“Jeez, Tasianna…” My mouth twitched slightly as I broke down the wall I constructed to divide the tunnel, preventing the orc knight from coming towards us while Renee, and mostly Renee, destroyed the gnoll. Only to find a glacier with grimgarians embedded in it.
“Your maid is not level 70, Sis. Well, she’s level 73 now, but just from looking at her, she’s been neglecting getting experience,” Neill commented and I had to agree. If she were a video game player, she would probably be the sorta person who would hardcore grind her levels and skills just so she could stomp the rest of the game.
I was already aware of it when she had no problems freezing and taking out all the grimgarians around her, but it became more apparent when she just decided to freeze everything around her. Tasianna was swimming inside her glacier right now, having probably thawed the ice around her back to water. She grabbed Renee and escorted her outside the ice.
“Hoo, [Marine Lungs] is useful as always.” Tasianna wrung her wet hair damp, before bowing in front of me. “The grimgarians have been taken care of, Lady Hestia. If you wish, you may kill or interrogate them.”
“Ehehe, how reliable of you,” I smiled wryly, looking behind her at all the grimgarians in the glacier. Instead of going for the kill, Tasianna instead chose to capture them alive, just so we could get some intel from them. Smart.
“Bwuh… Miss Tasianna, have you made sure they can at least breathe? I don’t know if we can interrogate these beasts, but I hope you made sure they wouldn’t die before we even try.” Renee stumbled back to her feet, shivering slightly from the cold. Tasianna replied positively, prompting Renee to nod her head.
She then turned around to us, looking slightly surprised. “You finished that B rank quickly. I thought you didn’t want to use your [Battle Frenzy], Fargryneill?”
Neill shrugged. “What? Did you expect me to prolong that fight just because? What do I look like? An idiot who doesn’t know how to analyze an enemy? The more it bleeds, the longer I have to beat it up for it to die. At that point, better to show what an ant it was in front of me.”
“Uhuh.” Renee didn’t look convinced. She then looked over at me. “Let me guess, trying to be the respectable older sister in front of your family?”
“Yeah, so what? Hestia needs to see how it works before we actually start the training process.” Neill was dismissive of Renee’s reply. Both of them didn’t seem like they were getting along, right now. “Whatever. What are we gonna do with the grimgarians?”
“Hold on, in a moment. Who is that?” Renee pointed at the black-haired man we freed before — Blaine.
The adventurer was staring at the glacier Tasianna made, holding a crossbow he didn’t have before. I walked over to him and waved at him, trying to draw his attention.
“Are you okay?”
“Uhm, y-yeah…” He flinched a bit. “I-I thought I could help…”
He lowered his crossbow in a crestfallen manner before suddenly laughing a bit awkwardly. He told me he should have expected that when we were able to kill the B rank gnoll, before scolding himself for thinking he could help after he was freed by us. He mentioned being captured by those “green bastards” and “gray brutes” should have told him where he stood in this fight.
“Pardon me, you were captured?” Renee came forward. Her helmet was on and, according to Neill, she was speaking with a fake masculine voice to him.
“Y-Yes, Sir Knight. I and some companions of mine were camping in the forest yesterday. We got ambushed, but the others managed to escape. I stayed behind to cover for them.” He scratched his neck nervously. He had some day-old scratches on his face and a bandaged gash on his arm before I healed him, so he probably tried to fight back but failed.
“Uhm, thank you very much for saving me. Goddess bless you, fair Sir.” He thanked Renee as he said to Neill and me.
Renee nodded and told him to pack whatever belongings he had while our party began making plans on how to get out of the tunnel. He nodded and ran to the barely intact wagons. With him gone, Renee and I returned to the others, where she began the discussion with a very important question.
“Where is my medallion?”
“Uek!” Neill flinched dramatically, which Renee quickly caught onto and facepalmed herself, causing a loud metal bang from her gauntlet and helmet.
“… Whoops.”
When Neill used that “Pulse Arcana: Maxima” attack, I noticed the hobgoblin mage who was wearing her medallion fall from the gnoll. Most likely, the mage was caught up by Neill’s beam, disintegrating with the gnoll in the process. I guess, in the middle of the battle, we kinda forgot the true goal of this fight — to retrieve Renee’s heirloom.
