at me in confusion. I can understand why. She had been raised to be a servant, so to have suddenly freedom to do as she pleased must be a strange concept for her.
"No more young miss, I am your boss now. Of course, if you wish to quit and do something else, you can, but I do hope you don't. I need you!" My last words were said in a more begging manner because I really did need Annie.
"I would never quit! Young-Boss, you have treated me and the others as family since we arrived. You gave us higher wages. Forced us to take time off. And never once treated us like actual servants outside our working hours. We are truly grateful." Annie replied.
I smiled and slipped my arms around her, and hugged her from behind. "As long as those around me live fulfilling lives, then I am happy. Of course, I will also try to be happy as well. But having friends and family with me is also something that makes me happy."
"Although, Boss…. I will say this. I still plan to manage the house. I can not leave it to others." Annie replied with a voice of determination.
I was caught by surprise at her insistence. "Huh? But I can just…."
"No! Do you even know how long it took me to rearrange everything in this house to meet my standards!? I will not allow those without enough attention to detail to take over. Rina and Brooke are good girls, but they are nowhere near ready for such things!" I stared at Annie's wrinkled brow and sighed. "Fine, I give up! I will just pay you extra. But you are not a servant. Remember this. You are now my aid. I will be relying on you to handle things when I am not around."
"Mmm! Leave it to me. And Boss." Annie called out and placed her hand on mine. "Thank you. Thank you for treating me and the others as people and not animals."
Hearing her sincere thanks, I hugged her tighter and nodded my head. "Of course, I would. After all, we are all one and the same. Just different body parts here and there."
"Mmm…. But I do wonder one thing…" Annie said as she held onto my arm tighter and stared off towards the door. "If I were to give you a peck on the cheek right now, would the one standing on the other side of the door lose it completely?" 𝑖𝗻𝙣𝐫e𝙖𝗱. 𝚌𝗼𝓂
"Huh?" I was confused when I suddenly heard a loud yell from the other side of the office door.
"You dare!?" Only then did I understand what Annie meant. She was teasing Adel.
"Adel, you know, eavesdropping and stalking is unbefitting a princess," I said with a chuckle.
"Then I will give up my title as pr…."
"You sure as hell will not! That would mean my position in line for the throne would be moved up! If you do that, I will stop talking to you!" I said in a huff, but my words seemed to prickle at Adel. She pursed her lips and stopped talking.
"Anyway. Why are you acting like someone who just had their wife stolen? I keep telling you to reel it in. You can't act like a jealous girlfriend when we are friends." I scolded.
"I am just…. That is not it!" Adel stammered.
"Then what is it?" I asked. I know I was being kind of mean right now but I was only doing this so that Adel would not end up doing something else out of jealous rage that she would regret. She needed to realize her own actions were wrong even if she had those sorts of feelings for me.
"I don't know! I just get aggravated when any man or girl is near you! I feel like I might lose you." Adel replied, her voice going softer. But she raised her head and continued: "I had a dream where you went far away!"
<strong>–AN) Second daily chapter will be late. Had to run to the vet this morning.–</strong>
Adel's eyes began to fill with tears. Just seeing her like this made me feel bad for her. "When did you have this dream?"
"A while ago…. I do not remember when but since then, I have been afraid that the first true friend I have ever had will disappear from my life." Adel answered.
"I see…." I pondered for a moment before taking a deep breath and asking. "Adel, are you in love with me?"
Not only did Adel's eyes grow wide in surprise at my question, but even Annie's eyes also shot open. I know I was being very forward about this, but I had to ask this question as it seemed Adel would still be in limbo forever with her possessiveness of me growing stronger and stronger. The last thing I want is a yandere moment where she is killing me in my sleep due to her jealousy. The idea was quite scary, after all. Although I think the knife would break before it could stab into me.
But from the way Adel was opening and closing her mouth and how her cheeks were turning bright red, I think she finally realized her issue. "I…. I'm sorry!" Adel suddenly yelled out as she turned and ran away.
I stared at her retreating back with a helpless smile. "Boss, are you not going to chase after her?"
