That night we went over our combat training once again, we also went over our techniques and skills and discussed how we should react to various combat situations.
I would be the first line of combat, Sylphiette was fast and versatile, she would support me in the rear along with Rudeus.
Luke and Ariel's two attendants would focus solely on Ariel's personal safety, their team was solid, but honestly, we didn't want to integrate them into our battle plans, they would only get in the way at the front with me, anyway, we wanted someone close to Ariel at all times, in case of any surprise attacks.
The attendant Cleane would act as the princess's body double, with the help of a magic implement that could change her hair color and facial features.
In a sense, Ariel started with two extra lives, our goal was to get through this without losing any of them, I didn't know Cleane or Ellemoi very well, but I would still feel pretty bad if we failed to protect them.
Tomorrow, we would proceed assuming we were heading straight into a trap.
"We've saved a lot of time by teleporting you, won't the assassins be dispatched much later?" Luke objected
"Minister Darius is a very thorough man, he probably took action the moment he heard about my father's deteriorating health" Ariel replied
...
The next morning, we set off early in the formation we had agreed upon
I took the lead on horseback, followed by Sylphiette and Rudeus who were on the same horse.
As we cautiously advanced along the only path through the forest, we approached a sharp bend with poor visibility. There was a mark carved into a small tree just before the bend that was a dollar sign.
It was a sign that Orsted and I had calculated in advance, meaning that there was an ambush waiting for us just ahead. It seemed that I wouldn't have to resort to faking an attack on my own group.
Just as we advanced, a dozen armored soldiers were waiting for us around the bend, blocking the path completely.
Hehehe, it's time!
I abruptly stopped my ride and paused.
"Who are you guys?" I asked
The armored soldiers didn't respond to my words, their full-face helmets completely hiding their expressions, one of them had a large colored plume on his helmet, probably their captain
The soldiers remained silent, but they didn't move, it was clear that they had no intention of letting us pass and just when I was about to get off my horse...
"Get off Rudy" Sylphiette said in a low voice
She quickly spurred her horse and stood in front of me
"I am Fittz, the guardian magician! Do you know that Ariel Anemoi Asura travels in this carriage?!, second princess of Asura! Who are you and who do you serve!?" She shouted with her eyes fixed on the feathered soldier.
The feathered soldier didn't say a word in response, instead he pulled out a sword, the rest of the soldiers quickly following suit, filling the air with the sound of metal
At that very moment, many more armored soldiers came out of the forest on both sides of the road, most of them carried swords, but I saw some with staffs as well
"They're attacking us!" Sylphiette screamed
I took a quick glance back, Luke had already gotten off his horse and taken up his position at the rear, watching our backs, Ellemoi was frozen in the carriage driver's seat, gripping the reins with a tense expression on her face, I could see Cleane inside the carriage itself disguised as Ariel.
In other words, everyone was in position, I turned my attention back to the soldiers in front of me and jumped off my horse while stretching and unsheathing my sword, I was relaxed of course.
"I haven't killed people in years!" I shouted out loud, I crouched slightly and lunged at the soldiers at lightning speed.
The first head I cut off was that of the plumed soldier and I cut my way through the heavily armored soldiers, their bodies were cut like butter under my sword, they were frozen in time, they hadn't even processed that they had died.
The enemy had drawn their weapons first but I still struck first, that's how fast I was.
"I'll take care of the magic!" Sylphiette called out, countering a spell that was flying in her direction.
So there were mages at a distance huh? It didn't take me a second to get to them, I was able to cut down more than thirty of them with a single attack, but more kept coming out of the forest, so their real strength was surely greater, I was thinning out the enemy ranks faster than they could replenish them.
I accurately struck down the platoon of fighters without giving them a chance to surround me, it was just too easy, some even started running when they saw my skills so I gave myself the chance to look back.
"Luke! Is there any enemy approaching us from behind?" I called out, throwing another glance at the carriage.
