(A/N – From this chapter on in the story, the rating of it goes from T to M. You will understand with what happens at the last few sections of the chapter.)
Day 22 – December 7th, Saturday
Weather – Surprisingly sunny and cool for winter.
Location – Raglan Estate, Rex's Room
So today is the day that Duran and Leonis have their dance at the school. I have been able to get a hold of myself, though the memories of yesterday are still fresh. Back on topic, I am surprised that they could keep their relationship in tack, mainly Duran since Leonis and Mimel are inseparable for the most part. I swear, we got robbed out of our bath. I could hear the arguments being given by Duran to Thoma about not wanting to go and trying to back out at the last second. Since Thoma is helping him get dress for the dance in one hour, I can only imagine that he is saying that if he backed out now, he would receive a fury unlike anything they have ever seen.
Still… I feel an ominous presence, as if a calm before the storm. Normally I would ignore it but from how Leo has been acting these past few days, I just can't shake the feeling that something is going to happen. Maybe having Ladius and Sieghart gone is making me jumpy since they are arguably the best swordsman we have in the family. What am I worried about, we have an army… of… Syriums… ya, that might also play a part of my unrest now that I think about it. Note to self, keep on their good side.
Speaking of Syrium, it seems that Leo and Fyuria have been sparring for the past few days outside while her fellow kin have been watching them. I watched a few alongside Zerva and each one ended with Leo claiming the victory every match. There was one where she did graze his cheek which came with a quick punch to the gut to add further insult. Still, the match was won by Leo but it showed that Fyuria was learning from him which I think was the original intention from the first day of school. Hmm… I suppose I might as well help Leonis get ready since Sieghart isn't home yet.
Rex Raglan
Leonis picked up a purple and black fedora hat that he bought earlier in the day when he picked up his redesigned suit for the dance's theme. He placed it on his head and looked himself in the mirror to see the results. The boy tilted the hat to the right to see what it may look like before moving it the other direction. He heard the window open and found his cousin sitting on the ledge.
"Hey, wondering how you were doing since the big dance is nearing." Rex said and hopped into the room. "Center the hat and tilt it forward, as if you were trying to cover your eyes." He shared his opinion as Leonis decided to try it and saw that it made him look more mysterious.
"Hmm, I like it, thanks Rex. So, what can I do for you?"
Rex pulled back a chair and sat down before replying. "You could tell me why you are dress like a mobster from the capital in purple."
"Oh, the theme of this dance is mafia. So, I need to dress up like one."
"Then… Mimel will also have to dress like one? Must explain why Duran is hating it in the other room; the guy despises getting dressed in such a way." Rex said as both men listened to the sound of objects hitting the ground along with the wall. Both boys sighed together and turned their attention back to one another. "Let me see if I can help you with any minor details to your outfit."
Duran felt himself being suffocated by the works of a red tie. Leonis and Mimel both had to try and convince the Dark Elf that he was overexaggerating but to no avail. The only lady in the carriage had a dress similar to the one she worry during the first dance. However, it was more slim fit and did not run to her toes, but instead, at the center between her knees and feet. Leonis picked up a fedora hat identical to his own for Duran while he handed one with the color pattern switched to Mimel. She placed it on her head and smiled at the contribution by her boyfriend.
The elf placed his right hand on the arm rest and held it upward so his head could rest on it. He did not much care for dancing, seeing it as an embarrassing act to perform in front of peers who will hold it against you. Duran would not say it to his cousin and his girlfriend because such talk would dampen their spirits. In place of his words, he just stared out into the vast fields. Duran placed his other hand on top of the fedora that rested on his lap.
The carriage began to slow as Duran turned his head towards Leonis who was smiling at him. "Leonis, what the heck are you planning?" He asked as the door opened to find his date.
"Hello, Ryuryu, I presume you have received the message about a change of plans?"
Duran was about to ask what was going on but Ryuryu stepped into the carriage and sat next to Duran. "Yes, we are not proceeding with the original plan."
"Will someone please tell me what is going on!?"
Duran exclaimed, getting everyone to look at him before returning back to whatever they were doing before Ryuryu entered the carriage. He quickly realized that he was blown off by everyone in the room. Just before he returned back to his view of the world, Duran felt a soft hand touch his face. He turned his head to find Ryuryu being the one to have her hand on him. Duran got a better look at his date and he would not admit it, but she was gorgeous.
Her outfit mirrored the color of Duran's outfit with purple being the main hue as black filled in the rest. She had a hat identical to Mimel which Duran believed that Leonis gave her. The dress ran down to her knees a feminist black vest rested on her torso which got Duran thinking that, if she cut her hair to look like a male, she could probably pull it off since she has no chest. Duran mentally facepalmed himself, not believing that he just acted like his perverted brother for even a moment. Resuming his observation, he saw a red tie on her that answered why he had to wear one as well. The undershirt for the vest was black with thin gray strips running on it. Duran quickly realized that his observations were being noticed by everyone in the carriage. He rudely yanked his head back and returned hit back to the window.
"So, Leonis," Ryuryu began, returning her hand to the side "You said that we are not going to the dance this evening but instead, going to play in a sport?"
"Yes, and Thoma wanted me to say this to you, Duran." Leonis cleared his thought and pulled out a small sheet of paper "Cousin, let's go bowling." He said in an awkward tone.
The air in the carriage instantly began unbearable. Mimel cracked open the window on her side to try and get some fresh air into the carriage, only for it to be forced out. Inside the death trap, Leonis was against the wall with Duran holding him against it with his golden eyes shining like jewels and his teeth as sharp as knives. "NO! I will kill you if you say that again!" Duran shouted, fear beginning to come from Leonis as he has never seen this side of his cousin before.
"Calm down, Duran, Thoma just said it is the moment for us to spend some quality time-"
"THAT'S IT!"
