Ep 135. I Did? (3)

  As Raizel tossed another elk onto the pile of animals, the youngling warily eyed her lord.

  Serenis was standing at the cliffside with a cold, lifeless expression on her face. A painful gaze swept across the fields, as if the very expanse of snow was somehow hurting her.

  “…”

  When Serenis seemingly failed to eveer Raizel’s returned presehe youngling lightly shook her lord’s shoulder.

  “Lord. You okay?”

  “…Oh. Are you back already? That’s quite impressive.”

  “I’ve been hunting since I was tiny, a little snow isn’t going to stop me. But are you okay? You seem distracted.”

  “I’m alright. It’s…it’s nothing.”

  “Hmm…”

  Without warning, Raizel then proceeded to pinch Serenis on each of her cheeks, pulling them from side to side with a puzzled gaze. The youngling tio study her lord for some kind of visible rea, though they failed to show any.

  “Why don’t you actually tell me what’s going on?”

  “…I’sh no’ing, child.”

  “Really? Because the way I see it, you don’t even like that e head much. I’m still not sure why you’re even out here helping her.”

  “…”

  Sighing, Serenis gently brushed off the metal hands gripping her face.

  “She may not be my own child, but she’s a child of the kin heless. What more reason would I need?”

  “Oh, don’t give me that crap. There’s a huhers bae and they’re doing way worse. If you cared that much for everyohen you would’ve gone back to the valley by now.”

  “…”

  “Something’s bugging you, isn’t it? Spill it.”

  Howling winds filled the silehat settled betweewons.

  Serenis unfortably shifted her gaze, avoiding the steel dragon’s eyes. Given Raizel’s usual callousness, the youngling could be surprisingly keen at times.

  After a lengthy hesitation, the dragonlord slowly parted her lips.

  “Raizel. Do you think that the dead…could return to life?”

  “Sure I do.”

  “?…You do?”

  “Yeah. I mean, look at you. You said you died like, a thousand years ago.”

  “…”

  There was some truth to the youngling’s words: as Raizel would put it, with her heart recimed and her memories intact, Serenis had indeed ‘returo life.’

  Then, there was no guarahat it wouldn’t ain to someone else.

  There was no oo say that it couldn’t ain.

  “…Child. Have you ever seen Karas speaking into the air?”

  “Wha?”

  Raizel frow the sudden ge of topic. She briefly retraced her memories to recall what she could about the professor, but nothing came to mind regarding what her lord had just said.

  “Don’t think so. Why?”

  “…I just…happeo see him doing so.”

  “Meh, guess he was bored. What, did he say something crappy? Is that what’s bugging you?”

  “…Somewhat.”

  Perhaps he was bored. That would expin why he’d talk to thin air like a madman.

  That would expin why he’d eain thoughts of reviving someo loud.

  …But that still didn’t expin why the professor would mention the Reaper’s name.

  Or why it had sounded like saving Aymeia was a stepping stoo reag anoal.

  ? ? ?

  While Serenis and Raizel had separated themselves from the party, Chell had been filled itself with fear and chaos.

  In the defense of its octs, the settlement rarely received guests from outside of Asarda. And currently, the only guest they were expeg was an imperial army looking to iheir nd.

  “Chief! They’re ing! Looks like Fergus has been taken captive!”

  “What do you mean, captive?! Weren’t you just saying one of them seemed to be Lady Aymeia?!”

  “That’s exactly who’s holding Fergus right now!”

  “…Stars be damned. I’ll see them myself. Hold your positions! Do NOT take up arms until we know what they want!”

  Urgus busily pushed his way through the rows of warriors, making his way towards Chell’s wooden gates.

  And, soon enough, an audible thumping noise came forth from across. The voice of a hesitant history professor apahe knog.

  “…Excuse us.”

  “Hmph!”

  Urgus slid open the small wooden window by the entrance, just barely wide enough for himself to peek through.

  The chief warrior’s eyes warily studied the party that stood beyond Chell’s gates. An unscious warrior was indeed being held in a peculiar girl’s arms – though, the bird-headed professor standing at the forefront was far too eye-catg to pay them much attention.

  “…Soldiers of the empire, I presume.”

  “No, no, nothing of that sort. We’re merely here t a lost warrior bae.”

  “What is it that you want in exge?”

  “…Nothing, really.”

  Urgus’ eyes widened in surprise as he heard the professor’s answer.

  ‘Nothing?’

  The chief warrior quickly cleared his throat. But try as he might, he was failing to hide the surge of hope etched into his voice.

  “N, nonsense. How I be sure that this isn’t a ruse for you to enter our settlement?”

  Karas let out a soundless snort at the chief warrior’s question. While he dared not say it out loud, he could tear down a wooden wall like this in matter of seds; in fact, even Light could probably break through Chell’s gates if she were to try hard enough.

  But instead of enting on how underdeveloped Asarda’s defenses were, Karas poiowards the unscious warrior in Aymeia’s arms.

  “Then…if you’d like, we’ll leave him outside.”

  “Uh?”