"No. This is something she needs to think over herself. I mean. At this time, I can not really return her feelings. But, I will never think any less of her. Adel is a friend I cherish from the bottom of my heart. Even if she does come to the conclusion that she is in love with me, I will accept it just as that but not treat her any differently. Adel is Adel. And always will be. Maybe in the future, when I come to terms with my own issues, I can come to love someone, but at this time, I can not. Sadly." I replied. Love was something I could not handle at this time. I liked Adel and thought she was very cute and loveable, but I could not see her, or anyone else for that matter, in the way of love. Now that I think about it, I think I have always been this way. But well, what can I do? Changing one's self is not as easy as one would think.
"So you will keep going as you are?" Annie asked.
"I guess? I am not sure how I should handle it. All I know is Adel is one of my best friends. And that will never change. I do not think I have been leading her on, have I?" I asked. I do not think I have shown that kind of interest at all.
"Not that I have seen. Although you do allow her to hang all over you, but you also reprimand her when she is acting too out of line, as you did now. But… You should comfort her about the issue of her dream. She looked quite scared and sad at the same time when she spoke about it." Annie answered.
"I guess you are right. I will talk to her soon. For now, I think it is best to let her figure her own thoughts out." I said with a sigh. It was then a knock came at the door. I turned to see Jen standing there.
"Faith, what happened to Adel? Her entire face is bright red, and a look of shock was on her face as she ran down the hall." Jen asked as she walked into the room.
"It's nothing. Let her be for now." I replied as I took my seat behind the desk. "Time to dig in!"
I rolled up my sleeves, pulled one of the documents off the pile, and began reading it. I also need to get my mind off things. I could also hear Annie and Jen talking. "What is up with her?"
"Let's just say Boss needs to keep herself occupied for the time being," Annie replied.
"Oh… By the way, why Boss?" Jen asked.
"Ah, Boss has now changed my job description. While I will still be managing the house, my main duties are with the company." Annie replied. I could see Jen nodding her head.
"You do, do a lot for the company. I wish I could help out in some way, but I am not too good at asserting myself, so people would just walk all over me. That and I still have my library duties." The two girls chatted away for a while before Jen said goodbye and ran off. Annie stayed in the room and prepared tea for me as normal. I wanted to say she didn't have to, but I bit my tongue.
She placed the tea cup on my desk and sat down on the edge of it, sipping a cup of her own. "You shouldn't let it get to you too much."
I raised my head and looked at Annie. I let out a sigh and nodded my head. "I will talk to her later tonight. I just want to give her time to think things through."
*Bang!* 𝘪𝙣𝓃𝒓𝗲𝒶𝗱. 𝐜o𝗺
The door suddenly slammed open, causing Annie and me to jump. Adel came marching into the room and around my desk. She then reached out and grabbed my face, and before I knew it, Adel's lips were on mine. It was only for a second, a very split second, before she pulled back and stood in front of me with wide eyes…. "I guess it is love…." Was what slipped from her mouth as she stared at me with rosy cheeks.
It was now my turn to be frozen in place. My mind was blank. I knew what had happened, but my brain was just not registering it. I just had my first ever kiss with someone else stolen! "Adel you…."
"Hehe! I finally understand! I feel so much better! So the feeling that was pulling at my heart this entire time was because I loved you."
I watched as Adel wiped the imaginary sweat from her brow. Her face seemed to be more relaxed than ever, with a blooming smile plastered right on it. But now I wonder what she will do from here. She just confessed to me, and to be honest, I do not want to turn her down because I know it will hurt her, but I can not lie to her when I do not feel anything at this time that goes so far as to say that I love her.
"Ah!" Adel's voice broke my train of thought, causing me to look right at her. "While I now know I love you, I am well aware that you have no plans for a relationship. I know this because I have been watching you this entire time. You reject any notion of love that is beyond friendship. But that does not mean I will give up easily. One day I will make you look my way. Until then, I will continue to love you as I have. Although I will do my best not to act like I have…." 𝘪𝚗𝓃𝘳ℯ𝒂d. c૦𝓂
Adel paused as she leaned down and hugged me. "But please never forget that my love for you is real." With that, and without me being able to answer her, she turned and left the office, leaving me behind to sit there in a mix of my own emotions.
"She is like a whirlwind." Annie's voice entered my ear, but I was still in a daze. "Boss? Your face is red…. Don't tell me you…."
"No! I am just… I mean, she kissed me! That was my first kiss!" I cried out as I held my head in my hands. So embarrassing!