From that moment until they reached the bowling alley, the carriage was shaking from Mimel and Ryuryu desperately trying to keep Duran from killing his cousin. After ten minutes of chaos in the carriage, they arrived at the destination as Leonis jumped out from the kill zone and onto the ground to escape Duran. The Dark Elf methodically began to close the distance from his prey, casually getting off the carriage and standing above Duran whose upper face was covered in an unnatural shadow.
Duran felt a finger touch his right shoulder as he turned to meet a slap. He tumbled backwards until landing next to Leonis. Duran looked up to see who denied him his vengeance when he saw it was Ryuryu. "I see who wears the pants in this relationship."
"WE ARE NOT DATING!" Duran exclaimed and rolled on top of Leonis to begin choking him in pure anger.
The sun sat on the horizon in view of the Raglan land. The local inhabitants surrounding the main building were enjoying themselves to a portion of the Raglan wine cellar that Leo had open for the evening to help the Syrium refugees take their mind off the fact they might spend Christmas away from home this year. Nearly every single Syrium saw Leonhardt's generosity as unusual but they soon found him as one of their own, just a different race and social status. A majority of the drinkers had passed out from overconsumption while the others were watching a match shift show they were constructing in their spare time.
Leonhardt sat alone in his study, going over the reports that his border scouts have delivered and they were not good news. He moved it aside, saving it for last and moved onto the next which was a message from Sieghart, stating they would arrive back on Lucrellia tomorrow afternoon. A part of his being wondered how the little bowling game the four were suppose to have been going. Just five minutes after the three left, Thoma had returned from who knows where, probably tucking the multiple children away for the night and reading the younger ones a bedtime story.
He looked at the last paper in his pile and called for a servant.
Rex continued to feel almost vulnerable to the outside world. He heard the door crack open which caused him to jump from the surprise. He found a servant on the other side of it who seemed to have something to say. Rex sighed in relief and asked what he could do for the person. The male servant told Rex that he was need in Leonhardt's study and that Thoma would be meeting him there as well. He also was advised to inform Rex to bring his weapon to the room as well.
Hearing the servant tell him to bring his weaponry, Rex's feelings beforehand only escalated to new levels. He fumbled the sword in his hands but got a firm grip on it in the end. Meanwhile, in the lower level of the building, Thoma was fiddling with his two experiments in the form of a metal Rex and unknown girl that looked like little Ellis. He was already told to go to Leonhardt but he just needed to finish adding the final coat of paint. Thoma had a picture of one of the Rex's clones hanging to his right by magical means with another picture from a newspaper article that mirrored the robot hovered next to the picture.
"There, all done." Thoma said and wiped the sweat away from his forehead. The sweat from his body landed into the internal wiring, frying his hard work for the lady-like machine. "…Or not…It's a shame what happened to this girl, she seems so innocent." He told himself and teleported from his man cave and into the study. Leonhardt was sitting in his chair while Rex rested on the table itself as he appeared, both of whom were already talking. "You called, boss?"
Thoma asked and took a seat on the nearby couch. Leonhardt glided a sheet of paper to Thoma who caught it and began to read the details. Rex saw his eyebrows go up which meant he understood the seriousness of this issue at hand. He reread it, line by line to make sure he did not miss any details in it. Thoma sighed and crumpled the paper up and threw it in the garbage next to Leo and Rex.
"So, your agenda has finally caught up with you." Thoma said and threw himself back to have his entire body on the comfortable couch.
"It would seem that way. Worse is that Ladius and Sieghart are off the continent which is half our senior staff gone." Leonhardt said and leaned backwards in his chair, placing his hands together on top of his stomach.
"That is true. Leonis and Duran should be bowling right now with their dates, and since no one but us in this house now about it, they should be safe for the time being." Leonhardt said as he saw a snicker come from Thoma which he ignored. "Still, two seniors and one junior are not favorable numbers. Furthermore, we need to get the Syriums to safety so one of use has to lead them along with Zerva and Fyuria, reducing our numbers to two people."
"What about your guards?" Rex asked, bringing up a point that Thoma agreed on.
"They are scattered to various points in the territory. Calling them back to defend the estate would take too long. The earliest would be a small detachment of fifteen men and that would take three days to come back if they did not rest."
"Sooo… we are screwed unless we give them your head and have House Raglan dismantled entirely?" Thoma said, getting to the obvious answer to the situation they were in. Rex looked at Thoma with disbelief. "Don't worry, Rex, I have no intention of letting that happen; no one in this family would. Still, it's that, or open war with the kingdom itself, guys."
Leonhardt rose up from his seat and walked over to the window where he saw the cheerful expressions of the Frontier natives. "I have tried to continue where my father left off, trying to bring the races of mortals and non-mortals together in a way that none would abuse the other for gain. A dream, that perhaps I will not see become real." Leonhardt turned his head to see the concerned expressions on Thoma and Rex. "I have no plan of surrendering myself to the authorities. This coming conflict will be brutal and no one on Lucrellia will be spared its flames."
As Leonhardt said where he stands on the issue at hand, the doorknob turned with a cracking noise. This caused the three Raglan men to assume the worst and draw their weapons. Leonhardt jumped in front of the desk and brought out the Oathsworn, standing the closest to the door. Rex grabbed the grip of his personal sword and got off the desk. Thoma flicked his wrist and conjured his ebony staff and pointed it and the door; however, he just rose upward from his seat but not to his feet. The door opened to show a young maid who looked terrified at having tow swords and one staff pointing at her in the room.
"Sorry, we thought you were someone else. Stand down, guys." Leo said and lowered his sword. Rex and Thoma relaxed as well and returned back to their previous locations. "So, madam, what can I do for you?"
"You have a visitor. A very important one that said they need to speak with you urgently."
"Alright, send him in." Leonhardt said and began walking back to his desk.
"Sir, it is a she."
Hearing what the maid just said, Leo wanted to ask for the name but the woman already left the doorway to bring the person to him. Rex saw Leonhardt's expression change greatly and asked him what is wrong. Thoma jumped into the conversation, guessing that some woman he was arranged to marry has shown up at the worst of times. However, Leonhardt told Thoma that he is far closer to the truth than he realizes.