"None!" was his response from the rear.
ok, I think it's time for that guy to show up then...
"should we fall back?!" Luke shouted
"no, I can get through them" I replied
I turned my attention back to the front line, and was left halfway, the enemy ranks had suddenly parted, and someone was striding through them.
here he is...
the newcomer was less imposing than I had expected, in fact he was less than a meter tall, perhaps he was a halfling.
a halfling in full armor, polished and shiny armor, his short and squat body shining so much that he reminded me of a disco ball
"I am the North King Wi Taa, one of the three swords of the North God! They call me light and darkness" he said
"I take you! kid! I challenge you to a duel! he said
I raised an eyebrow at this but nodded, Aubert should be close by now.
With those words, the walking disco ball pulled out his sword, the thing was custom made to fit his proportions, so it was only about thirty centimeters long, however, just like his armor, its blade shone brightly.
"Rudeus, watch behind you, Aubert is nearby!" I shouted
The guy was surprised but nodded looking behind him.
"Alright! I...." Wi taa tried to move but with a sword of light I sliced his neck, his body fell in two parts next to the soldiers in shock.
Without saying anything I rushed at the remaining soldiers finishing them off in less than a second.
When there were none left I looked back and there was Aubert, it seemed like he was facing Rudeus and was having a couple of difficulties, so I approached them as quickly as I could.
I got in between them, stopping an attack from Aubert easily, the guy looked shocked and jumped back as he looked at me.
"Wow...Quagmire Rudeus, Silent Fittz and the Sword God...I brought Wi taa with me just as a precaution, really...but now that you're here I guess it's a lost cause no?..." he muttered as he got into a combat stance
"It's nothing personal Aubertt, but our interests are different, I'll make sure they remember you" I said
"Hah...thanks then" he muttered and the next moment he lunged at me.
With a simple dodge his waist was exposed and I cut him in half with a stab.
Aubert's upper half fell about two meters away from me as he writhed.
"Haa...perfectly executed..." were his last words and blood gushed out of his mouth dying instantly.
The remaining soldiers, seeing this scene, tried to flee in despair, but Sylphiette finished them off.
I breathed a sigh of relief, now there was only Reida left in Asura, she wouldn't be a problem.
The enemy squad was practically annihilated and we had come out totally unscathed, in addition I had finished off Wi Taa and Aubert which earned me several praises from my companions.
Before moving on, we decided to get rid of the bodies of our assassins, the entire group set to work to strip them of their armor, throw everything that looked like a personal possession into a pile and then burn the bodies.
In the midst of this process, I noticed that Luke seemed distressed, in fact, his face became noticeably paler with each passing minute, he was fixated on the soldiers' armor, in particular. "Luke, this shield isn't...uhm" Ariel muttered
"I can't believe it..." Luke muttered
it was all too clear what this meant, Philemon Notos Greyrat, the lord of the Milbotts region, had betrayed Ariel.
...
About an hour after the attack, we camped in a fairly deep spot in the forest, Rudeus surrounded our bonfire with a stone wall to prevent the light from giving us away, and we settled in for a full-blown strategy meeting
"this can't be, it doesn't make any sense..." Luke kept muttering to himself, ever since we saw those soldiers' shield, this guy has been in his own world.
I was honestly starting to get fed up with it.
In contrast to his shocked reaction, Ariel and her other allies seemed to have taken the news in stride, I got the feeling that they had seen this as a possibility all along.
"Princess, I think I know where we can take a shortcut, although with Gino everything was easy we should still avoid any kind of ambushes if possible" Rudeus suddenly said
"Oh? Are you saying that there is some way that we can cross the border without going through the border checkpoint?" Ariel asked
"Yes" he replied
"What do you have in mind?" she asked
"I am familiar with a group of bandits based nearby that makes a living mainly by smuggling goods and trading slaves across the border, with their help, we could reach Asura without going through the checkpoint" Rudeus explained.