"Hehe, to think Boss was a maiden at heart," Annie said teasingly.
"Annie, no pay for a month…." I mumbled
"What!? So mean!" Annie cried out, causing me to smile. I looked at her and stuck out my tongue.
"Go take a break. I will continue here." I said with a smile. Annie always works hard, so she deserves a break. "Oh! I heard there was a new cake shop in the center. Take a carriage and go check it out."
"Cake!? Hehe… It only takes one taste, and I will figure out the ingredients! I will be off. Boss, don't work too hard!" I chuckled as I watched Annie rush out the door. She did not love cooking. What she loved was stealing other people's recipes and making them her own. She has a bad habit of going to fancy restaurants and eating all their expensive meals and then remembering the taste.
I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes. I wonder if Adel will change now. Or if she will still be the same. If anything, I do hope her jealous rampages will end now. I yawned as I leaned back in my chair. I closed my eyes to rest them for a few seconds….
—
"Faith! What do you think!?" Adel's voice entered my ears. I opened my eyes to see Adel smiling at me as she pointed at the room in front of her. "Well? I redid it for us!"
"Hmmm? But…. Why?" I was confused. Why would she redo a bedroom for us….
"What do you mean why!? We are getting @^#%# in a few days. It only took you %^@%# *#&@# to come around." Adel's smiling face seemed to brighten up the already bright room. Her more mature face and dazzling smile was enough to make anyone who gazed upon it smile back. But some of her words phased out and sounded jumbled. I couldn't understand what she was saying. But It was good to see her smiling face. "Faith?"
"Hmmm?" I asked. I was feeling very tired.
"Faith!? Faith!" I heard Adel's voice yell out, but I felt like I couldn't move. Everything was going dark. I looked up at the panicked expression on Adel's face and wondered why she was crying. I did my best to smile as I softly said: "Don't cry. Crying ruins your beautiful face…."
Light slowly penetrated the darkness as I opened my eyes. I looked around the room to see I was sitting in my office. I have no idea what that dream was about, but it was very much different than any dream I have ever had thus far. But the sad look in Adel's eyes as things grew dark worries me…. "Is she okay?"
This thought made me rise up from my seat and leave my office. I walked down the hall to Adel's room, where I knocked on the door and called out to her as I opened it. "Adel?"
"Gehehehe…." Ermmm? I seemed to have walked in on something strange. "Adel?"
"Huh? Faith!?" Adel yelled out while throwing the pillow she was just hugging over the couch she was on, sat straight up, and tried to fix her clothing. "Wha-What brings you here?"
Is she really going to try to ignore the fact she was just hugging and kissing a pillow while making strange noises!? I guess this is one of those times where it's better to forget than to try to find out what I had just witnessed. Taking a deep breath I said: "I just came to find out if you were okay. But it seems you are okay, so have fun… Sorry for disturbing you."
"Huh? Ah! Faith! It's not what you think!" Adel's cry fell on deaf ears as I blankly walked out of the room. "Yes… .I will wipe this day from my memory."
"Faith!" Adel yelled out from behind me. I turned to see her standing there staring at me as if she was going to eat me up. "Don't misunderstand! Wait, why are you running!?"
"Because I don't want to turn into a pillow! Gehehehhe!" I let out a mimicked laugh causing Adel to scream from behind me: "You! Forget that!"
We ran by many of the people in the house. Me running away just fast enough for Adel to not be able to catch up, and Adel, doing her best to catch up to me. This is how we should be for the time being. Two friends who are like sisters who care for one another. This is the kind of relationship I want for the time being. Until the day I can toss aside my worries about the future, I can only stay like this for her. Just out of reach but close enough for her to know that I am not going anywhere. Whether I end up with her or some man, I have yet to meet, I do not know, but the future was something that should never be set in stone.
Six more months have passed. I am currently fourteen. My daily life has not changed much. However, I have been more involved in my company now. The first prototype flying carriage is going to be fully developed within the next year. I am quite excited about this.
Adel now confesses her love to me at least once a day. She has actually calmed down quite a bit. She no longer freaks out if people talk to me. Even when someone else confessed to me, she did not go crazy and try to cling to me. In fact, she even gloated about how I never outright rejected her as if it was some kind of amazing thing. While it was true that I never told her I did not wish to date out right, she knew I was not into such things at this time. So our days were basically the same. Adel and I were the same as always.