Rex asked Leo what he meant but the question stopped then all three men saw two people standing in the hallway. Rex thought that the woman told them that there was only going to be one person and it would be a she. In the doorway stood Elaine and Largen, two of Leo's equals in the doorway. Thoma tightened his grip on the staff and Leonhardt ran his hand to the pummel of his sword. Rex, not truly understanding why Leo and Thoma were on edge, asked why the two seniors were on edge.
Leonhardt kept his eyes on the two nobles and said "Rex, the nine house are our enemies now. The two people before us represent two of the nine. I am not exactly going to welcome them with open arms."
"But-"
"Rex," Thoma began, getting on his feet to show he was ready for anything. "Leo is right, we cannot trust these two with the position we are in as a family. The fact they made it through the Syriums are surprising."
"Let us explain everything first, Leo." Elaine began but his face did not show he was open for negotiation. "I know I may appear to be your enemy, but I assure you we are not. If we were, then why would be come to your lands without arms?"
Seeing her reasoning, Leonhardt slightly lessen his grip on the sword but still showed himself as a threat. "Fine, I will listen."
The two couples had just finished clocking themselves into the bowling machine. The teams were set up with Leonis and Mimel as team one while Duran and Ryuryu were team two. The balls rolled down a lane as the pins were placed on the end of the building. Everyone was sitting on a U-shaped bench when Leonis saw his name appear. He got up from his seat and picked up a slight above average weight red ball and placed his index, middle finger and thumb into the three holes of the ball. Leonis looked at the lane he was bowling on and judged how much the pins weighed before rolling.
He began walking forward, slowly moved his right hand back and released it before reaching the line. The ball rolled straight into the pins, scoring a perfect on his first attempt. Mimel clapped at her boyfriend's great start for their team as he returned back to her side. Duran grunted, saying he could do it as well. Sure enough, the machine spat his name out as if it wanted to see him do it. The elf got up from his seat and quickly grabbed the closest ball which slammed down to the ground from being the heaviest in the batch.
Everyone turned towards the sight of the noise and found Duran trying to lift up the heavy ball but to no avail. Instead of straining his back, Duran stomped on the floor to make an earth pillar lift the ball into the air and return back where the others were located. He placed his hand on the next ball and found it to be a perfect weight. Having only played the game in the digital world, he followed the motions in them and mimicked that of Leonis' roll. However, instead of a strike, the ball rolled off the lane and into the gutter.
Duran stood there, processing that he just failed at playing what he considered to be a simple game. He saw the ball return back to the rack and pick it up the ball. Duran quickly swung the returned ball back into the lane and once more, it met the gutter. Duran's face showed calm on his face but his inner feelings were raging with great anger that no amount of water could extinguish. He walked over to his bench and saw the scoreboard was clearly showing who was winning. Mimel and Ryuryu each went and scored various amounts with Ryuryu getting a spare in the end. Leonis returned back up in the third round and got another strike for his team.
As Duran was next in line, Ryuryu got up for beforehand and walked over to where the balls were located and gave him a pink one. "I believe this is perfect for you." Ryuryu said, not trying to sound rude but the color was pure coincidence by nature.
"Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Asides that you will make us loss this game? No, this ball is balanced and you need all the help you can get."
She said and gave Duran the ball. He felt himself as a man slowly slip away by holding the ball but he did not care anymore. Duran slipped his pinky, middle and index figure into the holes as Ryuryu stopped him. He took his fingers out of the holes and placed the correct ones in. She then showed him the proper gesture by example, rolling the first ball in the lane but stopped it by magical means to allow him to give it a go. Duran said he has lost interest in the game but Ryuryu had an idea pop into her head, a devious one.
"How about this, Duran. If you get a turkey by yourself, I will take off my dress for you."
Leonis and Mimel's eyes opened up at hearing such a scandalous proposal by Ryuryu. Duran froze in place, believing his ears were hearing things. He asked her to repeat what she just said and indeed, he heard right. Duran responded by saying that she was lying and that it was just to get him to actually play serious. Duran told her that he is different from Thoma and that she would have to do more than lose the cloths just to get him to play. He just realized what he just said when the lady said she has other options.
"Fine, if it keeps you off my back, then I'll play serious." Duran said and seemingly tossed the ball into the lane and nearly broke them into pieces. A X appeared on the board, signaling a strike was scored.
The game continued with Leonis scoring strike after strike, Mimel and Ryuryu either getting high numbers or a spare to finish the round, and somehow, the greenhorn Duran get another strike on the board. Duran was up to ball when Ryuryu whispered that she still had a wonderful plan set up for him if he scored a strike. He slightly blushed but he moved his crimson hair to cover it up. Duran took a glance at the board and found that a strike would give his team a win. However, the look on Ryuryu's face made him contemplate losing on purpose to avoid her finding whatever enjoyment was on her mind.
In the end, his competitive nature won out and he rolled the pink ball into the lane. It struck the every pin to give him a strike, along with a turkey that meant he got three strikes in a row. Duran turned around towards everyone and walked back to his seat, completely ignoring Ryuryu. "Well, what now? That was like, thirty minutes of rolling heavy balls down a lane." Duran asked as he saw a good majority of the people gathering in the alley towards the television.
"Leo, I know that you are the leader here, but do you truly think it is wise for you to completely trust Elaine once more like that?"
Thoma asked as he was stretching his body. Leonhardt and he were alone on the roof, overlooking the Syriums who were told to evacuate the area with the coming threat. Leonhardt leaned on the iron railing, watching the children wake up from their slumber and ask their parents what is going on. He told Thoma that he knew that a battalion of three hundred soldiers was coming this way, he just did not know when and where. Thoma asked why though he was charged with leading the Syriums out and not Rex.
"Thoma, you know as well as I that trust is not the easiest thing to recreate. However, those two have taken the risk of dying by my hand so I think I can trust them both one more time. Yes, foolish, but it could help in the long run should they both remain true."