“I… I really, really want to shout right now.” Renee said it slowly with hints of frustration and anger in her voice. She breathed in deeply and let out a loud sigh, sounding more depressed when she continued. “How did you two forget about it? I real— Urgh, no, I am to blame. Father, forgive me, your child has failed you.”
She kneeled down on one knee and began praying, causing Neill and me to look at it awkwardly and in shame. Neill might have destroyed the medallion, but I probably could have dashed towards the goblin and grabbed it before she did. Or, using [Unheilige Engel] to do so. I mean, that was one of its prime functions as a spell.
“H-Hey, Renee, I know I can’t apologize to you enough about this, but sorry about that.” Neill looked remorseful. Although they looked like they were fighting, Renee was still Sis’s friend. “Still, I know this isn’t the time to say this, but shouldn’t we think about what to do with all the grims? Get out of this place?”
“Hey, Sis—”
“It is alright. She is right…” Renee stood up, interrupting me. “I cannot expect every plan to go well. A war effort is gone, but that is life. A proper knight is someone who can rebound from it, otherwise, I would shame God Yeostar. I am not the image of a knight Yeos wishes, so I should go beyond that.”
I nodded. It was a shame.
“If you wish, I could attempt to make a replica of it. I am not a master alchemist yet, but I welcome the challenge,” Tasianna suggested but Renee shook her head.
“No, don’t. The item cannot be made that simple. I don’t even know if we can make it, even if I had the materials.” Renee then pointed at her spell ring. “It is similar to my ring, the medallion came from a dungeon. Father got it from a dungeon chest after defeating the dungeon boss of an A rank dungeon. If I must, I will find a replacement there. But, thank you for the offer.”
“Mhmm. Got it.” Renee patted Renee’s shoulder. “I have a debt to pay now after that, so call me when you’re planning to go over there. I haven’t visited the Empire in its entirety yet.”
“Entirety?” I tilted my head.
“Mhmm. I went over to a port city for a hunter Quest, but I left once I was done.”
That’s not even visiting, that’s literally like landing in a city for a connecting flight to your true destination!
“You haven’t visited Folschreck yet, right? Wanna come?” Neill offered.
In a way, it was a good deal. I didn’t know if Renee had much experience in the Empire, and Neill admitted she didn't know much about the Empire, but having two people I know come with me would be great for navigating. Amongst my close friends and associates, none of them could guide me around the gigantic Empire, outside of maybe Muraina and Krymdar.
Beside, as Aurena’s champion, I had a duty to at least understand the Empire before I could continue my Divine Quest for her. I needed to know where the most loyal human nation of the Church of Aurena stood in the political sphere. I was to help the reconstruction of the Church of Aurena, but to do so, I had to understand what the Empire thought of that.
Just the thought of the Holy Emperor of the Light declaring war on me or having the Church of Aurena excommunicate me would make everything difficult. I didn’t want to associate myself with the Empire, but it wasn’t as if I could avoid it at this point. My plans with Artorias were already on their way, and the moment the alliance paper was signed with the dwarves, the animosity of the Empire would grow.
As such I only had one answer.
“Not anytime soon, sorry. I still have a lot of things to do in western Altrust.” I had to decline.
I had to mediate the meeting between the dwarves and Artorias, make sure the elves can shake hands and forgive Artorias, and then also speak with Loatryx on the matter. As a princess, my schedule was too full for me to go around as an adventurer, right now. The only reason why I was here was ‘cause Champion Hestia had to be here.
Princess Hestia, Idol Hestia, Adventurer Hestia, Blessed Hestia, and also Teen Hestia; there were a lot of things I had to manage right now. Honestly, sometimes I wondered how my life would have gone if I had declined Aurena’s offer to become her Champion. Would my life have been simpler?
Nah, as if. My luck was terrible even before all of that. I would have gotten involved regardless, just ‘cause of Saori, Tasianna, and everybody else. At least, as a Champion, it makes it easier for me to help them.
“No worries, Sis. Guess it will be us alone, Renee.” Neill patted the still crestfallen Renee on the back. “Come on, I’m sorry. I’ll treat you for the rest of our stay here, alright?”
“… You eat more than I do. You’ve been using all your money to pay for our meals up until now, anyway.” Renee stated a fact, causing Neill to laugh awkwardly. With no need for equipment or clothes, Neill probably had less to spend than Renee. “Anyways, let’s think of a way to ge—”
[“Master!”] Rajah’s voice entered my mind as he jumped out of my shadow. [“The goblin escaped, sorry!”]
