บท 28: The Aftermath of Demon's attack and informing Youlias.
"What …. Happened here?" says Souma in a distraught and exhausted voice.
He must have made a sprint to get in time.
"The demon… I think he caused an explosion with his magic. They are adventurers and some knights that couldn't overpower him… he got hurt pretty badly too. Zanim wouldn't have survived if I wasn't here in time." I say.
"Who's… Zanim…?" asks Souma.
"This guy right here. He's a dragon newt that I met recently. I had to make him my subordinate to heal him up…" I say.
Souma walks closer to where Zanime lies.
"Great Velkra… did you put up this barrier? ... So much Mana… "
The barrier is still up.
"And… so pretty…" he says.
He looks at the shooting stars that are in the barrier and touches it.
"Great Velkra… Could it be that… Your Dominant Element is Space?" he says.
"Dominant? I do have the special element." I say.
"People who have multiple elements tend to have a single element that they dominate over. Yours could be the space one. Looking at the quality of this barrier and this… phenomena of shooting stars within it… it's beautiful…"
Dominant Element… Having multiple elements but being good at one of them. It doesn't mean that other elements aren't good. But just that… the dominant one is even better. I see…
"Souma… did you call the Knight Order? I ask.
"Yes-"
"Is everything alright here, Mr. Souma!" comes a voice interrupting Souma.
I look behind him and see that about 2 dozen knights were marching up to where we were. They must have thought that it was a great threat so they decided to move as many as they could.
"It's fine over here… but… it's not exactly fine…" he says as he glances towards where the bodies lie.
"What… Cruelty…" these words come out of the person's mouth as he analyzes the situation.
"Oh Gerbie…" says the person as he walks up to one of the bodies. His eyes tear up and he falls to his knees.
"Oh no…" says Souma.
"What is it?" I ask.
"This person here is Captain Marlk… that over there…. Is his… brother…" he says as he puts a hand to his mouth.
Tears fill Souma's eyes too. I can see that he was a girl in the previous world.
"Souma… tell the Knights to pick up the bodies of the deceased and bury them with the utmost respect," I say.
"Cer..tainly… Great Velkra. I'll inform them…" says Souma as he rubs his eyes to dry off the flowing tears.
"I'll be checking out that demon lord when she attacks," I say.
"Attack? What do you mean by an attack?"
"The demon that came here told me that the Demon Army will be making a march toward this Kingdom," I tell him.
"Enemy attack?!" he shouts.
"Keep it down. I don't want the soldiers to panic before preparing. It would be best if I resolved the matter personally before the civilians get the news and that causes mass unrest here." I warn him.
"Are you going to fight them alone?" asks Souma.
"I'm not gonna fight them right away. I'll just trap their forces within a barrier that doesn't allow them to exit it. That way they will be trapped until I deal with the Demon lord myself." I say.
"You are going to get to the demon lord first?" he asks.
"Isn't it better to strike the headquarters if there is no risk and you have the resources and tact?" I ask.
"It… Probably is…" he says.
"Then I'm going to do just that. Taking out the command and then dealing with the masses will be much easier. They will probably sow less resistance if I take out the demon lord first."
"I see…" he says.
As we were talking, the knight's squad had arrived and the Knights were starting to assess the situation in front of them.
"Souma, Take care of him. He looks like he might collapse." I say as I glance at the Squad's Captain.
"I should probably take the charge here… he won't be able to handle it in this condition." He says.
"Do that. I need to get this guy to our mansion. I'll be coming to the Castle once I've wrapped up things at the mansion. I need to tell Youlias about the Attack too." I say.
"Then Great Velkra, Be well." Says Souma.
"Thanks."
I dispel the barrier that I put up around everyone and walked toward Zanim, who was still unconscious. I can see that his mana levels have been severely depleted. He barely has any mana left.
Twixie. You there?
[Yeah]
Will he be alright? His mana levels are too low…
[He'll be fine. You don't need to worry that much.]
Then…
[Wind's Embrace]
I chant the spell for the wind magic I often use. Zanim's body lifts up in a gentle breeze of warm and cozy air.
"Souma. Take care of things here." I say one last time.
"Of Course" he replies.
I am worried about the families. They must have had families right? Even if I don't remember mine… I can feel the regret of leaving their families behind. I can feel their residual emotions through world perception. This truly is an amazing skill and a double-edged sword itself.
"[Flap]"
I manifest my wings in front of everyone. Everyone looks at me surprised, even Souma. He had never seen me in this form before. there are a few murmurs in the squad but no one seems to be suspicious.