"Leo, you need my help. Rex, bless his soul, is not ready for open warfare yet. You need me."
Leonhardt turned his head to looked at Thoma and replied "You are right. But, he does not know where to lead the Syriums to safety. I cannot ask Elaine or Largen because the Syriums don't trust them. That leaves you and me."
"So why not just abandon the house and live to fight another day?"
"We will, eventually. Just not until everyone returns from what they are doing. Leaving now would lead only to confusion and division in our family is the last thing we need. Thoma, you are the only one who can do this, can I trust you?"
Thoma chuckled at hearing Leonhardt put his faith in him. "What about the other family sword? Are we leaving it to them to use?"
"No," Leonhardt said, knowing what Thoma was mentioning. "We are not giving letting them have that either. It is my sole duty as Lord of House Raglan to not let our founder's sword and dagger fall into anyone but the rightful heir's hands."
"You don't mean…?"
"Yes, it's time to bring them out for me and Rex to use.
Rex sat alone in his room, trying to absorb everything that is happening. Leonhardt left two minutes ago after informing Rex of what is going to happen. He told the boy that if he wanted to leave with Thoma, now is his only chance. To Leo's surprise, Rex said he wanted to stay and fight because he did not want to leave Leonhardt to fight three hundred men alone.
Now, all alone in his private chambers, he was beginning to have second thoughts on his choice. Rex got up from his chair and opened to door to enter the hallway. The house was quiet which was unheard of since there was always a servant doing something or Thoma and Duran playing a video game. Nothing, empty silence that was making Rex worry. He walked down to the floor where Leonhardt's stood was located and made his way to the room. Rex found it was open and door was off it's hinges.
"Leo…?"
"I'm fine, come on in, Rex." A voice inside the room called out and welcomed Rex in. He walked in and found Leonhardt sitting in his chair like everything was normal. "Do not mind the door, it is a safety measure for the coming storm. What can I do for you?"
Rex slowly reached for a chair and pulled it with him to sit next to Leonhardt. He sat down and said that he was having butterflies in his stomach. Leonhardt patted him on the back softly, saying that he too was having them. Rex asked what will happen when the small military force arrives. Leonhardt told the young man that they will first swarm the front entrance and come climbing up the stairs, searching every room until they find them on the roof. There, they would repeat what happened at the school during Homecoming; only this time, just the two of them.
"Are you worried for Leonis and the rest of the group at the bowling alley?" Rex asked, showing that he had a deeper connection with Leonis than Duran.
"No, in fact, I think they will be more worried about you and me than themselves. They got Mimel with them who is basically a tad weaker version of Dyshana so they will be fine. Not only that, but the other three know how to fight which helps them."
Leonhardt got up from his seat and began walking to the right where a cabinet rested against the wall. He opened it to have two wrapped objects in the center. Leonhardt pulled both objects out and placed them on the table before himself and Rex. One was much smaller than the other as Leonhardt slowly pulled out the Oathsworn and placed it next to the larger piece.
"Rex, I think it is time for you to learn more about our history." Leonhardt said in front of the desk as Rex enthusiastically nodded. "Long ago, there was a man who's all but disappeared from the history books along with his descendants. He was like you and me, brave, loyal, and many other things that I can't go into great detail without running the risk of forgetting about the threat outside."
"Were these his weapons?"
"Let me show you." Leonhardt said and began to unwrap the weapons. The first piece Rex was about to identify was a golden-like dagger that shared a great deal of similarity to the Oathsworn in terms of the golden look. Rex picked up the dagger and examined it in great detail as Leonhardt placed down a sword. He put the wrapping on the floor and unsheathed the blade which did not have share the gold design. "These two blades belonged to the founder of our house many generations ago. The two weapons together are called the Veldafard."
Leonhardt explained to Rex who had placed the dagger gently back where he picked it up and looked over the sword with great respect. "So, is there any reason why the dagger looks like your sword but as a dagger while the main sword doesn't? And, who was the person who founded the Raglan family?"
"Any information on the origins of the weapons is a mystery to me as if most of the past aside from what my father told me. However, I know the founder… or rather, founders."
"There was more than one?" Rex asked and placed the sword next to the Oathsworn and the dagger.
"Yes, there were two sons and the father who created the house of Raglan. The land they come from was ravaged from endless war and when they found Lucrellia, they settled down and built the house we are in right now. One of the sons, ironically enough since you are here, was part Harpuia. So, you actually share a similarity to a founder. The second son was pure human but he was anything but pure in nature. The guy makes Duran look kind-hearted. He had a blade that Sieghart is currently holding with him that I gave as a sign of trust."
"Sooo, this son is a jerk?"
"I can't say honestly. Most likely he was but he must have had a soft spot if he was a founder like his little brother.
"And then there was the man who was the main founder. He was a troubled soul who had lost his lover of many years to the fires of war. His wife gave him his blood son. The other one with wings, he was adopt-" Leonhardt stopped himself and looked at Rex for a moment. He specifically looked at the wings and began to laugh. "Well, I'll be. Not only did he adopt his second son, but I adopted you after Thoma and Duran at the same time. It must be a Raglan thing." Leonhardt and Rex began at the thought of such a thing happening and began to calm down.
"What were their names?"
"Weiss, Schwarz and Grey. Weiss was the leader and wielder of these weapons, Schwarz was the blood son and Grey was the adopted son. Each of them had a wife but their names were not documented so I can't say who they were."
Leonhardt finished his history lesson and handed Rex the Oathsworn, saying that the time for him to take up the mantle of the Oathsworn Lord. Rex held the grip of the sword and in response to his determination, the sword began to glow. Leonhardt smiled at seeing Rex accept the sword and unstrapped the scabbard to it. He handed it to him and began strapping himself with the Veldafard combination. The sword sat on his left waist while the dagger rested on the right.
"Come, our guests have arrived." Leonhardt said and told Rex to look out the window to see fire raging behind him where the Syriums once lived in. "I know you must feel disgusted with how little respect they are giving. Looting, burning and destroying anything that does not resemble their way of life."