“Goblin?” I stared at him, only for my eyes to widen as I noticed something was in his mouth. “R-Rajah, isn’t that—”
[“Mhmm, the goblin mage. She [Shadow Dash]ed away because I could kill. But, I scratched her! She—”]
“Wait, hold on!” Renee shouted as she noticed the same thing. “Lady Priestess, did your tamed just— Is that my medallion in his mouth?!”
[“Oh, I grabbed this! You wanted this, Miss Human?”] Rajah innocently placed the silver medallion on the ground before turning his saddened eyes back to me. [“She escaped but maybe she will fall from the poison. I dunno, if I sweated enough on my claws. Master, sor— Woah?! Help!”]
“You loveable cat, THANK YOU! Goddess bless you!” Renee’s real voice suddenly broke through as she pulled Rajah into the air! After thanking him, she began hugging him like crazy, laughing merrily as she held her medallion up in the air.
It certainly looked weird when she was doing this in her armor. I knew it already, but this stern knight really could come out of her shell.
“Wooo, nice, good for you, Renee!” Neill cheered for her friend, only for Renee to push her helmet face into Neill’s private space.
“You still scared me, so you’re still coming with me to the Empire. I need to become stronger, anyway.” She wouldn’t let the grudge go.
“… ‘Kay.”
In any case, with Renee’s medallion recovered and this grimgarian entourage mostly destroyed and disbanded, our time in this tunnel was over. Since it was literally impossible to transport the glacier through the cave in a conventional manner, we decided to just look up at the ceiling. Literally.
“One, two, three, go back!” Focusing my mana in my throat, I released a concentrated beam of [Hellflame Breath], lasering right through the earth.
Neill said the method she used before to make that perfect look-through hole couldn’t work when it was too big, so I had to do it with a breath attack. Melting through the earth and any rock, I stopped after a while, just to make sure I wouldn’t hurt somebody once I got to the surface.
I flew up through the hole, used [Detection Sensor] to make sure nobody was around, before drilling the rest of the way with my dragon breath. After I made it back up, I used [Bedrock Blades] to form giant blades of earth to expand the hole, just large enough for Neill to push the giant glacier right through it.
Weeeeeeee, uhm, this really isn’t something you see every day. I gaze up in the sky, where a glacier with frozen grimgarians was hovering, and now, falling from. I shook my head from the absurdity before catching it with [Unheilige Engel].
Once it was safely on the floor, I dropped back down and had everybody board the “purple floating elevator discus!” Just to set the mood, I played some elevator music.
“Bam bam bam, bam bam,” I hummed to it.
“… I don’t know why, but I don’t like this.” Neill grimaced, prompting Renee and Blaine to nod as they voiced their dislike for the music.
Oh, come on!
None of them had an inkling of the notion of comedic elevator music to combat the all-dominating awkward silence. Imagine riding an elevator with a stranger without it. Besides, it had a good enough beat to dance to.
In any case, once everybody was on the surface, I suddenly heard a “Hey, dear, how was it?” I turned around, only to see Mother, the twins, and Rita coming toward us. I was flabbergasted at how they found us so easily, but Mother mentioned Rita had told her what happened. She found our location the moment a “giant concentration of mana was released in this area.”
It was probably Neill’s beam attack.
“Ooh, I tried to wait for you, but you guys took so long! But then, the tunnel was too long!” Rita, excitedly, spoke with Renee and Neill after their reunion. She currently looked like a normal human, which Neill explained was an appearance she only took if there were strangers around, which made sense as Blaine was around.
“Mhmm, thanks for the worry, but you know you don’t have to worry about us.” Neill puffed her chest up as she boasted about her strength. I left those three to themselves as I turned around to Mother.
“Say, couldn’t you have helped out if you were looking for us?” I asked Mother, but she simply looked at me as if I gave her a rhetorical question.
“Well, yes. I mean, did you really need my help to clean up whatever was underneath there? With your sister? And Tasianna, who I had been training alongside the twins?” Mother felt no need to panic at all. “Also, I find it comforting that you wanted to rely on me, but if you were serious, then as your mother, I would honestly question your strength.”
“… So, you trusted me?”