As the days passed, I went to the academy and worked on learning as much as I could. I still have four years to go, and I am learning new things every day. I am standing at the top of my class. But only barely there are a few smart people who do very well on the tests. I am lucky if I can even beat them by five points, but that is only on written exams. For practical exams, I am way above the rest. 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝙧𝗲𝓪𝙙. c𝒐𝙢
But currently, my team and I are now standing in the Dean's office. "Dean, you called us?"
"Yes… I called you here specifically because a dungeon has appeared at the base of the cliff where your village is located." The Dean replied, causing my eyes to narrow.
"As anyone investigated it yet?" I asked. I had a bad feeling something was not right.
"Your father…. And… From the reports we got from your brother, he has not returned." These words made my face go pale. If anything has happened to my father, I swear I would… I felt my ancient will start to wake up, but it was quickly quieted when I felt both my hands grabbed. I turned to see both Adel and Jen holding my hands. I really owe these two.
"Then I will set off immediately. Please notify my instructors." I replied as I turned. I did not wish to wait a second longer. Every second counted, especially in a dungeon.
"Wait! You need to know what kind of monsters are inside." The Dean yelled after me.
"It doesn't matter what kind they are. They will all die." I said in a low voice, trying to hide my rage. "As I am now, unless they are all boss monsters, nothing will stop me from finding my father. I must go."
Preparation was key at this time. I had to rush back as soon as possible. I had many things I needed to deal with before I left, and I had to do it all within the next few hours. I planned to leave today.
"Faith, go. I will tell Annie to deal with the company. We will meet you at your village. Just do not enter the dungeon by yourself." Adel squeezed my hand. I turned and looked at her. Seeing her serious expression, I nodded and took off, only leaving behind a few words. "Thank you, Adel. I will see you all soon!"
I flew nonstop towards my house. But even with my speed, it will still take me at least a week to reach my house, and I was already using all the body buffs that increase speed. While it was much faster than a normal journey, I still wished it was faster.
A week of no sleep was nothing to me. But when I reached the entrance of Cyirlia village, I felt something was very much off. The whole town seemed to be surrounded by some kind of fortified wall. I could hear cries and yells as smoke plumes rose into the sky. "What is going on here!?" My voice roared through the sky.
I flew over to where what looked like a battle was taking place and shot my body down in the middle of it, and landed on the ground creating a crater a few feet wide. My sudden presence on the battlefield shocked everyone there. They had swords, pitchforks, and many other tools that would not normally be a weapon. I scanned the crowd to see many familiar figures, but one stood out the most. The village elder. His face was now pale as a ghost.
My body flashed as I came to instantly stand before the village elder and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. "What the hell do you think you are doing!?"
"Why are you here!? Why are you not in the capital!?" The village chief's voice seemed to be filled with panic as well as anger.
"Are you an idiot!? Did you think I would not hear about my father's disappearance!? What did I say when I left this village? What did I tell you!?" I slammed the old man's body to the ground. My eyes were bloodshot with anger. I was just about to end the old man's life when someone tried to stab me with a pitchfork.
"Because of your father, we are all starving! Because of a damn demi human like you, we have to suffer!" The man yelled out as he tried to shove his pitchfork into me, only for a shattering sound to be heard as the pitchfork itself broke into many pieces.
"You blame me!? Who was it who tried to lynch me!? What the hell did I ever do to you people!?" I roared. I did not understand why they did not repent on their own mistakes. They all decided to try to lynch me, and even when we let them all live, they still did not see the error of their ways.
But what I heard next was the last straw. "You were born!"
"Hehe…. Hahahahaha! Fine! I was born!? Then fine! I will show you what it means to attack the things I cherish!" This new life has taught me many things. And the most important part of those things is the fact that I learned to protect what I cared about most, no matter the cost. 𝒾𝗻𝐧𝓇𝒆𝒶𝒅. 𝒸૦𝒎
With a sword in my hand, the village elder's head flew through the air. I had already warned him once, yet he was still trying to take advantage of my father's absence to try to take over my village. They were starving? Why should it be of any concern to Cyrilia Village? They were the ones who shunned my family and me. They despised me for no reason. Now they were getting what they deserved.