Leonhardt walked over to Rex's right and placed his hand on the Harpuia's shoulder to try and comfort him. "Leo… will there ever be a day where everyone soul in the world can come together?"
"We are Raglans. If anyone can do it, it is us. It's is in our name. The term Raglan means free spirit from where Weiss came from. That is why he called himself and his family went by that last name upon coming here."
The teachers of Lucrellia High were currently in a session of debates about how to proceed with the coming semester that begins in January. Many said that removing the Raglan family would help keep the peace in the school. To add to this, only three of the seven current attendance really need to come while the other four are either lazy and a womanizer or are far ahead of the curriculum since they had the noble version of education before coming to the school. At the head of the table sat the vice principal who had not said a single word since informing the meeting has begun.
Another fraction of the teachers said that the gurgs in the school, while making up a sizable population, were the ones to strike first at the students, most notably the Raglan family and said that they should be either separated or removed entirely from the other students. However, the majority of teachers said such an effort would be immediately stopped by the principal himself.
As the debates continued, Ellis noticed that Alice's facial expression changed greatly from lazy to worry. "Alice, is something the matter?"
"Can we turn the television on to the news, please? There is something I would like to confirm."
Alice asked and Dyshana nodded, telling the closest teacher to turn the television that hanged on the farthest wall from the vice principal. Arbol, the agriculture teacher and largest person in the room, pressed the on button and a commercial turned on about the latest rapper in Lucrellia. Arbol continued to press down on the channel button until a news reporter was on the screen.
"So it is true, I feared as much." Alice said, confusing her niece.
"What do you mean, Alice?"
"Look where they are located along with the environment and what the news reporter is saying."
Alice's words caused every official in the conference room to look at the screen where they found a male dressed for success behind a field of flames with a mansion-like estate behind him. Ellis' eyes widened as she was the first to realize what the place was. Alice asked her niece to explain to everyone where this is as Ellis simply gulped and said that is where the Raglan family live. The severity of the news report just attracted the eye of anyone who was not watching already.
The news reporter was saying that Lord Raglan was charged with illegally holding in his lands. Ellis could not believe that Leonhardt would encourage such a horrible law in his own lands. Alice was the first to inform everyone that it was a lie since Thoma told her one day that he rescued them from slavery from another lord. She pointed at the burning ruins of small homes as said that a slave holder would not have built such quarters for lesser people.
"Wait, we have word that the lord himself and someone with white wings and a blue jacket are on the roof right now. We will now take you to our airborne crew."
The reporter said and the image changed to person sitting in the center of what appeared to be a flying machine. The camera looked down on the roof of the Raglan Estate which surprisingly was not ablaze yet. On top were two men just walking calming out of the entrance, both of whom everyone in the room recognized.
"That's Leo and Rex! What the hell are they doing on that roof!?" Ellis shouted, unable to understand what was going through their minds.
"They intend to fight and have chosen the roof as their field." Vashtor said, getting a few members of the teaching staff a puzzled look. The gurg sighed and began his explanation. "Leonhardt and Rex are trying to cut the numerical advantage of their foe by forcing them onto a field that is favorable to them; a wise choice of action considering the situation they are in."
Rex closed the door behind him and started walking towards Leonhardt who was heading to the edge of the roof. Leo explained to Rex that the roof was their only chance of leaving this place alive while walking to the upper levels. Rex looked up and saw a helicopter with the news station logo on it. He remarked, saying they are going to appear like murderers by the end of this. Leonhardt told his young brother that they will appear to be much more than simple murderers by the time this carnage is over.
Leonhardt leaned on the edge and saw torches lit up the dark ground below him. "There is easily ten thousand of them in the burning fields, way more than anyone would expect to kill a family of nobles. About two hundred of them have already entered the building. They should be at the door any-" The door they had just exited from began to violently get pounded on as Rex hurried his way to Leonhardt's side. "Are you worried?" Leonhardt asked as the two casually drew their swords while Leonhardt kept the dagger in its scabbard.
"I think only a fearless idiot would not. Are you one of them?"
"Perhaps so."
Leonhardt felt the presence of hundreds of soldiers coming their way as he braced himself for the slaughter. A light shined down on them from the helicopter as Rex looked up and found the light shining down on them directly as if they were wanted criminals. Another pounding on the door got Rex to focus once more at the immediate threat ahead of them
"Alright…" Leonhardt said in a low tone the door broke down before the two Raglans and armored flesh poured towards them. "Let's begin!"
Leonhardt dashed forward with blinding speed towards the exposed entrance as three soldiers got out and onto the roof. He slashed the Veldafard at the chest of the closest trooper, cutting up the chest cavity and causing blood to gush out from it. The raining iron water spilled onto Leonhardt's white longcoat, turning the lower half into a dark crimson. Rex appeared above Leo and stomped downward on the second foe with an magically enhanced boot that crushed the skull of his foe along with destroying the brain.
As the two bodies fell onto the floor below them, five more soldiers took their place. Rex flipped into the air and electrified his sword to send miniature thunder bolts out that struck four of the attackers. One solider charged at Rex who blocked the longsword with the Oathsworn and held his ground while a dozen more troops got on the roof. The collision with both blades caused the lightning in Rex's blade to course to the opposing blade and fry the holder. Rex pulled his sword back and kicked the electric man into a group of troopers who began to light up.
Rex sheathed the treasured family sword and could smell the burnt human flesh coming from his foes. Leonhardt grabbed Rex by his jacket and pulled him back as a huge rock nearly hit him. Rex regained his footing on the edge of building where he saw lines of catapults shooting at the estate. Rex felt himself pushed forward as he looked and found Leonhardt being overwhelmed by dozens of soldiers. The Harpuia was able to regain his sense of direction and opened his wings to get himself level in the air.
"Leo!"