“Shouldn’t a mother trust her daughter when it comes to handling things under her weight level? Or, do you wish for me to be like all the other mothers who coddle their whelplings under their wings even after they become younglings? Like a ‘helicopter mother,’ as you so like to call it. If you wish, I could accompany you even when you go to the toi—”
“Alright, alright, I get it! Sorry, sorry! You are the perfect, ideal mother. Please, I enjoy my space. I loooove you as you are now.”
Mother smiled and nodded proudly. She made her point, but I honestly had to question where she pulled the line with fighting to the death and going out to “pick some flowers.” Maybe this was a dragon thing, and I really should have seen it coming. I already made her aware I needed more room for myself, and she understood and accepted it without any problems.
Anyways, after I told Mother and the others what happened, Renee suggested to me that they needed to leave this to the knights. As much as she wanted to do it herself, interrogations wasn’t her forte. Tasianna and I could do it, but I didn’t feel like doing it, and Tasianna agreed. Neill couldn’t be bothered at this point, as she just wanted to go back to Elyonda.
However, we couldn’t leave the ice block here to thaw. That would be like releasing prisoners just ‘cause you’re too lazy to call the police. In any case, we needed somebody to take care of it, so I volunteered to call for help. Aside from Mother, I was the fastest flier.
“Thank you very much for helping me. By the goddess, if possible, I wish to repay you one day!” Blaine decided to leave to find his friends, instead of waiting here with us.
“Are you sure you want to go now? You can stay with us. Just in case another group of grimgarian is around,” I offered but he shook his head.
“Haha, when that happens, I will shout from the top of my lungs. So, please, help me then. But I really have to make sure my friends are safe, and I sit still until I know. Excuse me.” Blaine insisted on it, so I didn’t have anything more to say, however…
“Shouldn’t you stay around to report what happened to you to the officials?” Renee stepped in front of him. “As an adventurer, you have a duty to inform me of what happened here. It’s for the safety of the country.”
“Well, I’m not a Yeosian, Sir Knight, ahahaha…” Blaine laughed nervously.
“I know. I recognize that accent of yours. You’re from the Empire, correct? A centrumite, even.” The fact Renee could identify accents, meant she probably visited the Empire once. She really could be a good Empire guide.
“Y-Yes, ahaha… I came here with my friends to do some hunting. If you’ve been in the Empire, then you should know how cutthroat the adventurer guilds could be. Everybody wants to rise up and distinguish themselves when the Quest rewards are so much higher than in Western Altrust.”
Even with that answer, Renee’s interrogation didn’t stop. Instead, she was pushing him even further. “Fascinating. Easier around here, no? Then, why were you and your friends in the area? There are no hamlets around, only a small mansion nearby. This might be the perfect time to find some jobs with all the merchants in Elyonda for the festival, buuuuuut… a bit too far away. What are you here for?”
“Yikes, Renee, aren’t you being a bit too suspicious?” Neill patted on Renee’s shoulder, calming the agitating knight down a bit. However, I could sympathize with Renee since we probably were inside her mansion’s land, so it wasn’t surprising for Renee to feel somewhat on edge by an adventurer. We didn’t know if he was a hunter or mercenary, and what he was here for.
“… You’re right.” But, Renee gave up surprisingly pretty easily once Neill intervened. “Adventurers are wanderers. Not my place to ask you about a Quest. Try to remember to report to the local adventurer guilds when you make it back to hand in your Quest. Enjoy your stay in Yeos, Mister Blaine.”
“Uh-hahah… Thanks?” Blaine left us pretty fast. I didn’t think we left a good impression at all.
With him gone, I created a seat for Tasianna with [Unheilige Engel] and the both of us blasted off into the sky. With the twins around, they could make sure the glacier wouldn’t thaw up. It took us some time, but with my rocket boosters, we made it back to Elyonda at record time. From the look of the sun, it probably only took a bit over an hour, maybe?
In any case, I wanted to fly right through and to the royal castle, but Tasianna warned me there was probably a mana barrier around the town just like in Griffonpeak. Considering I didn’t want to get arrested, I decided to take the gate entry, but not the commoner one. The line was too long, so I decided to go to the noble-reserved gate this time.
There was a line of three carriages there, but considering the urgency of the situation, I decided to just skip it. Rather have three wagon’s worth of annoyed people, than the horde at the commoner gate.
“Halt, this is the wro—” One of the knights guarding the gate unsheathed his blade and held his hand up, trying to stop us, but Tasianna and I simply came forward and handed him our IDs. “Huh?”
“Our apologies for not going through with the proper procedure, but I must insist you, good Sir Knight, to allow us to enter immediately. I must report something to your Lord Commander, Alistar Coshbart,” I spoke frankly but properly, before turning over to the wagons. “I humbly request to enter the city first. Would that be of any problems?”
I was wearing my white mage robe, so I was anticipating it to help me out here. After some silence, the guards sitting on the coachman’s seat opened the speaking window connected to the interior of the carriages. After they were done, all three carriages gave their approval, forcing the knight’s hand on the subject.
And, as I had my ID reveal all my information, it only took a couple of seconds for the knight to return and bow to me. And just like that, we were back in Elyonda. However, as I had to be quick, I blasted my way with Tasianan to the royal castle, where I had to do the same procedure again to enter the knight’s headquarters.
“L-Lady Hestia?!” Alistar was shocked to see me when I suddenly barged into office, with his secretary running after me.
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“Sorry for the intrusion, but I have something important to inform you. It’s not urgent, but necessary for you to know, nevertheless.”
Alistar nodded after hesitating a bit and told his secretary to leave. He activated the silence rune in his room, before asking us to take a seat in front of his desk.
“I would like to offer you tea, as any nobleman should for a lady, but I don’t believe you will be staying for long, no?” Alistar hit the nail on its head. So, I made it quick and explained to him what happened today.
“Grimgarians? Wha- Isn’t that the general term for goblins, kobolds, and so on? Are you saying those little brutes broke into a mansion to steal an heirloom?” Alistar was flabbergasted by the information.
“Yes, I can’t tell you much more since this is Artorian intel, but I wanted to warn you that you should probably start preparing some defenses against them.”
The info about the ogre king on the other side of the Avitor Peaks was Artorian intel, so I couldn’t just tell it to somebody not involved with their government. What sorta ally would I be, if I were to be loose with my mouth on pretty important information. I couldn’t think what could happen if I were to leak something like this, but Saori had warned me far enough that there will be people smart enough to figure something out with it.
“… I don’t understand what exactly you expect from me, Lady Hestia. Goblins, kobolds, orcs?” He fumbled around with his hands, trying to form his sentence. “I’ve heard them forming raids and attacking adventurers and soldiers, but they are still mere brutes. Beasts. I understand you care for the city’s defenses, but we currently have a city full of mercenaries, hunters, and also ex-military. If the worst comes, the city will simply employ the adventurer guild to deal with it. Should you not inform them about this?”
He had a point. To deal with monsters, the best place would be the adventurer guild. However, only if you were dealing with mindless monsters, and not with a coordinated army of grimgarians. There was a massive distinction here.
“It is clear you don’t believe me, so the best way is to show you.” I stood up.
“Show? You meant that ice block?”
“Yes, Tasianna had frozen them solid. They should be alive and currently in the custody of my Mother and my friends. They should be alive, right?” I turned to Tasianna.
“Yes, my lady. At worst, a few echikobolds or hobgoblins might have frozen to death. However, the orcs in their voldunna armor probably should be alive. The ore isn’t effective against the cold, but I believe they should have enough padding underneath the armor.”
“You heard her, come on.” Tasianna and I were already moving towards the door.
On the other hand, Alistar was too flustered by my sudden decision to move. “H-Hold on, my lady! I cannot just leave the city for an entire day!”
“Don’t worry, get on Hestia Airlines, and we can make it there in about a bell now that I know the directions.” I grinned, causing Alistar to feel even more confused.
In the end, despite being the Lord Commander of the Yeos’s knight order, he could be a bit of a pushover. He didn’t have the attitude of a knight commander, to be honest. Duke Lecartiglio had the aura and intimidating presence of somebody at the top of the military hierarchy, but I couldn’t feel it from Alistar. He was a talented swordsman, but it didn’t seem like he was fit to be a leader, just yet.
In fact, it seemed to fit the whole knight’s order. Alistar couldn’t take his more talented men with him, as all of them were training for the tournament. The only ones he had around were squires or newly inaugurated knights. Jethro’s situation with his warrior monks mirrored this, dramatically. Guess the war was sapping Yeos’s military might by a ton.
And Princess Anasthasia mentioned the state was focusing too much on reorganizing their power, right? Well, not exactly my place to judge.
Once Alistar had picked two of his knights as guards, they were about to use their gargoyles before I stopped them with my [Unheilige Engel]. I asked them, and once they did, Hestia Airlines could finally begin their flight. Well, after I put their seatbelts on.
“““WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”””
They certainly scream a lot. A fly could end up in their mouths.
With my rocket boosters, I flew out of the city, towards where I left Mother and the others off. Once we were there, I landed on the ground, and had to witness them puke out whatever they had in their stomachs.
“Lady Hestia, you forgot to provide them with an [Air Shield],” Tasianna informed me.
“Huh? Oh! Oh right, yeah, I had to do that, right? Whoops.” I had honestly forgotten about it. “Wait, if you knew about it, why couldn’t you do it?”
Tasianna shifted her eyes around as she kept her smile up. “My apologies, but I had forgotten about it, too. I only remembered it now.”
It seemed Tasianna had gotten too used to the ultra speed I was flying with. Well, poor Alistar.
Anyway, once he recovered, the Knight-Commander and his guards were shocked to see my words becoming true as they stared at the glacier in front of us. I looked around, seeing Mother was sunbathing again while Neill joined her, for some reason. I liked sunbathing, too, but wasn’t there a limit to it all? … Probably not.
“Lord Commander Coshbart!” Renee suddenly spoke out and saluted, pulling the astounded Alistar out of his surprise. “I would like to report.”
“Y-You—” Alistar wanted to say something before he received a piece of parchment. Alistar looked at Renee for a moment before reading what he received, causing his eyes to widen. “… Is this true?”
“Speculation.”
“… Hmm. Noted.” Alistar nodded, before turning his eyes towards the medallion Renee was wearing around her neck, fully exposing it. “That necklace… it fits you, Sir Knight.”
“Your words honor me, Lord Commander. Now, I must excuse myself. I must bid you farewell for now.”
Renee gave a quick bow before moving past a frowning Alistar. She then summoned her air wagon with her catalyst and called for us to board it. Seeing as Alistar wasn’t holding us back, we quickly boarded it, and began our way back to Elyonda. Sure, I could fly us back, but you couldn’t really talk about things on a fast flight, right?
As we started to leave the premises, I saw Alistar flying off on his gargoyle, probably towards Elyonda to call for reinforcement. Which meant, the two knights he brought were not guarding the glacier. Talk about a boring job, honestly, but somebody had to do it.
“So, Renee, who was that?” Neill jumped on the coachman’s seat and suddenly brought that up to Neill.
“Lord Commander Alista—”
“Pah, you know I didn’t mean that. I already memorized his name and face from battle royale. You know I spoke about him to you.” Neill tapped on Renee’s helmet. “Who was he to you?”
“Why are you pestering me, right now? You barely ever ask things like this when it’s not necessary.” Renee sounded irritated, but I had to agree with Neill. I was curious, too.
“He noticed your medallion,” I pointed out.
“And?”
“Oh shit, come on! Stop being so hard to talk to, Renee! I don’t need to lead you around like some dumb whelpling who’s doing their first flight!” Neill forcibly pulled off Renee’s helmet, revealing she was looking slightly somberly on the ground. “Hmph. You rarely have that sorta expression. Who is that guy, and you want to reveal what your medallion is? I’m starting to think you are more than just some girl who ‘wants to become a knight like her father in a country where women cannot become knights.’”
“… Interesting speculations, meat bags.”
“…”
And there was the silence. Sometimes I really have to wonder if they were friends or not.
In such a case, it was up to a third party to break it up. Of course, that person would be me, as I wanted answers, too. “What was in that letter you gave him?”
“My opinion on the situation, and since I expected you to explain the situation to him, Lady Priestess, you could say I gave him a kick in his bottoms. Green rats like those don’t make a caravan and transport them in such a manner. Neither could they get their hands on that mana cannon if they were such simple beasts, as you said, Lady Priestess.”
“Oh!” Tasianna looked like she remembered something. “Now that you mention it, where was that mana cannon? I was sure we would see it, but even after I froze everybody, nothing happened.”
“Hold on, wait, doesn’t that mea—” Neill was about to give her thoughts, only for Neill to answer it for her.
“Exactly. A siege weapon like a mana cannon cannot have disappeared like that. Yes, we might not have investigated the tunnel, but I didn’t believe we had to, right there. Even with two dragon princesses, I didn’t want to curry our luck any further. We have targets to interrogate and a prisoner to free,” Renee explained her actions. “Besides, as you probably should know already, I am not really a knight.”
“You are a Yeosian, but you are a woman. Women cannot take on higher positions, and if they do, like Princess Anasthasia, they are looked down upon,” I replied.
“Yes, exactly. What an antiquated social norm created by some old men because of the mistakes of a single ruling princess, who, after proper investigations, was just a spoiled brat whose parents treated her like the Goddess herself. And now, talented noblewomen and womenfolk must suffer for a single unfit ruler. A stain, I say, for the land of the God of Knighthood, Bravery, and Loyalty. Wouldn’t you say so too, Lady Hestia?”
I shrugged. “If you want my opinion on it as a woman, then, of course, I would hate something like that. But as a princess, I really cannot say much about another country’s cultural alignment. Besides, it isn’t like your commoners treat beastmen any better. What would you have me say to that, Miss Yeosian?”
“Nothing, if you wish, my lady. I can say much about my countrymen’s attitude, but war is war. Hostilities cannot end when a mother’s son is dragged into battle, only to die at the spear of a wolfkin in a country you probably had never truly seen before. To the average commoner, the propaganda our military and the Empire spreads, is all you will and want to hear. What good is it to make friends with the country that killed your sons, or brothers, or father? It also helps that they are of a different race, helping the alienation even further similar to our history. There are many morals and principles this principality has drifted away from.”
“Mhmm, you are speaking about such difficult topics, again, Renee. Can’t we just talk about this mana drainer?” Rita pouted before leaving the discussion, finding it more interesting to document the effects of the mana drainer Tasianna made for her.
“… See? You’re making one of your speeches again, Renee. You’re good at it, but I don’t think your current company would appreciate it.” Neill turned her head around. Everybody in this carriage was non-human, and one of them was even a virigress, who probably couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of Renee’s words.
It’s okay, Rajah. I stroke my carefree virigress. He was completely disinterested in it all.
“And? I have my goals and ambitions, Fargryneill. Am I not allowed to speak my mind out?”
“Sure, but stop talking to us if we are fools. I despise the intellectual dishonesty you are doing, Renee!” Neill scowled. “Tell me, what are you planning? Are you planning to drag us into this goal of yours? Do you want to use us as pawns to change this country, or what?”
“Change? Not a bad idea.” Renee shifted her head around in amusement. “A revolution could help, but that would be too much. God Yeostar and my father would punish me, if I were to incite that. No, what Yeos needs right now is for everybody to rally up towards a single banner.”
I looked at her green catalyst as she continued. “The demonkin war is not the only thing my home needs to protect itself from. The ‘Divide of the Five Princes’ was once a coalition between five principalities to protect ourselves from external threats. However, after the War for the Faefolk, things have changed. Yeos grows weaker as we must provide levies, knights, and ships to the Empire. All while our ‘allies’ watch and cause strife within our borders. Waiting for our factions to split our country apart.”
“Hmm, then why did you only talk about the demonkin wars to us yesterday, Renee?” I asked.
“Because you aren’t Yeosians, you have nothing to do with our internal politics. However, I still tried to call you to arms, because that is what I believed to be the right thing to do. Dragons fighting with the rest of Peolynca against the otherworldly threat, just like in the history books.”
“You are living in a fantasy, my dear,” Mother interjected. “One should not speak about war, when one has not experienced it. Revenge is a fool’s drug. Coupled with desperation, and it will be the last thing you will ever taste.”
Mother’s words were irrefutable for Renee. She knew who Mother was, so trying to speak back against an ancient dragon would be a waste of time. However, her talk about revenge also hit home for me.
Eshe…
“Then there really is no hope…” Renee sounded dejected. “Still, at the very least, would you two grant me your strength?”
She turned to Neill and me.
“I hardly find it a coincidence that the Festival of Yeostar is held this early, despite our lack of support from the Empire. And, I know from this, that something will happen. The gales around us are a prelude to the storm, and I am not only speaking about the grimgarians and their siege cannon. I feel something large is amiss. But, I am only a single woman. How am I to face this alone?”
“… So you left the search for the remnants of those grimgarians to the knights,” I concluded after Renee’s long-winded explanation and why she didn’t have us search the tunnel for the second cannon.
“Yes. During our fight, why not use the cannon? Simple, they wanted to hide it or there was a second group. Wouldn’t it be possible for us to have missed them?”
Neill and I nodded.
