Chapter 15: sorry am out, going to caldevera or something :p

Lower Wind Month, 21st Day, 600 AGG

"Elder Vamsa still cannot be found?" Ithit grinded his teeth in frustration. They had been unable to contact the revered elder for a whole week . At this point Ithit could only conclude that a morbid fate had claimed him. "And you're certain our divinations produce no results?"

"Beyond a doubt, Rajan," Belsnai dipped his head. "If it's been this long, we can only assume the worst."

"Tch," What was that old man thinking, going on a pilgrimage now of all times? Now that Ithit thought about it, wasn't it strange that all of the people who called for his own head had suddenly ceased?

' Impossible. Did the old man really…? ' Ithit grimaced, a wave of sorrow washing over his heart. Elder Vamsa bore the burden of a Rajan before him and had been like a surrogate father to him. The very thought that the old man might have given up his life so as to appease their clan's critics… Critics that were given credence thanks to Ithit's weakness.

'Did he really give himself up to the Council though? I can't imagine them being satisfied with the single life of a person reaching the twilight of their lives…' Ithit immediately snuffed out that despicable thought. To think in such a way would be to dishonor the sacrifice of his venerable elder.

"Since circumstances have progressed in this direction, put a halt to our attempts to find him," Ithit decided. "It is an unfortunate development, but we must not let his sacrifice go to waste!"

'Elder… If you still live, I hope that the gratitude of Clan Vamsa reaches you.'

"Understood," Belsnai briefly knelt in acknowledgement. "I will inform the rest of our clan and the Archives."

"Go in peace," Ithit dismissed the druid. "When the situation has calmed down, we shall hold a rite of passing for him."

Belsnai rose, bowed once more, and then left the room. Ithit released a sigh he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"That Varush…" his mind settled on another one of worries. "He is still determined to stay passive, huh?"

How exasperating. Despite his warnings, the High Vizier had done nothing more but raise token concerns in the last Council session. To make things even worse, the Viziers had nearly all decided to allow Faa'zh Ro Kroh'or to continue his offensive. The ones who didn't vote had abstained, fearful of the tiger's wrath if he were to ever find out that they plotted to ruin his fun.

"The worst case scenario…" Ithit pondered in his empty room. He didn't see the point in trophies and decorations. "Is that the Rajan of Clad Vadh has already sent summons to reinforce the front lines." He and his clan were woefully unaware of the evolving situation in the human kingdom due to the recent inquiries and their efforts in locating Elder Vamsa.

"Assuming she had, then it is safe to say Faa'zh is dead or captured. After that, the two occupied cities are next," he jolted forward. Those cities produced luxury items for those who could afford it. Humans were just too inefficient to farm in large quantities compared to less sapient livestock, and as a result, became a product that only the rich could reliably lay their hands upon.

Ithit was not bothered by such things, but if that Rajan—the Seventh-generation Sword Saint—who was almost certainly sympathetic to humans were to see it, then that just might lead to the worst imaginable outcome.

He gulped in terror at the ramifications of such a possibility. If the Council wasn't willing to entertain the notion of a full surrender, then they at least needed to dismantle their farming operations as soon as possible. Ithit grabbed his Lesser Vayul's Whisper and prepared to contact the High Vizier along with a few other Viziers.

Now, he could only pray that they would listen.

"Oi, Lakyus!"

"Gagaran," Lakyus sighed and raised her head, looking at the titanic woman standing above her. "For the last time, we can't leave yet."

"I wasn't going to ask about that," Gagaran playfully rubbed her knuckles on Lakyus's head. "Just wanted to tell you that there's some Empire bastards coming."

"They seriously had the nerve to come here?" Lakyus immediately stood up, a heated scowl appearing on her face. "First they kill Gazef Stronoff, and now they want to claim E-Rantel with some stupid reason like 'helping with the undead crisis,' huh?"

"Um," she turned to look at Evileye. "No offense."

After that day when they failed to apprehend the ringleaders behind the Undead Disaster, Evileye had told all of them that she was a vampire—an undead creature of the night that subsisted on blood.