I turned to look at the rest of the people who were frozen in place. Their face's were all sunken to the point that they looked almost like skeletons. They may have been desperate, but there was still plenty of land for them to farm. Why did they not try to grow wheat?
"You! You killed the village elder! You demon!" One man yelled, but I could care less for what he called me. I mean, he was technically half right.
"I ask. If you are all so hungry, why did you not farm the land that has yet to be cultivated!? You had almost two years. Two whole years and what do you have to show for it!?" I yelled, causing some of them to look down at the ground.
"Heh, easy for you to say. Your family took all the good farmland! We tried to cultivate the land, but it would not grow anything!" A man yelled out, but I knew he was lying. Because I had already swept the side of the village that had plenty of land to farm on it with detection magic, if they cultivated it, it would have at least fed these villagers without issues. I turned to look at the village elder, who still looked quite healthy except for the fact that he was now dead. His cheeks were not as sunken in as the rest. This meant that the stores of grain that the main village had were used for himself and himself only. He was starving his villagers to death because they were too lazy to even cultivate the land on their side of the cliff.
"You really tried to cultivate the land!? Why lie!? None of the land that should have been cultivated has been touched! You people seem to think that some god will rain down their protection on you and give you free handouts. What the hell have you been doing these past two years!? Why did you not ask the village elder for his food stock? Besides the fact he is missing a head now, he looks quite healthy! You all want to act all well and good but not a single one of you wants to take responsibility for yourselves.
"You have all lived off the kindness of my family and the other hard working villagers of Cyrilia Village in the past, but now you have to take matters into your own hands, you can't even handle feeding yourselves! What good are you!?" I just did not understand these people's train of thought. Did they think they were rich noblemen who could just sit back and let others do the work for them? Did they think, oh my neighbor will cultivate the fields on their own? No. I can tell just by looking at them that not a single one even thought to put in a bit of extra work.
"What do you know!? You have no idea how hard it has been for us! We can't even feed our young. My son and daughter both died!" Another man yelled out. But this angered me even more.
"Then why the hell did you not go out and try to supply them with food!? Why did you not go out and till the field!? Why did you not go out and try to hunt some monsters, eat the damn bark off the tree if you had to? Why did you sit around and act like you had to do nothing!? Are you all stupid!?" I yelled back. This time they were all quiet. I sneered at their silence. "You all had a chance to better your own lives, but you decided to be lazy. You have no one to blame but yourselves! And now you will all lose your worthless lives. You should never have attacked a place that I protect!" I raised my hand and was about to burn them all alive when I yell came from behind me. "Faith!"
I turned to see my brother and a large group of villagers from Cyrilia Village guarding him as he pushed through the other villagers. It seems the other village had lost all will to fight. "Brother!" My brother has become much more handsome since I have been gone.
"Don't dirty your hands with these people. We will take care of them. More importantly, I need you to go speak with Mother. She is currently locked up in the house with Rachel guarding the door. She wants to head to that dungeon place and try to find Father." My brother explained.
"Hmmm… no need to worry about killing anyone…. Diablo!" I called out.
"Yes, Master?" Diablo appeared next to me.
"One of my brother's people will tell you who the enemy is. You can dispose of them as you see fit. Just do not harm anyone from Cyrilia village." I ordered, which Diablo licked his lips and nodded in response. I then turned to my brother. "As I said, have one of your people assist Diablo. The people of Cyrilia village do not need to fight a battle that can easily be won. Brother, we will go see mother together."
"You have grown up quite a bit since I last saw you…." My brother said with a warm smile.
"We can catch up later. For now, calming Mother and finding Father are my biggest concerns. I promise, dead or alive. I will bring Father back." I hated to say it, but I know how hard the dungeons are. There may be a chance that he has already fallen. I hated this thought but I had to realize this now. But I will not give up hope just like that. So whether all I find is his bones or I find him alive and well I will bring him back.
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.
When I reached the familiar house with the familiar front lawn that I grew up on, I heard a loud yell from inside. "Eric, you better let me out this instant, or I will blow this entire house up!"
"Mother, please think of your grandson!" I heard Rachel yell out. Using her own son as a means to quiet my mother down was a smart move. Sorry, Leo, but you are being sacrificed for the greater good.