Ariel put a hand to her chin and considered this.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you argue earlier that we should avoid resorting to any shady dealings?" Ariel asked.
"Yes, and I still think so, but I think I misjudged the gravity of our situation, I don't think we can afford to be too picky with our methods at the moment" he explained.
"I see" Ariel nodded and looked around the bonfire, her gaze landing on me.
"What do you think Gino?" she asked
"Sounds reasonable to me, although I can fight my way through any ambush I think it would be safer to travel without running into another one" I said
"And what about you, Luke?" Ariel asked.
The guy slowly raised his head, almost like a zombie, and fixed his eyes on Rudeus, there was hostility in them
"What are you playing at Rudeus?... Your behavior in that battle was... strange, it seemed like you knew that Aubertt was going to launch that sneak attack" Luke muttered with a trembling voice, there was clear suspicion on his face.
"Gino anticipated his attack" he replied
"You almost seemed like you knew his fighting style..." Luke muttered
"Well, I have my eye of foresight, remember?" Rudeus said
"And why do you know all this Luke? You were supposed to watch our backs, Aubert was in your blind spot right?..." I muttered with hostility as I looked at him
The guy looked at me but quickly looked away as he grumbled.
"Hmmm!, if you say so" he muttered.
"Control yourself man, I know you're upset about your father trying to kill us and all that, but I'm not the enemy here" he said in a harsh tone.
The guy tried to respond but was smart enough not to raise his voice at me
"Come on Luke, you're the one who asked me to help Princess Ariel, remember?" Rudeus added
"I did yes... but none of this makes sense, why did my father betray us? It wasn't supposed to be like this..." he muttered.
[Hmmm, wait a minute, what if Hitogami can't see Luke right now?] I asked Rudeus in English.
The guy didn't answer but shrugged without an answer.
I also thought of the possibility that Hitogami had abandoned him when he decided that Luke was no longer useful.
Sylphiette didn't say anything, but her eyes cautiously shifted between Luke me and Rudeus.
"Your Highness," Luke said looking up with a stern expression on his face, "I oppose this plan. Rudeus' behavior makes me fear that he's hiding something," he said.
Wow... I didn't think he could actually be that stupid...
"We don't have any proof that these bandits are trustworthy. I agree that it wouldn't be wise to go through the checkpoint, but I think our best option is to turn around for now and ask Lord Peragius for help," he continued.
"Ellemoi, Cleane, what do you two think?" Ariel asked.
"Sir Luke has my support," Ellemoi said.
"And mine," Cleane said.
"I see..." Ariel muttered.
After a while, Ariel looked up, her gaze moving between mine, Luke's, and Rudeus' several times, then landing on Luke's.
"We're going to follow Rudeus' plan," she announced.
"What?! But why?!" Luke shouted angrily.
"I don't think Lord Peragius would be inclined to recognize as the legitimate queen of Asura a woman who fled to safety at the first sign of trouble, we must turn to him unless absolutely necessary" she explained
As she spoke those words, Ariel sent a quick and meaningful glance at Rudeus.
"Tch...but with this plan, you're risking your own life! Are we really going to turn to the bandits for help?! For all we know, Rudeus is planning to sell you to them as-"
"Luke!" Ariel shouted abruptly cutting him off mid-sentence, he was already receiving some hostile looks from me and Sylphiette.
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden? You can't really believe that Rudeus would do something like that, right?" Ariel continued
"but... my father..." Luke muttered
"Lord Philemon may have betrayed us, yes, but we always knew it was a possibility, you yourself warned me that he might once do so under certain circumstances" she said
"w-well, yes, maybe I did, but I know I heard that he..."
Luke stopped abruptly, bringing his hand to his mouth.
Rudeus blinked in surprise and I just sighed, we got you idiot...
Ariel also seemed somewhat surprised, her eyes widened and I saw her lips trembling slightly
"Luke, I don't even want to consider this, but my brother has..."
Ariel interrupted herself, afraid to finish her sentence.