  “We’ll pce the warrior outside the gates here and take our leave. That would work to your favor, yes?”

  “Uh…”

  It would.

  Urgus wracked his head in an attempt to dis the hidden i lying behind the professor’s words. However, when the chief warrior failed to find any, he let out a small, resigning grunt.

  “…A, alright then. Leave him outside.”

  “Very well.”

  Nodding his head, Karas turo face the former deity. He reyed the chief warrior’s request loud and clear.

  Unnecessarily so.

  “Lady Aymeia, it seems they’d rather we leave the warrior here. Let us take our leave.”

  Nodding back, Aymeia lowered herself to gently pce the warrior onto the snow.

  But before his back could touch the cold ground, Urgus hurriedly bashed his fists against the wooden wall, pressing his head against the tiny wooden window to get a better view of the e-haired girl.

  “W, wait! Did you just say ‘Lady Aymeia’?”

  “…”

  Karas slowly turned his head towards the source of the hurried voice. A warm business smile decorated the professor’s expression as he faced Urgus once more.

  “Why, yes I did. This is Lady Aymeia, Deity of the Stars. Have you never heard of her name?”

  “O, of course I have! But that’s…actually…? Are you lot her retaihen?”

  “Why, yes. How very keen of you to notice.”

  While Karas enshe chief warrior in his web of lies, Light and Ilias watched on with flicted eyes. The half girl was beyond ridiculed, and the red dragon was letting out a nervous ughter.

  “…Seriously? Now we’re her minions?”

  “Haha. Well…sometimes, lying get you out of tough situations, Light. And it’s a lot easier to do with Raizel gone.”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “…Think about it. If Raizel was here, how do you think she would’ve reacted?”

  Light briefly paihe steel dragon’s image in her head – of how the grumpy youngling would’ve reacted to being framed as a deity’s minion.

  “…Uh…”

  For starters, Karas probably wouldn’t be standing on his two feet.

  In fact, he’d most definitely not be standing on his two feet.

  ? ? ?

  “…I’m pretty sure this is sidered sacrilege.”

  “Uh…don’t worry, Light. No one will find out!”

  “…Ilias?”

  “Yeah?”

  “That’s what a heretic would say.”

  “…Sorry.”

  In a matter of minutes, Light and her party had been promoted from ‘damned Akeians’ to ‘Aymeia’s retainers.’ They were now fortably situated within the Asardalement, weled as huests of their nd’s guardian.

  Although Chell was nothing to boast pared to developed cities like Partivihe rows of wooden lodges and walls certainly helped to block out the freezing winds. It was basically a small vilge, just with added towers, walls, and posts to make it serve as a military outpost.

  ‘…Then again, I’m pretty sure Ilias could blow up this p 5 seds. I don’t even see a sione building…’

  Finishing her s of the surroundilement, Light returned her attention to forward. Having bee aside with her dragon sister to remain on a wooden bench, the pair were hardly receiving any attention at all.

  Instead, all the attention was falling upon the professor – and the peculiar e-haired girl beside him.

  After Karas had sowed the seeds of doubt into Chell’s chief warrior, it didn’t take long for the word to spread – and even less for them to be granted entrao the settlement.

  Karas had already bee a divine harbinger of sorts after his lies had taken hold. And although a select few Asardans had questiohe party’s siy, the doubt in their eyes quickly melted away before the fmes Aymeia summoned as proof.

  In fact, Asardans were now swarming over their fme-coated guardian.

  “Ahh…! Lady Aymeia! The guardian’s e to protect us!”

  “We knew you’d e! We knew you’d never leave us to suffer!”

  “…It’s so warm…”

  Meanwhile, Aymeia herself remairapped in pce, helpless to escape the ring of her own followers. She occasionally looked to the others for help, but her Light nor Ilias seemed keen on stepping in to help.

  “Um…I’m just…”

  “Ahem!”

  Clearing his throat loudly to drown out the star deity’s voice, Karas stepped into the crowd’s midst, waving his arm to gain their attention.

  “Now, if we could have some quiet here – Lady Aymeia’s e to deliver news regarding the empire.”

  After making the sudden annou, the professor turo Aymeia, mouthing his words in silence.

  ‘As. Practiced.’

  “…”

  With the crowd’s attention now focused on her, Aymeia retrieved the fmes surging about her. She opened her mouth to speak – as practiced.

  “…Everyone, I…”

  But her voice soon trailed off, lost in the midst of her piling uainties.

  It wasn’t that the attention bothered Aymeia; in fact, having so many eyes focused on her felt nostalgi a way.

  Instead, what did bother Asarda’s guardiay were the uainties growing within her. Even her own name was but a hazy memory; she had little fiden herself, words or as or otherwise. She wasn’t even sure if she deserved to be called their guardiay when she’d done so little ierring the empire.

  But as if already aware of Aymeia’s troubles, Urgus beamed a reassuring smile towards the stammering guardian.

  “Rest assured, Lady Aymeia.”

  “…?”

  “You may be Asarda’s guardian, but this nd is our home as much as it is yours. We shall stand with you against the empire until the end.”

  Urgus briefly sed the surrounding crowd, unaware of the misuanding he was building. The chief warrior’s fident gaze met ead every warrior’s within Chell.

  “Is that nht, men?! For we are Asarda’s pride – and we shall protect our home with our own two hands!”

  A chorus of affirming shouts and roars rang throughout the small settlement. Aymeia may be their guardian, but no Asardan wished to be a burden to their deity.

  …And because of the crowd’s overwhelming response, Aymeia once again faltered in giving her answer.

  It took a few additional minutes – and quite a bit of ce – for Asarda’s guardian to tell her people that their r determination was in vain.

  ? ? ?

  “The imperial army’s…fallen?”

  “That’s right. They’re already…”

  “…”

  Finding himself at a loss for words, Urgus slowly brought a hand to his forehead.

  The imperial army had already fallen.

  In other words, there was no need for so many warriors to be statio Chell. The creeping fear of war, their determination to protect their homes, all of it had been in vain.

  But even so, the chief warrior was far from disappointed.

  It was a reckless battle to begin with: while Aymeia’s appearance had given them some sembnce of hope, it did little to ge the fact that their defenses were hopelessly weak in parison to the Akeian empire’s might.

  Aymeia’s news was ued, but it was heless a wele one – enough to make the chief warrior’s lips curve upwards against his will. Though Urgus quickly hid his smile beh his sleeves, another series of celebratory shouts sprang forth from behind him.

  Asarda’s guardian had protected her people – and that alone was enough for Chell’s inhabitants to celebrate. Another series of shouts sprang forth, the voices filled with blessings and appreciations.

  Watg the crowd thanking their guardian on their knees, Urgus soon joiheir ranks, bending down to his knee in a respectful gesture before his nd’s guardiay.

  “Thank you, Lady Aymeia.”

  “…Wait, I hardly did anything. I merely…”

  Slept.

  And while she was unscious, the others had destroyed the imperial army, killed their emperor, aed the deity that supported them.

  But before Aymeia could bring such truths to her lips, Karas preemptively pced a hand on the former deity’s shoulder, interrupting her bout of hoy with another show of his business smile.

  “You merely did what you had to, yes. But Lady Aymeia, too much humility is no different from an insult at times.”

  “What? No, I-“

  Hearing the professor’s words, Urgus threw his head ba a bout of loud, hearty ughter.

  “Haha, yes, ihere’s o be so modest.”

  “No, listen, I…”

  “Lady Aymeia. While it may have been small work for you, what you’ve done for us today is the biggest blessing Asarda could’ve asked for.”

  “…”

  “An occasion like this ought to be celebrated under your ’s a shame we’re so short on supplies.”

  Unfortunately, just because a war failed to break out didn’t mean that a she of supplies would somehow solve itself. After all, Urgus’ first and foremost had been having everyoarve to death before the empire would even step foot into their soil; it was simply impossible to hold a celebratiohey weren’t even sure if they’d have enough food to st tomorrow.

  Though, the chief warrior’s worries were soon answered by a giant, heave shadow.

  “And you call yourselves warriors? Not even the mightiest creature aplish much without food to eat.”

  “…?”

  Urgus narrowed his eyes, doubting his own hearing. A woman’s voice was seemingly eg down from the heavens.

  …Though, as it turned out, that was exactly what was going on. The chief warrior raised his gaze to beholds a giant white dragon, fluttering her wings above his head.

  “What…the…”

  “Careful now.”

  Following the dragonlord’s eg voice, the body of a rge elk was sent falling down before Urgus’ feet.

  Various other wildlife soon followed, f a small mountain of prey before the chief warrior. Aside from the fact that their skulls were ly demolished, the animals were in a most ideal state.

  With widened eyes, Urgus tio gnce up and dowween the giant dragon and the mountain of fresh meat.

  “Who…how…? Even one is tough to find in these parts…”

  “Not at all. It was quite easy.”

  …Is what the youngling on her back had said, just a while ago.

  And it’d been easy for Serenis as well, having dohing but watch Raizel spring to a.

  Though, now, said youngling was looking rather dissatisfied about the whole situation. Raizel grouchily poked at Serenis’ back, speaking into her lord’s ears.

  “Hey, I caught them all. How e you’re the one boasting?”

  “…If you’d like, you’re more than wele to go down there yourself, child. You tell everyone how hard you worked to catch these beasts.”

  “…No.”

  “Why not? It’s the truth.”

  “You wao say I huo feed humans? What am I, a joke?”

  Among all the dragonkin out there, Raizel was the least likely oo admit to such things.

  Ieel dragon’s head, her kin were still the proud and mighty creatures that cared little for the well-being of others. They were not to mih humans, and they were not to show passion or affe for lesser creatures, lest they be seen as weaklings.

  Truth be told, that was hons were ofteed – both within and outside of their valley. Behaving in such ways was almost sidered a virtue among elder dragons.

  But little did she know, most Asardans didn’t even know what a dragon was.