Surprisingly, Lakyus didn't feel too bothered by the revelation. In the end, wasn't Evileye still the same person she'd been since they've met? Undead or not, she was their comrade, their friend . And if the priests thought her a heretic for that, then so be it. She didn't believe the Water God to be so petty as to deny friendships on the basis of race, no matter what the official stance might be.

"None taken," Evileye waved nonchalantly. "They are being strangely aggressive with their intentions though."

"They've been obvious for a long time, Shorty," Evileye batted Gagaran's hand away with a growl. "Are you okay with all of this, Lakyus?"

"It's…" Lakyus felt an unpleasant emotion well up in her heart. "Emperor El-Nix would do a better job of running the Kingdom, that's pretty undeniable, but…"

"It's your home," Evileye quietly finished for her.

"Yeah," Lakyus sat back down on a supply crate with a sigh. "Mom and Dad should be fine at least. Jircniv is generous to talented people, at least from what I've heard."

"Would be difficult—"

"—To replace all nobles."

"And that," Lakyus nodded in agreement with the twins. Taking over a nation didn't necessarily mean a complete upheaval in the upper echelons of society. It was very likely that many of the nobles would retain their current positions, give or take a few exceptions.

"Well you guys better get ready, 'cause here they come," Gagaran narrowed her eyes at the approaching Empire detachment.

'If they were able to come here this quickly, then it's probably a group in charge of maintaining the border along Katze Plains, ' Lakyus mused and stood up, dusting off Virgin Snow . ' This whole grabbing at E-Rantel is kind of unscrupulous, but at least Jircniv isn't playing around with clearing out the undead.'

"No air troops," Evileye muttered. "Makes sense I guess; hippogriff riders aren't going to be that useful in an urban environment."

The five kept a wary eye on the approaching newcomers who were finally noticed by the rest of the adventurers around them. Shouts of excitement and relief filled the air, though Lakyus noticed that there were a few who bore dark expressions on their faces.

"Soldiers of the Baharuth Empire!" Pluton Ainzach, the Guildmaster of E-Rantel's Adventurer's Guild, walked up to the unit. "Your appearance is greatly appreciated. Though in the spirit of honesty, I'll have to admit that we did not expect such a… quick response."

"Of course," the commander who seemed to be in charge of the regiment greeted Ainzach with a handshake. "Humanity ought to stand together in dark times like now."

' You… ' Lakyus was at a loss for words. Stand together? When the Empire had killed the Warrior-Captain, was still at war with the Kingdom, and now here to grab E-Rantel?

Utterly shameless. Completely, totally, and utterly shameless.

"With that being said," the commander continued. "We believe it would be easier and best for everyone involved that you put us in charge of this operation."

"Now, now," Ainzach bristled as he attempted to maintain a facade of civility. "You have to understand that this is our city. Asking to take charge like this is just—"

"If you won't listen to me," the commander coldly interrupted the guildmaster. "Then perhaps you will listen to the Baharuth Imperial Court Wizard."

A storm of unrest broke out among the adventurers of E-Rantel. The nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom had done their best by sending supplies to the adventurers, but for a foreign power to send their greatest mage, and the Tri-Arts Caster at that…

It was a ridiculous development.

"Fluder Paradyne," Evileye a faint hint of surprise entered her voice. "What's he doing here?"

"Oh yeah, doesn't Granny know him?" Gagaran asked the spellcaster. "The old Imperial Dust Bag is like two-hundred or something, right?"

"She never talked much about him," Evileye shrugged, keeping her head locked onto the Empire unit. "Called him a 'green-horned brat' once, but that's it."

"Why do you think he's here?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's curious about the ritual that caused this mess in the first place," Evileye considered. "Lots of mages are like that. Chasing knowledge to the exclusion of everything else."

"Isn't that a bad thing then?" Lakyus felt a lot more worried than she did before. "The Kingdom and Empire are still at war, and if he figures out how to repeat what happened here…"

It would be a disaster. She wanted to believe that no one would be so foolish as to utilize something so horrendous for war, but the mere possibility warranted a great deal of caution and concern.

