A cold, foreboding chill ran up Ignavus' spine. Things were already going slow after the horses refused to march forward. His gut had been warning him this entire time to turn back, but he stubbornly ignored it repeatedly. He was hoping the information gotten from the diviners was wrong, as they so often tend to be. All he really cared for was finally earning that statue, which he would, even if the queen was not there. Army command had promised him at least this much. All he had to do was make a dangerous assault on the camp.

The horses seemed to have finally had enough of the forced movement and made a break for an escape while carrying a good portion of the soldiers' equipment. It left the riders bewildered. A bewilderment that was understandable; those were not some low-bred mules disobeying orders, but high-bred equestrian horses bred for war.

'Sigh' (I)

'This mission is a bust. No amount of coaxing is going to make this terrible plan succeed; with the horses gone, we can't act out our plan of attack anymore anyway’ (I)

'Hey, look at the bright side. At least you no longer have to fight, so you can now stop trembling like a leaf in the wind. It looks kind of...very pathetic' (??)

Ignavaus noticing this, slowly tries to calm himself from his episode.

'Shut up! I can't help it! It's not like you would understand... I am putting my life at stake here! There is every reason to be afraid!!' (I)

'Oh, come on, how many times have you done this already? I thought you'd be used to it by now. Imagine if Instructor Lucy saw you now... She would beat the fear right out of you! Boy, wouldn't that be fun!' (??)

'Don't you dare mention that devi... instructor, I don't need you to sour my already-' (I)

Ignavaus suddenly noticed a large gathering of mana and proceeded to start trembling again.

'Oh damn, some sort of mana disaster is headed this way. Great, just great. Another problem to add to the pile. This really couldn't get any worse' (I)

Ignavus still has haunting memories of the torture he endured disguised as basic training under Instructor Lucy. Suffering at the hands of multiple mana storms almost made him quit, but the constant reminder from Instructor Lucy that either he toughens out or dies of hunger as a homeless, jobless man was enough of a motivator to make him move his sorry behind.

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'We should hurry back to base before we get caught in the worst of it’ (I)

A few moments later, his second-in-command came up to him with her usual overly eager expression.

"Sir, the mages have detected abnormal amounts of mana that could result in a mana storm headed in our direction. They are advising we create cover!" (W)

'It still amazes me that out of all my soldiers, she is still alive. Battle-crazed fanatics like her should be really locked up and have the keys thrown far, far away, never seeing the light of day again. If only she wasn't so useful’ (I)

'Stop moaning. It's annoying. An army needs people like her to save incompetent cowards like you, for example’ (??)

Ignavus turns and addresses the soldiers, making sure to clutch one of the charms around his neck.

"I understand you all are tired, but don't forget we stand in enemy-occupied land. Let us make our way to a safer place to weather the storm." (I)

'Not like we have the proper gear to weather out this storm. If it lasts longer than a couple hours, we will have to start walking on empty stomachs by the time it's cleared if we set up camp’ (I)

Not a minute had passed when a sonic boom sounded. A couple of metres away, dust had been kicked up, and a small crater had formed.

There stood a figure obscured by dust, but not even that could hide the regal eminence of its golden aura.

Mana flooded his body circuits, pushing them past what is commonly considered the human limit.

'I hope you are up to a challenge. I've never seen something so menacing before. This will be a great learning experience for us!' (??)

'Please don't do that now’ (I)

'Sigh' (I)

'Today really isn't my day. Why must bad things happen to good, no, great people?' (I)

----------------------------------------

'This is getting really annoying'

'The feeling of constantly having to hold back is really getting to me. If only my mother and sister would understand that my needs far exceed those of mortals. It's always "show some restraint" or "don't bully the weak." What a bunch of lousy hypocrites! If those sadists weren't occupied with lazing around all the time, that would be considered their only contribution to life'

Though she would never dare say that out loud after both of them teamed up on her to force her into rest for 100 years. Disrupting the natural order of things actually had consequences. Who would have thought?

Her mana had always been wild and unruly, and taming it for extended periods of time always caused problems.

'I just have to hold it in a little longer. I don't want to go kill my daughter before I even meet her’

The terrain slowly became normal instead of the blur she had been seeing as she slowed down and spread her wings. She hovered in the cloud cover, feeling out the presence she had been seeking. Her eyes glowed golden as she peered down at the gathering of intelligent races.

'So, this is where you've been hiding. Surrounding yourself with a bunch of lesser creatures while marching in the land with such ghastly armour. It looks like my child is a complete fool. It looks like I have to re-educate my fool of a daughter in proper manners'

A manic grin started spreading across her face as she dropped down towards the ground like a stone.

'I can't wait to take this imperfect version of you and mould you into the most perfect version of yourself. I really am being too kind of a mother to take on this hopeless excuse of a daughter'