"[Whoosh]!"
A gust of wind strikes the ground below as I take off with speed.
I fly until I reach the Weskin mansion with Zanim in tow.
Just as I arrive at the Mansion's Garden, I see that Albart, Caryl, and Carmine along with Felia behind her, are standing there.
How did they know that I would be coming here?
"[Flap] [Flap] [Flap]" I flap as I try to descend with precision as a bird would.
I never would have thought that I would fly in the open sky. Using my own wings. Planes are fine and all but… flying all on your own like a bird in the sky is pretty amazing in itself.
"[Step]"
I step down and [Flap] put my wings back.
"Are you alright, Great Velkra?!" comes Caryl, a bit pacing.
"Caryl, be careful about your condition. You don't have to be that worried about me." I say.
"Sorry Great Velkra but, I heard that you were going to fight a demon! Is everything alright?" she says.
"Who is that?' asks Carmine, looking behind me at the floating body.
"This? His name is Zanim. Your new fellow Subordinate." I say.
"New Subordinate? Did you give him your blessing too?" asks Albart.
"Yeah. He would've died like that. And I need him to navigate for me." I say.
"I see… then we must welcome him with utmost happiness." Says Albart.
"We must not do that," I say.
"Why is that, Great Velkra?" comes Felia, chiming in the conversation.
"This is not a time for a Celebration… there are people who died back in the Commoner Ring," I say.
"What…?" comes out of Albart's Mouth.
"Yeah. I was a bit late getting there. A bunch of adventurers and Knights that tried to hold off the Demon were killed in combat… killed is a bit normal… they were burnt alive…" I say.
"Truly… a tragedy…" says Albart.
"I cut off his hands and sent him back to deliver a message to the Demon Lord. I will be dealing with her on my own." I say.
"You are going to fight the demon lord alone?!" Says Caryl.
"Yeah. The Demon Army Plans to march toward this Kingdom tomorrow out of nowhere." I say.
"We must inform the King at once, Great Velkra!" shouts Albart.
"Yeah. We are gonna head there after I put him to rest." I say.
"But… Great Velkra… I don't think you should go to the Demon Lord alone." Says Albart.
"But I'll be fine on my own," I say.
"Absolutely not. You can take Carmine and Felia with you." He says.
"But aren't they non-combatants?" I ask.
"Great Velkra. You underestimate us." Says Felia.
"Truly." Says Carmine.
"My daughter here is a remarkable Mage and Felia is a combat specialist. They can be very useful for you." Says Caryl.
"I don't want to use them. I will accept them as my companions." I say.
Felia turns around, hiding her face.
Is she blushing back there? I can see a bit of red…
"Anyway. I will take Carmine and Felia with me when I head to the Demon Lord's place. I'll now put him in the mansion. Be sure to look after him." I say.
"Certainly, Great Velkra." Willis pops out of nowhere.
"You were here?" I ask.
"I just got here, Great Velkra." Says Willis as he bows.
I walk inside the mansion. Put Zanim to a bed in one of the rooms and get out of the mansion again.
"Albart, Come. We are going to the palace now." I say.
It's getting dark now. I better head to the palace and inform Youlias immediately. Even if it doesn't pose any threat to them because I'm here, there is a need to tell the King. For formalities.
And prepare for a counter if I somehow fail. Not that it would happen. But it's best to be prepared.
"Cramine! Felia! You guys are coming too!" I say.
"Really?!" says Carmine in an excited voice.
"Yeah, Call Felia too," I say.
She must be working.
"I'll tell her that we are going on a date!" she runs off.
"Oi! Don't say that!" I shout as she runs away.
She'll probably go crazy if Carmine told her that.
A moment passes and Felia and Carine both come out of the mansion, pacing. Behind them, there is also Caryl and Lucy.
"Be careful everyone!" says Caryl from far away, because we are now standing in the open sky in the garden.
"Take care! Velkra- Nee!" shouts Lucy.
Velkra-nee? A new nickname? It's cute though.
"Guys. This is gonna be scary for you I think." I warn them.
"What will be?" asks Albart in a puzzled voice.
"[Wind's Embrace]" I chant.
"Whoa!" says Albart and everyone else.
Felia's just looking down wide-eyed.
"Hold on," I say.
"[Flap]" I bring out my wings with an audible flap.
"We are going for a ride! [Whoosh]!" I say that and I take off at a great speed.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" everyone is screaming.
This feels like a rollercoaster ride. You know when everyone's screaming when they have fun. Of course, they are scared and soulless too.
"ISN'T THIS FUN?!" I ask in a loud voice to reach them.
"IT IS BUT IT'S VERY SCARY, GREAT VELKRAAAAA!!!" Says Albart Tagging on my left.
I look towards Carmine, on my right. Her voice got shut off once she was exhausted from screaming. But her mouth's still open.
"CLOSE YOUR MOUTH IF YOU CAN'T SCREAM ANYMORE! OR A BIRD'S GONNA GET IN THERE." I say.
At that, she looks at me embarrassed for some reason and shuts her wide-open mouth.
How's Felia doing?
I look above me and… hooo? She's smiling wide?
Felia notices me looking at her and she quickly blushes. I can see steam rising from her head.
She looks like she's having fun.
"IT'S FUN ISN'T IT?" I ask.
"YES!" she says.
"LOOK GREAT VELKRA! PLEASE BE CAREFUL NOT TO CRASH IN THE CASTLE!" shouts Albart.
"I WON'T!"
I slow down once the castle comes into the view.
The balcony I see from here… I should land there.
I flap towards the balcony and land right on top.
"Call Youlias," I say to the soldiers.
"Who the hell are you?!" they shout.
"Wait, gentlemen. I am Albart Weskins. We need to meet the king. Tell him Great Velkra wants to meet him here." He says as he walks to the front.
"Weskin?" says a Knight.
"Go." Says Albart.
A few moments pass by.
"Great Vekra! Sorry to keep you waiting!" comes Youlias Pacing.
I can see that his family is with him.
"What can I help you with Great Velkra? [Huff] [Huff]" says Youlias, panting.
"Catch a breath first," I say.
He must have paced quite fast.
He calms down.
"[Dome of Falling Stars][Soundproof]" I say as I use the skill, giving it an attribute.
"Whoa." Comes out of Youlias' mouth.
His family is shocked too. The younger brother and sister are touching the barrier with sparkly eyes.
The Prince and the Queen seem to be captivated by the shooting stars.
"This is gonna be a bit shocking but… The Demon Army is going to march to this Kingdom tomorrow?" I drop the bomb without hesitation.
I put up the barrier so any third party could not listen. I wouldn't want civil unrest here.
"Pardon?" says Youlias.
"I said that Demon Lord is attacking this Kingdom tomorrow," I say again.
"We must prepare at once!" shouts Youlias, panicking.
"Youlias. You don't need to panic that much. I'll be personally handling this one. You got a report from Souma, right? About the deaths in the commoner ring?" I ask.
"Yes, I did. It is cruel but… are you sure you can handle this alone? Will you be fine?" he asks.
"I'm not alone. I've got these two beauties with me. They'll go with me." I say.
Felia blushes as Carmine and her both give a courteous Noble Greeting.
"I see…. But should I prepare minimal forces for aid?" he asks.
"Prepare a backup force in case any one of them escapes. They won't be able to as I would put a barrier around the enemy army. They won't be able to get out. But for a protective measure, you should prepare it." I say.
"I see…"
"And. I'll put a barrier around the kingdom as well," I say.
"The Kingdom you say?!" blurts Youlias.
"Yup. It's easy."
"How… terrifying…" says Youlias.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, nothing. I meant Magnificent."
"The castle is in the center of the kingdom, right?" I ask.
"Yes. But why?"
"You'll see."
I walk in between the people and dispel the previous barrier.
"[Dome of Falling Stars]" I say loud.
Twixie. Manage the mana required.
[Roger]
A small dome appears in my hand that is placed on the ground.
It expands and expands and expands until it isn't visible from normal viewing capacity.
The barrier took a bit to complete because of the size of this enormous kingdom. The Kingdom should be about 50 kilometers. From what I can sense now.
"The barrier's up," I say.
"But… How will you know where they will be attacking from?" says Justias.
"That? The demons are definitely going to attack because the one who attacked ran away in the east. Is there something there?." I ask.
"The Forest of Alfera is there. Their gate could be there." Says Justias.
"Gate?" I ask.
"They come from a different realm, Great Velkra. For them to get here, they need to use a connection to this world, commonly referred to as the gate."
"I see…"
They must be there then.
"Then it's settled. I'll be taking these two with me. you guys don't need to worry. I'll wrap this up in a blink." I say.
"We truly are grateful to have your aid." Says Youlias kneeling down.
Everyone there kneels.
"Get up," I say.
And everyone stands up.
I look in the direction of the Forest Of Alfera.
Tomorrow, huh?
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