"Probably fine," Tia and Tina nodded as one.

"Ringleaders already left," Tina clarified her sister's statement.

"Still…" her voice trailed off as she watched an elderly robed man stride towards them. "Here he comes."

Blue Roses stood up in a show of respect, though their bodies were still tense in nervousness. Before them, stood the greatest human spellcaster in this region. Someone who had command over the Sixth-Tier of magic and whose personal prowess likely equaled the entire Imperial Army's combined.

"Blue Roses," the Tri-Arts Caster greeted them with a kind yet authoritative voice. Here was a man who was accustomed to being obeyed—if not by the authority granted to him, then by the powers he held. "It's a pleasure to see all of you here today."

"Likewise," Lakyus inclined her head. "With you here, I'm sure this disaster will be quickly dealt with."

"But of course," Fluder kindly smiled. "The Baharuth Empire is here to ensure that the taint of Katze spreads no further. That being said, I myself have been sent to help divine the locations of the ones behind this incident and put them to justice."

'More like you decided to come so you could scour their brains for information.'

"We'll be relying on you then," Lakyus nodded in response, keeping her feelings under tight wraps. "The areas further from the cemetery should be relatively safe, but stay on guard. Once we manage to clear out enough of a safe-zone, my team will renew the enchantments around the origin."

"『Hallow』, hm?" Fluder thoughtfully stroked his pristine beard. "An incredible power in the hands of one so young. You are a Fifth-Tier spellcaster, no? Along with Lady Evileye if I'm not mistaken."

"Sure," Lakyus answered noncommittally while Evileye merely grunted. "If that's all, we're going to head off to continue what we were doing. Unless your commander has something different in mind for us?"

"Oh," the gaze in Fluder's eyes sharpened with a gleam that spoke of a vast intelligence. "I'm sure he does."

"And that is…?"

"Instead of gradually clearing out the city, we immediately strike at the source of the miasma instead," Fluder said something insane.

"No," Lakyus rejected. "I won't put my team at risk because your Emperor couldn't wait. Do you even have any idea of what kind of undead could be wandering around in the depths of the city?"

"I do, actually," Fluder raised an eyebrow. "And is there truly any reason for this much fear? An Adamantite team and a Sixth-Tier spellcaster should easily be able to overcome any foe that stands in our way."

"We'll do it," Evileye suddenly spoke up. "This is our best chance to get this whole shit over with. The more time we waste, the more undead are gonna spawn. The Empire has been kind enough to send us their amaaazing Tri-Arts Caster, so we might as well put him to work."

"Fuhahaha!" Fluder uproariously laughed. "It's good that we're all in agreement then, yes?"

"... Fine," Lakyus bit out. She didn't like it, but Evileye had a point. This wasn't a situation where taking it slow would work. "Don't go off and do your own thing though. We're going in this as a team, and I'm not putting anyone at risk because you feel like you know better."

"Of course, of course," Fluder easily agreed. "When it comes to adventuring, I will leave the decisions to the professionals."

' Hah… he's definitely going to sneak off once we get there, ' Lakyus repressed a sigh. ' At least the firepower he's bringing will lessen the burden on everyone else. '

"Well," Lakyus unsheathed her sword and looked at her friends. "Let's go kill some unde—monsters then."

"This…" Draudillon's eye twitched. "Isn't this overkill?"

"No?" Yuriko looked at her with confusion. "It's only like," she looked down at the ground in deep thought. "A third of a day's worth? Most of them suck too."

'A third…' Draudillon blankly took in the hundreds—maybe even thousands —of summons hovering above them. "『World Items』are cheating. That Tenth-Tier spell is absolutely cheating."

"Yeah, the spell's only good because of a passive," Yuriko sheepishly grinned. "And『World Items』aren't usually this crazy, but I don't think the devs balanced this one since the game was gonna shut down soon anyways…"

"They were released over time?" Draudillon frowned. "Then why would they make one right before the game was about to close?"

"Err, I should probably explain some more. This one," the orb that normally floated over her shoulder slowly moved above her hands. "Was a request using another『World Item』. Uh, the name was… Calorie S-St—something? I forgot," Yuriko's face flushed with embarrassment. "A-Anyways! We used that plus a bunch of other random materials and made this!"

"You all must have loved Yggdrasil," Draudillon's gaze softened as she turned her head towards the angel. "To have played it all the way until you neared the end."

"It was fun," a wistful look crossed Yuriko's face. "But it was just an escape, I guess. N-Not that I regret coming here or anything!"

"Mm," Draudillon looked away, complicated feelings warring inside of her. "I'm glad."

'I wonder, will I be the one who makes you regret that then?'

"Okay, this should be enough," Yuriko offered her arms to Draudillon. "Let's go. It's just further east right?" She looked towards where the sun was setting.

"Other way," Draudillon gently corrected as she allowed Yuriko to pick her up and begin their trip. "Judging by the amount of time it took for us to fly to Mohajar, Caldevera should be reachable in half an hour or so."

"Cool, cool," a small group of Gatekeepers broke off from that giant mass of angels and took to the air alongside them. "So just bring a few along for the trip there and『Gate』the rest over?"

"You'll draw less attention that way," Draudillon's authoritative tone was at odds with her position in Yuriko's arms. "And not all of them are as fast as you, correct? This way we won't have to deal with some summons lagging behind."

"Uwaaa…" Yuriko's eyes sparkled with admiration. "I never thought of it that way… Are you sure you're not some kind of genius?"

"D-Don't just say whatever you want," Draudillon felt her face burn at the excessive compliment. "It's simply leveraging what you have. Hardly enough to qualify as a genius."

"I dunno, still a lot smarter than me," Yuriko happily hummed as the farmlands of Mohajar blurred past beneath them, the city they had rescued vanishing into the distance as well. "I wonder if everyone there is doing alright."

"It'll take time," Draudillon steadfastly kept her eyes focused on the path ahead. "The scars of war never fade so easily."

"Maybe we should go back and visit some day," the angel said with a vague sense of remorse. "Check on them and see if they need anything, y'know?"

"Maybe," she pushed unwelcome thoughts out of her mind. "Make sure you tell me beforehand if we do end up visiting. Being mobbed by adherents might make performing charity a little difficult."

"Adherents?" Draudillon savored the look of shock on Yuriko's face. "Why would I have adherents? Um, what are adherents, by the way?"

"Worshippers," she couldn't hold back a snort of amusement. It felt strange, being able to laugh even as they were flying straight towards the bowels of hell. "You did cut quite the striking figure during our time there."

"Ugh," Yuriko's mouth twisted in displeasure. "Don't remind me. I stuttered in front of everyone. Everyone! I guess I should just be happy they didn't call me the 'Lady of Stuttering' instead. Ahhhh…"

"It's something you'll have to address eventually," Draudillon bit her lips to stop from laughing. "Once enough time passes, people will start doing things in your name. Leaving that sort of behavior without guidance could become a problem down the line."

"So annoying… I should just tell them to stop."

"If only all matters could be settled so simply," Draudillon smiled brittlely, all good humor drained out of her by the reminder of the monstrous task ahead. "Something to think about for later."

"Yeah," the angel's mood seemed to lift with those words, her cheeks tinged with a soft pink. "Later sounds nice. After everything is over, we should have more laters."

"I would like that," Draudillon felt… not happy, but melancholic. "I just hope—"

'That you'd still want them after this.'

"Hm?"

"Nothing," she threw her gaze towards the bloody horizon. "Nothing at all."

AN: Just wanted to thank iridium248 for his kind review! Have absolutely loved their work "Shards of the Eight" (you can find it on this website as well as Spacebattles), and his story is definitely one of those whose quality I seek to reach someday. Check out their fanfic, and again, thank you so much for reading!