In the end she found a different, less risky approach
"Luke Notos Greyrat, tell me who are you?" Ariel asked
Luke looked up in surprise to meet her gaze, his eyes briefly moving to the worried faces of Sylphiette, Ellemoi and Clene, then back to Ariel.
without breaking their gaze, he knelt in front of her and spoke:
"I am your knight"
"That's right, and I am your princess" Ariel replied and Luke lowered his head.
both of them looked more relieved than before as did Sylphiette and her attendants.
"Well then, let's get going right away, Rudeus, could you guide us?" Ariel asked.
"Alright" he replied and the next morning we set out to seek the bandits' help.
======
Please give me power stones please I beg you!!!
The first step was to get back to the main path through the forest
Rudeus knew how to get to the bandits' territory, one of the rocks by the road would be marked with a certain dollar symbol.
All we had to do was head into the forest right there and head east, the group had their home at the eastern edge of this forest, under a rocky outcrop at the foot of a mountain.
Once we got back into the forest, our speed dropped drastically, the main problem was that
we had to disassemble the carriage and load it onto the horses.
Ariel stayed on horseback for a while, but as we got deeper into the forest, she eventually got off and walked.
We stopped numerous times to rest, mostly for Ariel's sake, as her legs were really sore. She's probably not used to walking on this kind of terrain, but she still stoically endured the pain. We only paused to let her catch her breath while Sylphiette used healing magic on her legs.
...
We kept going all night long, but eventually, it got too dark to continue. We camped in the forest and set up a rotating guard as usual.
This would be a chance to make my second report to Orsted, Rudeus was going to do it but since Luke is very suspicious of him, I'll have to do it again.
"So you finished off Aubertt and Wi taa then?" Orsted asked
"Indeed, that's how it was," I said firmly
"I see, Wi taa must have been summoned here by someone, I suppose, it was probably Hitogami's suggestion," Orsted said
"I see, I suppose if they contacted WI Taa then they must have looked for more sword masters" I guessed
"It seems so, it won't be a challenge for you but be careful, even so, I doubt Darius would spend so much on other bodyguards, with the Water God already on his side, I suppose there are one or two more at worst," Orsted said
Reida was Darius' trump card, that made sense
"What do you think about Luke's situation?" I asked.
"It's a positive sign, since he has the gift of foresight, Hitogami is inexperienced in conventional prediction, when he manipulates several disciples at once, it's common for him to weaken like this" Orsted explained.
Basically, Hitogami had been advising his disciples without really thinking about the effects it might have on the others.
"It occurred to me that Hitogami might have abandoned Luke at this point, too..." I muttered
"That's entirely possible, Luke's fate is weak, so I doubt Hitogami saw him as a particularly valuable pawn, likely, his main role was simply to keep an eye on you and Rudeus' movements, and with me around, he's not even capable of that anymore," he said
"But Hitogami only has three pawns to play with right? Would he really use just one for that purpose?" I asked.
Orsted frowned and shook his head.
"Hitogami can see everything, and any exception to that rule is terrifying to him, he had every motivation to keep an eye on you," Orsted said
"Okay, I think I understand," I said
With that said, it seemed unlikely that he would let Luke go completely, at the very least his presence would limit our options in the future.
"Do you think it's okay to let Luke go for the time being, then?" I asked
"Yes, but be on your guard, when Hitogami sees no use for a disciple, he often incites them to act recklessly and foolishly" he replied.
"Yes, that makes sense" I replied
"If he takes any dramatic action, kill him," Orsted said
"Understood" I replied
With our meeting over, I hurried back through the forest
...
I made my way back to camp, Sylphiette and Cleane were sharing my shift tonight, I had left them by the fire less than thirty minutes ago, but as I approached, I found that there were now three figures waiting for me.
The third figure sitting by the fire was Ariel and as I approached her she stood up.
"It's a beautiful night, don't you agree, Gino?" she said
The fire behind her shadowed her shapely features, Sylphiette and Cleane looked at her, their expressions worried.