Rex called out as he saw Leonhardt quickly descend to the ground. He dove towards him but a catapult shot hit him directly in the right wing, crushing a bone that help keep himself floating. At the school, Alice and Ellis covered their mouths at the pain that Rex was showing in his face. Ellis watched as Leo quickly was reaching the ground as increased speeds. Rex's screech of pain made Leonhardt's brain kick in as he drew the golden dagger and stab it into the house. His hair went flying upward as his dissention quickly ending. After three second, he stopped entirely when he saw Rex flying out of control towards the ground.
The injured Harpuia threw the Oathsworn at the ground. The sword of gold pierced the ground as Rex grabbed it and injected water magic threw it and into the ground. The dirt became pure, clean water that he splashed into, leaving everyone wondering what he was thinking. Not wanting to find out too late, Leonhardt crouched in his current position on the wall and leaped off with the dagger and sword in hand. He soared from the house to a soldier who was nearest to the newly created puddle and slammed down on him to break his fall.
The sound of broken bones directed every head towards Leo who had the sword and dagger of Veldafard ready for action. An earth shaking pulse was coming behind Leo who turned his head slightly towards the water with a ripple coming from the center. A light began to shine underneath the surface which caused many in the burning field to look to the water. Just then, a column of water exploded upward which shocked many of the invaders of their feet. As the water reached its greatest height, the top scattered into drops of rain to reveal Rex with his wings stretched out and his face showing anger.
"Healing stream…" Alice said in a low tone, surprised that Rex knew such an advanced healing spell, much more with only one second to cast it. "What have you been teaching him, Dy-" The High Elf stopped when she saw the vice principal was not in the room.
Rex's expression showed anger that radiated with his magical reserves. To everyone on the ground, including Leonhardt, the Raglan appeared to be an angel that has just been pushed over the edge. Leonhardt quickly turned and stabbed the dagger into the head of a soldier who tried and kill him from behind. Seeing such a disgraceful action, Rex shouted in anger and dove straight to the ground where the biggest concentration of soldiers was located. He slammed the Oathsword into the ground, causing huge sections of earth to break out to send soldiers flying into the air.
Leonhardt was using the distraction caused by Rex to find the central hob of these troops who seemed to just keep coming from everywhere. The lord finally got some space as he spotted a man on a horse with military awards on him. Seeing such a man-made Leonhardt believe the two had a chance. As he began to approach the supposed leader, Leonhardt was blind sided by a huge soldier at easily double him in size. He felt his right abdomen erupt in pain as his eyes turned and found that the giant slammed his fist into his right ribcage. The lord went tumbling on the ground until stopping in place, almost looking like he was in a feeble state
Rex, in the air after raining down lighting, noticed that Leo was gravely injured as he saw blood pouring out of his blood at an alarming rate. The angel of death fly towards his leader where he saw the giant was much faster than he anticipated and swung a mace that made Rex go backwards before regaining his balance. Leonhardt continued having blood run from his mouth when he coughed a fair bit out which caused his vision to lessen. His sign of weakness was a signal for the giant solider to finish the job. He stomped his way towards Leo, trying to intimidate the man who was not having it.
The monster-like human rose his mace at Leonhardt when Rex came sliding in with the Oathsworn stabbing in the left calf muscle and pulling it out to slash at the second while he slide past the giant and next to the injured lord. Rex Jumped up and stabbed the Oathsworn into the head of the brute which caused the mace to slip from it's hands. He pulled the sword out and the body fell back and onto the ground.
Rex sheathed the sword and looked over Leonhardt who was heavily bruised on his right abdomen. The blood continued to pour as Rex tore the shirt and longcoat off Leonhardt and begin applying a healing spell on him to try and dull the pain. It only took a few seconds for Rex to remember where they were as he turned his head to find several soldiers coming closer to him. With both his hands being used to heal Leonhardt, Rex pulled his right leg back and stretched it forward, shooting a blast of fire from his boots.
The foes began to come closer and closer as a blade was raised on Rex who felt defenseless. Just then, something big crashed in front of him and the one soldier in front of Rex. Screams of pain could be heard as an image of a knight pulling a longsword out from a body was seen by Rex and Leo. As the dust started to gradually settle, the two fighters saw there was a second man a few feet away with a sword pointed at the hoard of infantry. With a gust of wind, the cloud of dust moved over to reveal Leonhardt's brother and Rex's cousin.
"Ladius, Sieghart!? I though you two were still on Graccea?!" Rex asked as he saw Ladius walked up towards Sieghart who appeared to not be pleased with the state of his cousin.
"We were. Someone came to us while the ladies were fast asleep and teleported us here." Ladius explained and readied himself for a brawl.
"Who?"
"Why, me, of course." Reconizing the voice, Rex turned to find the great pervert waking towards him and Leonhardt with his obsidian staff now used as a walking stick. "I leave Leo alone for five minutes and the guy is a mess. I told ya that you needed my help." He said and got down on one knee to assess the condition of Leonhardt's body. His ribcage has been at least bruised while the lower abdomen took whatever hit him. "Alright, leave him to me. Go and help Ladius and Sieg, they may be some of the ebst swordsmen we have, but every they can't take on an army like this alone."
Thoma said as Rex stopped his spell and ran over to Sieghart and Ladius' side, the grip of the Oathsworn being held by the angel. Ladius glanced over at Rex and saw that the sword was glowing for him which he was somewhat surprised by. The three men formed a line that, despite multiple waves of attackers, would not falter as Thoma continued give Leo emergency healing. After two minutes of this practice, Leonhardt could breathe properly and spat out the rest of the blood in his mouth.
"Thanks, Thoma, I don't know what would have happen to us if you did not show up with Ladius and Sieghart." Leonhardt said as Thoma who got up to his feet, offered a hand to help the weakened lord up. Leo struggled to keep himself vertical as his feet were shaking like twigs trying to be the infrastructure of a building. "No matter, I need to ask something of you. Go and check up on Duran and the rest of them. I am afraid something might have happened to them."
"Already on it."