Eric held his head in his hands as he shook it back and forth. "She has been threatening this for a few days now. I have almost resorted to tying her up. For now, I was able to seal her in the house."
"I will deal with it. But to be on the safe side, you, Rachel, and Leo should wait outside." I had no idea what my mother would do once I opened the door, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Alright…." Eric's face said it all. He was hoping the house wouldn't be destroyed because he would be the one to have to rebuild it.
"I will put up a barrier," I said softly. Only then did his mood brighten as he rubbed my head. 𝒊n𝙣𝓻𝚎𝒶𝚍. 𝑐𝗼𝓶
"You have gotten bigger," Eric said with a smile.
"Well, it has been about two years. I at least now look closer to my age." I did grow a bit taller over the past two years, although my chest was nothing to speak about. But if my dreams are truly real in some aspects, then I will eventually fill out. How many hundreds of years that will take, I do not know.
"That you do. You have grown even prettier than I saw you last. I am sure many people have confessed to you." Eric spoke as if he was a proud father. I couldn't help but chuckle. But he was also not wrong. I have had over thirty confessions in the past two years. And that is not counting Adel's daily confession.
I walked into the house with Eric, who did not waste time getting Rachel and Leo out of the house. I didn't even get to say hi to Rachel before she was whisked away. I guess Eric was really worried that Mother would go crazy and blow the house up. "Damn it! Eric, let me out now!"
"Mother, you need to calm down first," I spoke through the door. The whole house suddenly went quiet.
"Faith?" My mother asked softly.
"Mmmmm… It's me." I replied just as softly, but who would have thought the next words out of her mouth would make the little reunion moment we were just about to share get ruined just as quickly as it came?
"Tell that bastard brother of yours to let me out of this room right now! Your father… Your father might be in trouble!" My mother yelled at the top of her lungs.
I sighed and waved my hand, removing the barrier on the door. My mother burst through the door and was about to run out of the house, but I quickly grabbed her wrist. "Mother. No."
"Faith…. You!" My mother turned and looked at me. Her eyes were brimming with tears. I yanked on her arm and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. I have my team on the way. I will bring back Father whether dead or alive, I promise."
"Faith… Faith!" My mother hugged me tightly as she began crying. She must have been losing her mind with worry. I gently rubbed her back as her tears fell. My brother poked his head into the house and looked around. When he saw me holding Mother as she cried, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"Master…." Diablo suddenly appeared in front of me.
"All taken care of?" I asked.
"I made sure that they were all taken care of. The soldiers of this village are currently inspecting the village below. And giving aid to the women and children who need it." Diablo replied.
"I figured they would. Thanks, Diablo. Your next task is to keep my mother in the house and protect it for the time being. I do not want anything unexpected to happen while I search for my father. I plan to enter the dungeon to take a peek at what kind of monsters are inside. Once I know this, I will be able to come up with a plan for when the others get here." I had to know what I was up against before I took a group into the dungeon blindly. It was never good to jump in without knowledge of what to expect.
"As you command Master," Diablo replied while bowing.
"Faith this is?" My mother asked as she looked at Diablo curiously. "My son in law!? Faith, you have not done badly for yourself! Look how good looking he is!"
"Mother, that is the first thing you jump to when you see a handsome man at my side!?" I yelled out. I could feel my cheeks heating up. Yes, Diablo was very handsome and would make any girl want to swoon over him, but he was a demon! A literal one!
"Why are you being shy? Come son in law, let me make you a snack. You have to tell me about faith's time in the capital." I could only stand there and watch as my mother dragged a very confused Diablo off to the other room.
My brother walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Don't mind. You know mother likes handsome men."
"That doesn't mean she can just go and name any man my fiance! I don't even have a boyfriend! Diablo is a summon!" I yelled out, only to have my brother give me a sympathetic gaze. Why do I feel like the corner of his lips are twitching as if he is trying to hide his smile? This bastard is making fun of me in his head!
"Hohoho? So my little Faith is that popular." My mother was having a grand old time fawning all over Diablo.
"Mother, I think that is enough. Diablo doesn't know what to do." I finally spoke up. Diablo was sitting there with a blank expression. I think he has already left this world for another.
"What do you mean!? It is only right for a mother to get to know the man that will soon be part of the family. So tell me, when is my grandbaby d….?"