“The knights need to know this, so they can start their preparations. Lord Jethro won’t let this go, if national security is in danger.” Renee seemed better connected than I thought, for a wandering knight-wanna-be. “I don’t believe my strength lies there. It is obvious enough something is brewing underneath the festival if grimgarians are appearing. Beasts or not, they proved to me they are intelligent enough. The demonkins or sabateors from the other principalities are moving.”
“Demonkins?” I was astounded Renee would know this much. I looked over at Neill, but she shook her head.
“Of course. None of this is a coincidence. Nothing is. The demonkins killed our hero — the former Champion of Yeostar. Now, wouldn’t it be the perfect time to interrupt the inauguration of the new champion for some more years? Without the strongest Champion of the Pantheon of Light, it would give the demonkins a considerable advantage. The Hands of Heaven are humanity’s greatest military force, but ten knights aren’t enough to fight against the beastmen alliance and the seven Princes of Sins simultaneously. Too many skirmishes and battles, not enough focus.”
She then turned back to Neill and me. “As such, I need your help. I must ask you to help me, Lady Priestess. Fargryneill. I need to uncover what is truly going on, right now, and snuff it out before it can spread its wings.”
“And what exactly are you planning to do, by joining the tournament? You said you wanted to become the next Champion? What are you trying to do with this change of yours?” I remained unconvinced with her speech. Sure, I saw the value in her words, but what were her ulterior motives to all of this?
“As I said, to rally everybody to a single banner. I wish to hold up the honor of God Yeostar, as the knight of knights, and hopefully, in the process, a glimmer of the former glory of my country.” She clutched her medallion. “Sir Royce was the strongest person I’ve ever known… but he wasn’t able to change our country. What Yeos needs is a change of scenery. A single knight who is willing to brave the storm of hatred, to keep the flag up until they die. To remind everybody why our God isn’t the Goddess, but God Yeostar. The God of Knighthood, Bravery, and Loyalty!”
Renee let go of the reins, letting her air wagon move on its own as she stood up. She turned around and showed us a strong smile. “But, for that to work, I have to become the Champion of Yeostar first. I forge my way forward, even through you two. However, what Yeos needs the most right now, are heroes. And what better way to start a change when three young women — two of them being dragon princesses and one a self-proclaimed Yeosian knight — become those very heroes?”
I smirked and straightened my back. “… Then let’s get started. Let’s hunt down some pesky bugs.”
Renee smiled and thanked me, all while Neill shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.
“Why? Why are you getting everything off your chest when you are speaking with my little sister? Hello, I’ve been traveling with you for two years, flattie!”
“She’s easier to talk with, you reckless brute.”
“Tsk!”
Are they really friends, or what?!
Regardless, the alliance was made. If the grimgarians are making a move, then the demonkins would, too. If that was the case, then it was time for me to start looking into this properly. The tournament was important, but we had to start making progress to identify if there are any demonkins in this city. Yeostar was quiet during this whole discussion, but I believe he would want it.
Time to get Master Kush and the Depth Serpents to work. They aren’t bounty hunters for nothing, after all.
And during the dusk of night, we made it safely back to Elyonda. Tomorrow was the start of the first round of the tournament.
“Mhmm, the sound from the ocean is getting more beautiful to hear, hehehe.”
Sound? Ooooooh, so that’s what she meant by ‘music’ all this time! Mother has been enjoying the beach quite a bit, of course!
With how Mother was talking about music all the time, I was starting to worry my hearing had gone bad. However, it was about the beach, so I guessed it made sense that she was more focused on the vacation part of our trip. The sound of the waves, the seagulls, and maybe she was also hearing the merfiends growling underwater.
I should spend more time at the beach with Mother. No, with everybody. Family and friends.
“Haaa, it’s sooo late. Where is the commander?”
“It takes time to return to the city and to come here with support. Just shut up and wait. I am sure he will be here soon.”
In the darkness of the night, a single campfire was illuminating the forest. The rattling of cicadas accompanied the low mumblings of the two knights, eagerly awaiting their commander’s return with their reinforcements. Whether they were too unskilled or too occupied to realize it, the sounds of rustling grass appeared behind them.
Two eyes stared at them. Followed by four, then six, then eight, then ten. Skull masks were watching their every movement, brandishing their daggers and a crossbow. Tonight, Ilsaphone would welcome new souls under the shine of the dimmed orange moon.