Thoma said and teleported out of the battlefield as Leonhardt picked up the Veldafard pair and limped over to his brothers in arms' three man line. "Time for round two, focus on the leader on that hill, avoid the troops if possible!"
Thoma reappeared in the front entrance of the bowling alley to find dozens of bodies on the outside. He whistled at the sight and wondered if the seal on Duran finally broke, resulting in the bloodbath. Approaching the now gone door, he found Leonis and Mimel causally talking with bewildered the man. Steeping into the building, he found that Duran was fast asleep with his head resting on Ryuryu's lap. A smile formed on his face as he saw a scythe come swinging at his head. The mage rose his staff to block the blow but it forced him to take a few steps backward.
The defender looked up and found a vice principal that showed surprise that the person she attacked was Thoma. "Still pack a deadly punch, I see." Thoma said and looked over at the children. "I suppose you are the cause for all the bodies outside?"
"Yes, I came here the moment that I heard that your family was under siege."
Dyshana's lengthy explanation made Thoma realize that whatever Mimel has been doing to her for the past while, it has been working. He could hear the worry in her voice which is something he would not have expected a few months ago. Thoma began walking over to the sleeping Duran and Ryuryu's side and smiled at the sight. She had her right hand fiddling with his crimson hair when she was if he was going to stop her.
"Nah, Duran needs someone of the opposite gender who actually cares about him. Granted, if he was awake right now…"
"He would deny this ever happening and say that is was my idea. Which, it is not."
"Oh, care to enlighten me?"
"Very well. When the news channel reported on your estate being up in flames with Lord Leonhardt and Rex on the rooftop, several men with much higher grades of armor made their appearance in this alley. They demanded the capture of Leonis and Duran, the former being in an intense game of air hockey with his love and the latter watching the news with the rest of us. When one tried to grab Duran by the throat, he, for lack of better words, chopped of the arm that was reaching for him with his scythe that he had hidden this entire time."
"After showing that he was not coming peacefully, a battle ensued outside where he told off against twenty soldiers. After five minutes of a brutal match, mind you, he refused to allow me or anyone else to get involved, he limped into the building and laid down in the closest seat to him. Interestingly enough, it was the one I was resting on. He told me to not say a damn word, and rested his head on my lap like it was nothing. Since then ,Dyshana arrived and has been security since."
Thoma took in everything his greatest source could provide him. "That's… something I was not expecting. Then the other bodies were her doing?"
"Exactly."
"Well, you guys are obviously safe. That just leaves Leo and the rest of those meat heads. Yo, Dyshana!" He shouted and saw the goddess incarnated turn her pretty little head towards his voice. "You had best go to Rex's side; they'll need all the help they can get. I'll handle security here." When he used the name of the name she either raped, seduced or some other manner, she teleported out before he could finish his sentence. "I wonder how Rex will react to seeing her…" Thoma asked and walked over to the position that Dyshana was located at to keep watch for any unwelcomed guests.
Sieghart pulled his sword out of a high ranking soldier's chest and swung it at a lowly grunt, severing the body in half. He called out to Ladius and asked if the target has been executed yet. His response came as a shout; follow by screams of unimaginable pain that Sieghart believed was the unfortunate soul who Ladius was facing. Sieghart parried a sword that was aimed at his head and socked the foe in the jaw, hearing the sound of bone crack. He stomped the head of his foe that fell to the floor and looked at the hundreds of soldiers coming his way.
Ladius rammed his armored shoulder into the chest of a knight, followed by a leg sweep and finally and his longsword come crashing down on the target. Cut organs began to slip from the now dead foe as a blade hit Ladius' shoulder plating, blocking the attack. He rushed his left hand to grab the blade and pull it to him. Ladius let go of the blade and pulled his left hand and punched the solider so hard it knocked the brain stem off from the rest of the body. The knight in red ran forward towards the hill where he saw a struggling Leonhardt make his way up.
Leonhardt tried to withstand the pain in his body but the healing that Thoma gave him only worked so much. His legs felt like cement and his arms numb. He was barely able to keep hold of the Veldafard combo. His slashes were much more gradual than before but they were fast enough to beat the basic training of the troopers around him. He saw Rex flying directly towards his target in place of running up a hill filled more with soldiers than an army barracks.
With vigor in his body, Rex flew at the leader of this operation thrusted the bloodied Oathsworn into his heart. The officer was knocked off his horse followed with the blade pierced in his skull. Hearing the sound of multiple metal boots come his way, Rex pulled the blade out of the skull and swung it at his targets to get the blood of their leader in the front soldier's eyes. Unknowingly, Rex found the blood have cinders in them which confused the man since he does not have any skill in fire magic. However, he remember that the Oathsworn blade is special in than it, the Veldafard and Sieghart's unnamed sword have an unlimited amount of slots to play around with.
Using this to its fullest potential, Rex waved his left hand over the eyes of the bloodied soldiers, resulting in their eyes igniting into flames and then the heads. The Harpuia's instincts had him turn around and block a cleaver-like sword that nearly decapitated his head. Rex kicked the man back and got airborne to find some level of safety. He looked all around the battlefield and found several detachments fleeing the field with their leader gone and morale being shattered.
He looked down at the troops below him and found a rock hit him in the nose. "What the heck, rocks now!?" he said as the enemy below him began chuckling rocks from the ground as one finally hit him in the face. "That's it!" Rex shouted and came crashing down to the earth and broke the ground below him, sending the foes that were hindrance to him far away.
Rex, after settling on the newly created surface, lowered his guard and looked onto the battle field to find the foes of his family members fleeing in greater and greater numbers. As he began walking forward to get a view, a sword from one of the unlucky souls he sent flying, cut through his previously blue but now blue and red jacket and cut a fair bit of his left forearm. Rex winced in pain, grabbing his injured, bleeding left arm with his right. He applied some magical first aid to it which helped stop the bleeding.