"Mother!" I yelled out while spraying her with water magic. "Diablo is not my boyfriend! How many times do I have to say it!?" 𝐢𝘯𝑛𝑟𝘦𝙖𝘥. ᴄ𝚘m
"Faith, why are you being shy!? How could such a handsome man who is willing to devote himself to you not be my future son in law!?" My mother yelled back while drying herself off with magic.
"So any handsome man I bring into this house is my fiance!? So the ones coming here soon will also be my fiance!? I will have a damn harem!?" I shouted.
"My!? My, my! We will need to build a bigger house. I never thought my daughter was able to bring home so many handsome men. I expect many grandbabies soon! I must go make plans!" I suddenly feel like I want to cry….
"Why won't she just listen!?" I cried out as I fell back into my seat.
"Ummm…. Master, what should I do?" Diablo asked.
"I'm sorry, Diablo, but just deal with her for now. She is probably using this to keep her mind off my father." I can only think that that was the case because she was talking very strangely.
"When are the others arriving?" My brother asked as he set a cup of tea on the table for me.
"In a few days. Well, if they are not here in a few days, they will be forced to run back and forth from here to the capital and back one hundred times until they can get here quicker. After everything is settled, of course." I really meant it when I said I would make them run back and forth until they could get here in a decent amount of time. They can all use the same spells I can for speed boosting, so it should not take them too long.
"You are…. Alright. I do not know what you have been up to, but I guess it is probably something crazy." To my brother's words, I just smiled.
"I will be off. I want to check the entrance of the dungeon and take a peek inside. If I do not come out, then tell my team not to enter." If I enter and something happens like I am locked in. It would be best to keep the others outside, just in case.
"Alright. I will let them know. Is Diablo staying at the house?" My brother looked over at Diablo, who seemed to have a headache. He was sitting there holding his head in his hands.
"Yeah. He will be the first to know if something happens to me." After I answered my brother, I looked at Diablo. "Protect them for me, please."
"As you wish, Master. But is there anything you can do about your mother? While you are a very beautiful girl, I am a demon, and you are my Master…." Diablo looked desperate, but I was unsure how I felt about his quick dismissal of me. I mean, he made it sound like he was praising me, but the end sounded more like he was disgusted with the thought.
I humphed and answered: "Put up with it." I then got up and walked off. I could hear Diablo behind me ask my brother: "Did I say something wrong?"
And then answering: "Never try to understand a woman's mind."
I rolled my eyes as I stepped outside to see Rachel playing with Leo in the yard. "Rachel!" I called out. She looked up at me and smiled brightly. She picked up Leo and rushed over to me.
"You have grown prettier! I missed you so much! I have no one to tease your brother with anymore and pull pranks on him." Rachel's tone was filled with dejection, but her smile was radiant.
"I will be sure to help you with a few before I return back to the capital. For now, I must go to the dungeon. Keep an eye on things. If you have issues, tell my brother or Diablo. No one is allowed to bully you or my little nephew!" I said while pursing my lips. Rachel smiled and nodded. "I will be sure to do just that. So is it true? Is Diablo your…"
"Not you too!?" I cried out, causing Both Rachel and Leo to laugh. I sighed and stomped off. Everyone is bullying me today!
I rushed down the cliffside to where the entrance to the dungeon was. The whole array seemed gloomy and eerie. It made me feel like I was walking in a graveyard. I guess I shouldn't say it's like a graveyard as it actually was one. It had sprouted up with the dungeon. "That must be the dungeon entrance." I looked at the tall tomb with a large door on it and sighed as I walked over to it. "These things are just…. At least the outside area is safe. But to think they didn't even post guards …."
"They did." A voice came from my side, causing me to jump high into the air. I turned to see a young man standing there with a sword at his side.
"Where did you come from!?" I cried out while holding my chest. He scared the death out of me!
"I have been standing here the entire time…." The young man lowered his head. I guess this must happen a lot to him.
"Alright, well…. It's my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings. Can you explain to me what is going on here? How long has the dungeon been up for? And how many people have actually entered." These were all questions I should have asked at the house, but I needed to escape before my mother tried to set me and Diablo up in a bedroom somewhere to make her grandbabies. With her current state of mind, I wouldn't put it past her.