"Would you like to join me for a walk?" she asked.
As Ariel spoke those words, I could make out the bold smile on her face, I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose at this.
Ariel and I walked together, making our way through the trees, she led the way, if we kept going like this, we were going to end up at the place where I had spoken to Orsted.
"I wanted to talk to you in private Gino... tell me, what do you think of Luke?" she asked looking into my eyes.
"I think he's plotting against us, I don't trust him anymore," I said
"I see... I think Luke has betrayed us too" she said sternly.
"However, I haven't said a word of this to Sylphiette or the others," she said
"... and what does he plan to do then?" I asked
"I don't know, I still trust him, he has no reason to betray me, and he could have done it long ago if he wanted to, it would be easy enough for him to kill me in my sleep," she said
"Then why do you suspect him?" I asked.
"Despite his loyalty, he could still be coerced into betraying me in some way, for example... Luke is very proud of his family and their history" she said quietly.
"And so, I ask your opinion, you agreed to join my cause very recently, and quite suddenly, perhaps you know certain things that I don't?" she asked looking into my eyes.
It sounded like she had her doubts about me too, it was understandable, considering the way Luke spoke of me.
"I have a question of my own, if you don't mind, why are we talking about this here, alone in the woods? I could kill you out here if I was your enemy" I said
"Yes, I'm sure you could have easily, but if I've completely misjudged you, I have only myself to blame" she replied.
"...I don't think Luke betrayed you, exactly, I think he's just being tricked," I said
"By who?" she asked
"..."
"Ah, my apologies, I'm putting you in a difficult position, I'm sure you would have already shared this information if you were free to do so," Ariel said.
"So I'd like you to introduce me to him, I want to see your boss, that is, the Dragon God Orsted," she said.
"If he's on the right side, I plan to embrace his support, no matter how horrible he may be, I'm willing to tolerate him," she said
"That's easier said than done, you know" I replied
"I'm royalty, a princess, we know how to keep our composure around those we fear or detest, it shouldn't be a problem," she said with a smile.
"Alright, there's no need to think too much about this, Gino," a voice said from behind me.
I turned to find a silver-haired, golden-eyed demon lurking in the forest, I mean Orsted, of course
"If Ariel Anemoi Asura wishes to speak with me, I will not refuse her," Orsted said, this time wearing his helmet thankfully.
"Oh? And that helmet?..." Ariel asked.
"It's to suppress my curse," Orsted replied dryly.
"I see, I've met several Mikos...but even with that I must say that your affliction is far more powerful than most," she said
"Indeed," Orsted replied
"I'll get straight to the point, why are you helping me, Lord Orsted?" Ariel asked.
"Why is my sworn enemy pulling Darius's strings," Orsted replied
"Hmm? You mean my brother, Prince Grabel?" She asked
"No" he replied curtly
"Who is it then?" She asked
"An evil thing that pretends to be the Human God, his name is Hitogami" he replied
"The Human God? Isn't he one of the creator gods of ancient myths?" She asked
"I can't tell if it's the same one, but he's taken that name, at least" he replied
"Are you telling me...that a God has given Darius his support? But why?" She asked
"He wishes to see you killed, and Grabel take the throne," he said
"Huh?..."
Ariel slowly looked in my direction and I nodded.
"I have to wonder why this God would support my brother, yet is Grabel simply...more deserving of the throne?" She asked
"No, Hitogami's motivations are purely selfish
"Could it... be explained, perhaps?" she asked, puzzled
Orsted looked at me and frowned for a moment, but then looked back at the princess.
"In about a hundred years, the Asura Kingdom will face an existential threat," he explained.
Ariel blinked in surprise.
"In that time of crisis, the Kingdom's response will depend on whether you or Grabel take the throne," Orsted continued.
"If Grabel triumphs, Asura will respond to the threat with military force, and if you triumph, they will respond with magic," he continued.
"Surely neither of you will be alive in a hundred years," Ariel said.
"Your policies as sovereign will lead the Kingdom down different paths, Grabel will focus on expanding his army and you, in turn, will strengthen his magical forces," Orsted explained.
"If Asura relies on his armies, "Asura will fall, but if you call upon your mages, the Kingdom will endure. Hitogami wishes for Asura to be destroyed," he continued.
Ariel brought a hand to her chin, clearly trying to make sense of all this and after a moment, she cast an unsure glance in my direction.
"Well, honestly, I'm a bit perplexed right now, this isn't even remotely what I expected to hear, and I can't decide if I should believe you..." she muttered.
"You don't have to trust me, I'll tell you what you want to know regardless," Orsted said in a pompous tone.
"What do you mean?" Ariel replied with a somewhat surprised face.
"Luke Notos Greyrat hasn't betrayed you, he's simply being manipulated by Hitogami," Orsted replied.
Ariel's smile disappeared, it had been her default expression throughout this entire conversation, but now it was gone without a trace.
"Gino also suggested that it might be the case, but if I may ask, how exactly is Luke being manipulated?" Ariel asked.
"Hitogami is leading him down the wrong path, promising him all the while that it's for his benefit" she replied.
"Luke is wiser than he seems, I'm not sure he'd be fooled that easily" she replied.
"Even intelligent men are prone to trust those who tell them what they want to hear" he replied.
"...this is all rather hard to believe, do you find this believable as well, Gino?" Ariel asked
"Yes, I tried to be manipulated by Hitogami on several occasions, and because I didn't fall for his tricks he threatened my entire family and so I joined forces with Orsted to stop him" I explained.
Ariel listened to me without expression and then turned to Orsted, she opened her mouth to speak but shook her head and stopped, for a long moment, she remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
"In other words...Luke isn't working for Darius after all?" she asked.
"Correct, he serves the interests of his enemies, but he does so unknowingly, I imagine he is still loyal to you" Orsted replied
"...it is a great relief to hear that" she murmured.
"Tell me...does this Hitogami have someone else under his control?" she continued.
"It is likely that he also uses Darius and the Water God," he said
"There are only three of these?... Apostles then?" She said bewildered.
"Right, there is no more at the moment" he replied
"I see, so you, Rudeus, and Gino are here to fight those three disciples, and interfere with Hitogami's plans? Is that correct?" she asked.
"It is, I must say you are quite intelligent," Orsted said
"Thank you, I consider myself relatively intelligent" Ariel replied
There was a hint of true pride in Ariel's voice, but she had yet to crack a smile, it seemed her face was stuck in a deadpan expression.
"Now then, Lord Orsted, I have a proposal..." she muttered
"Oh?" Orsted muttered
"Since it seems we share the same goal, I would like you to consider me your...subordinate, if you give me orders, I will follow them" Ariel muttered.
"...I doubt your companions would accept that" Orsted replied
"I see no need to tell anyone, they can't accuse me of selling my soul to the devil if they don't know what happened," she said
"..." Orsted fell silent at this.
"I am willing to use any means at my disposal to ensure our victory," Ariel said
"Aren't you worried that I might betray you in the end?" Orsted asked
"I'm not so foolish as to waste my opportunities to avoid all risk" she replied.
"One last thing, Lord Orsted...for the time being, I'd like you to put Luke's problem in my hands" she continued
"Why?" Orsted asked
"So, Gino and Rudeus can focus their attention on our battle against Hitogami's apostles, while I devote my attention to handling Luke and the Asura peerage, dividing our responsibilities should allow us to use our time more efficiently" she explained.
"...very well, I'll let you deal with Luke for now, win him over if possible, and kill him if not," he said
"So be it, thank you Lord Orsted," she said
With those words, Ariel knelt before her new superior who responded with a simple bow of his head with his face as stern as ever.
=======
Please give me power stones!!! Please!!
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