He moved his right arm away and looked at the palm of his right hand to see his own blood for the first time caused by another person in a long time. Seeing his blood caused a chain reaction to accrue in him as he looked at the dead bodies around him that he caused. His body began to shake violently as he dropped unto his knees with an unknown feeling running through his body. Rex felt a gentle, silky hand touch his right shoulder. His state of shock prevented him from turning with the Oathsworn directed at the person's head behind him.
Instead, Rex gradually turned around and as if the moon was aligned just for the moment, he saw the woman that traumatized him yesterday, looking down at his troubled state. As he looked in her purple jewel-like eyes, the mentally disturbed Harpuia felt his nerves rapidly settle until he completely forgot about the death and carnage he caused beforehand. The shacking in his stopped as he slowly picked up the Oathsworn and placed it back in the scabbard.
"Everything will be okay now, Rex."
Dyshana said in a soft tone and lowered herself to Rex's level. She pulled him gentle towards her to embrace him in a hug, making the man's eyes to water as he had been holding them back. The two held each other as Rex began to realize that Dyshana truly cared about him and his welfare… even if she has different ways of showing and expressing it.
Leonhardt, Sieghart, Ladius, Rex and Thoma were in the ransacked room of Leonhardt where nearly everything was torn apart. Anything worth value was taken and the rest was left to rot. Leonhardt was sitting in his chair, his stomach wrapped up along with Rex's left arm. The knights made it out without any injuries due to their armor and Thoma was left untouched due to no one showing up at the alley.
"The enemy has destroyed what is worth million in cash. The vineyards have been torched which will cut off our funds of wine production. The vaults were left untouched due to me emptying them earlier but this is indeed war." Leonhardt said to his family members who all agreed to his statement.
"So, now what? They know that you are injured and like sharks that smell blood, they will come for you until you are dead." Sieghart said, leaning against the wall to Leo's right.
"I am more worried about Syriums and citizens over myself. The Syriums will no doubt fight should we ask for their help, but that still two armies against seven along with the royal guard of each house leading the army. I know Elaine and Largen will not fight as to not turn attention to them but we just lack the forces to effectively wage this war."
Ladius was opposite of Sieghart and had Rex sitting in a chair next to him. "What about asking Rigulus and the other continents? They could provide you the arms and men you need to fight this war. I am sure Valeria-"
"No," Leonhardt said, stopping Ladius. "This is Lucrellia's problem, the other four continents have their own affairs to deal with. Though, asking Rigulus is an option. Perhaps if we sent an envoy to the king then maybe we could get an army. Still, the likelihood is small that he would allow his country to join this war."
"What about freeing other enslaved encampments of the non mortal races and having them join your ranks?" Rex said, offering an interesting option to the battle plans.
"That is one option. However, I will not force them to become conscripts unless they wish to fight for their freedom. Still, I highly doubt that any action by both sides will be taken until the winter cold is over the spring begins. This will be a bloody spring to come." Leonhardt looked at Thoma and Sieghart specifically and said "Thoma, I do not know if your relationship with Noah is a real one or not, but I think you had best tell her your true feelings before this season is over. It may be your last chance. Sieghart, when the time is right, tell the same to Leonis, he deserves to spend what may be his last days with the woman he loves."
"As for the rest of us, do as you wish, but remember that we are on a time limit until we return back to the field of battle?" Thoma said, speaking for Leonhardt as the lord nodded. "What about Christmas this year?"
"It will go on like normal, just with a little more tension than usual. Everyone is dismissed except for Sieghart and Ladius." Leonhardt said as he waited for Rex and Thoma to leave the room. He asked Rex to close the door behind him, leaving the three seniors alone. "Guys… how are you going to explain ditching Valeria and Linda like you did when they return tomorrow?"
Leo saw the faces of his beloved brother and cousin light up, follow by them realizing they were getting coal this year.
Omake 7 – Yandere Dyshana
"Everything will be okay now, Rex."
Dyshana said in a soft tone and lowered herself to Rex's level. She pulled him gentle towards her to embrace him in a hug, making the man's eyes to water as he had been holding them back. The two held each other as Rex began to realize that Dyshana truly cared about him and his welfare… even if she has different ways of showing and expressing it.
"Because, if anyone even tries to touch you, I will cut off their hands and shove them down their throats."
Rex's eyes shot open at hearing what the woman holding him just said. He looked up to see a face that seemed awfully similar from one of Thoma and Duran's manga stash where the main heroine was a completely insane girl and is dubbed The Yandere Queen by many who have read the particular series. Rex began to regret being held by the beautiful woman as he let go of hugging Dyshana but found her embrace on him was not escapable.
"Don't worry, Rex, no one will touch you. You are all mine."
"IT'S JUST LIKE YESTERDAY!"
Rex screamed in fear and tried to squirm him way out of the vice principal's hold but found his wings preventing his escape. The images of what happened the day before began to flash before him which only made him infinitely more terrified. Her purple eyes brought horrors of the future to Rex as he became desperate enough to bit Dyshana's arms which did nothing but seemingly turn the woman on more.
"Oh, are you hungry, I have something for you… back home."
Her last two words were followed Rex screaming so much that no man should be able to give off such a pitch. After the battle was concluded, the three Raglans wondered where Rex was, only for Leo to find a letter written by a cyan haired woman, stating that he belonged to her and any attempt of taking back her beloved would result in a quick and agonizing death on the attempter's part. Leonhardt began to sweat bolts as the idea of leaving Rex in the hands of such a force of nature was becoming a very, very tempting offer.
The next day, Leo received a letter in the mail with a picture of Rex crying with his head down, a wedding suit on. Next to him was Dyshana standing next to him, holding onto his arm and holding a vast variant of flowers in her hands while in a wedding gown. The letter said that they are now an official couple and they will be spending the rest of their life together in an isolated island, far from the eyes of any would be people who would dare and separate true love. Leonhardt held the picture with his mouth open, not believing what he was seeing.
"Mimel, what have you done to Dyshana that has caused Rex to live in what may be isolated slavery that his wife considers true love…"