"I am not sure. Your father only told me to stand guard here, so I do not know what is going on inside. As for how long this dungeon has been up, I would say for about a month. But it was only a few days ago that your father entered." The young man replied.
I couldn't help but purse my lips. My father had entered a few days ago, so either he kept trying to dive deeper into the dungeon, or he had run into trouble…. And the worst case scenario is that he has already passed. As for this young man, I do vaguely remember someone like him from before I moved. I think he is one of my father's friend's sons. Not that it matters. But it does explain why he knows me. 𝘪𝐧𝓷𝘳e𝑎d. 𝒸𝒐𝑚
"Alright. I will take a look inside. I need to know what kind of monsters are inside." I took a deep breath and was about to push the door open when the young man grabbed my arm.
"Please don't! If you go in and can't get out. Your father will kill me." The young man's face was pale.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "It's fine. In this kingdom, no one is stronger than I am." I said with a smile as I pushed the door open with one hand and pulled away from the young man.
"Wait!" The young man cried out, but I ignored him.
I entered the dungeon to find the same kind of entrance as the previous dungeon. It was a safe zone. I looked around for any signs of my father but nothing. Not even footprints. Well, it was to be expected as this area was basically dust free. "Why didn't you wait!?" A voice came from behind me. I saw the young man standing there.
"Why did you enter!?" I yelled.
"If I were to let the village elder's daughter enter the dungeon alone, your father would have my head!" The young man cried out as if he was being wronged.
"Go back!" I said flatly. I was not going to risk this young man dying on me. "You need to go back and go back now! If something happens and you die on me, then how am I supposed to live with that? If you do not go back, I will control your mind and force you out of the dungeon. Choose now! Either leave on your own, and I will force you out."
"I…" The young man stood there frozen. He seemed unsure of what to choose. But I had no time to wait either.
"Leave now!" My voice was filled with magic as I used dragon speak to control the young man. His eyes dulled, and he slowly turned around and walked out of the dungeon. With him now gone, I could finally do what I needed to do. I did not plan to go very far. I just needed a better idea of the kinds of monsters I would be running into and to do a quick test on the kind of damage I am able to do to them.
I did not enter the hallway right away. I first put up a barrier that led down the hall to keep anything from closing in on me. If my barrier is in the way, no other barrier should be able to close around it, which will allow me an escape route. After the incident in the last dungeon, this was the only countermeasure I could think up that would probably keep anyone from being locked in again.
I walked down the hallway to the end but did not extend out past the threshold into what looked to be a large area with dense fog. I could see gravestones here and there and what looked to be wet, damp ground. "An undead dungeon?" I pursed my lips as I added ten more thin layers to my barrier just in case. I also used a bit of earth magic to make a tether made of stone to wrap around my body. I wanted to make sure I did not get lost in this place. Just to be sure of no mistakes, I also formed a barrier around it that would expand along with it as I moved into the fog. This would also allow me to retract my entire body back to the entrance.
With things secured, I moved deeper into the fog, where more and more gravestones and even larger tombs with open entrances began to appear. "Hmmm? This is a strange dungeon. The tombs alone are like a dungeon within a dungeon."
I still had yet to see any enemies, but this only lasted until I reached an area with a bunch of run down abandoned houses. They were run down and falling apart. I decided to start my investigation here as I made my way into one of the houses. I kindly made sure the door broke off its hinges to make sure nothing could stop me from exiting.
Luckily I did because I only got two steps inside when I saw a figure in front of me. Semi transparent in color and a ghostly white. It turned and looked over at me. Well, I guess it was looking at me since it had no face but a large wide, bloodied, looking mouth with some black ooze dripping from its mouth. Its mouth opened as it turned and crouched down slightly before suddenly letting out a horrific screech!
"<strong>SKEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong>"
My eyes lit up as I quickly cast multiple fireballs at it, but to my dismay, they went right through the ghostly body. It then extended its arm straight at me, stabbing me in the shoulder with its knife like fingers causing me to cry out in pain: "Ahh!"
"Appraisal!" I had no choice but to retreat, but I had to at least get a bit of information on the monster that had just attacked me. This was what I came in here for in the first place. I tried to use my sword in my escape, only to have it pass right through the ghostly arm as it retracted back to its body.
[Wraith]
[Level]: 300
[Health]: 1203746/1203746
[Mana]: 0/0
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone