"Guys. When we enter HalForge, do no drink, do not eat, do not consume anything the people there try to give you. Try fake-eating but guard your supplies and the carriages all the time. Do not trust word for word what they say. And never get into a building without at least another Paladin with you. At the same time, try to act as obnoxious and loud as you can. We'll be a lot less suspicious like this. Hopefully they think we're conducting a routine checkup."
"Very well, Raya. You heard that guys ? We act dumb and we don't touch anything that's normally edible. Get some beer and put it in your mouth everyone. Don't drink it, we just need to make sure we're drunk with bad breath."
"So that's why you carry some alcohol with you. I wondered why you all had a gourd hanging from your waist. I feel dumb now. Seems you know this trick."
"Yes. That's a weirldy effective technique... When we don't want to raise suspicion, we often act like incompetents drunkards. That way, we can safely get intel from the locals and report it to another part of the squad. This trick has been around since... since a long time ago."
"Hm hm. Then I suppose that this time I'll be that other part of the squad ?"
The Paladin nodded and spat out the beer in his mouth.
"Yes. HalForge, despite being isolated from the rest of the Empire, is a relatively big town. We'll have to spread in at least five groups of four to cover all of it. Moreover, your appearance could compromise us. If you know what I mean...
But we'll keep in touch with some CommuStones and you'll be able to enact your duty when we have enough evidence."
"Let me remind you. I will annihilate the village, even if there are still people who haven't stepped into the sinful abyss yet.
Evidence, gather lots of it, enough so that nobody questions the erasure of an entire village on the map. A dead village won't tell no tale and the Akwa Empire doesn't care about some poor mining settlement. Find our info broker too."
"Yep yep. Take care !"
Wyvern and Paladins parted ways. The troupe faked heavy steps and shouts while going near the gates and Raya went deeper in the forest. A small abandoned outpost was in the middle of the forest and she had to find it. This building dated back to the Age of Cinders. The thousand years after the progenitor Drake Sin of Wrath fell.
The age where mankind united to reconstruct what had been brought down by The Wrath's furor. The age where mankind said "Never again !" and began to build the sturdiest fortifiactions that were ever made.
Many castles and fortresses across Marka dated from that age and still stood better than the majority of building of today.
That one was just a house with a watch-tower atop of it, an outpost of a frontier forgotten by even time itself. It had no real reason to exist anymore but no-one had been able to demolish it, even with magic and cannons.
At some point, the Empire stopped trying to destroy the relics of old in its territory and let them be. Some were even renovated to form warehouses, cattle housing and even villages.
Raya opened the sturdy door and entered the house. It was... cozy ? Cozy but a little bit dusty.
Matters not...
The Wyvern inhaled deeply while closing her eyes and felt Wrath returning to her, with an insane scowl formed on her face.
Maintaning a relatively sane composture by humanoïd standards was extrememly difficult and fueling Wrath with Wrath turned her into a time-ticking bomb. All of that was very uncomfortable.
A pulse from her Heart later and a barely noticeable heatwave flared in the surroundings.
Grey, grey, silver... Black...
One goblin, two goblins, a deer and... our spy. Where did he go ?
Raya growled somberly and heat rose in the house. Where did this bastard go ? She sensed him but then he vanished the moment after. Concealment ? No... sins couldn't be concealed.
A summon ? No... summons were mindless, unless direclty controlled by the summoner... and were weak to mental attacks during this process...
Teleportation ? Unlikely but not impossible. Teleportation magic wasn't simple. Coming across a magus capable of casting such incantations would be like getting stun by a needle in a haysack. But then again, the individual was bold enough to spy on Paladins, maybe some of the strongest elite enemies in...
In what then again ? What was I thinkking about...?
But the true first question was why a demon was in the Empire ? Had it crossed the Wild Plateaux as a whole ? How did it even pass the borders ? The Plateaux were constantly at war with the demon forces that stayed even after their lord's death. So maybe that one snuck past the frontlines ?
In any case... she had other matters to attend to.
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"Still sore ?"
"Yeah. The headmaster's classes are... brutal. We didn't even get to recover from yesterday's physical assessment and there we go, endurance training for the whole morning. Urgh... At least I know I'm not that bad in terms of strengh. I'm second of the class. Of course I'm not on par with uh... the Union heir but still ! Second best !
What I still don't understand is how the hero candidacte is so weak. Like... it's obvious he had some enhancements because of the sword but I never imagined it'd be to that extent..." Aro pondered, scratching his chin in the process.
Claire nodded along while looking at the weird boy who approached them yesterday. Claire had expected him to ace every test but weirldy enough, he struggled where he shouldn't have. This guy was supposed to have taken down orcs ? The same guy who struggled against a Mauler Boar in an open field yesterday ?
Something did not add up. Did the Holy Sword give him that much of a boost ? It felt wrong to think that. The Hero was supposed to be a leading figure, both strong in mind and body. This Ramiel didn't look strong at all. Eyebags, disheveled hair, badly shaved beard... Claire was pretty sure he hadn't taken a bath either.
And then there was this guy's friend ? Lover ? Arranged marriage partner ? What was up with this clique of important persons and weird circumstances ? Just yesterday, as soon as the class got to the headmaster's training grounds, Sir Sun Mane confiscated the wand of the empire's heiress in front of everybody. On behalf of the emperor himself.
Of course she ranted and tried to use her position to get it back. But the headmaster slapped her hand away when she tried to get grab the wand and made everyone hear a record of her father's voice.
The record of the CommuStone said something along the lines of the emperor being disappointed in his daughter for the first time in his life and that he would not allow her to cast magic again until she calmed down and realized what her actions could have brought on the continent.
The voice coming out of the CommuStone seemed to have broken the girl. Understandably so. Every noble who was into some gossip, meaning all of them, knew that the emperor of the Akwa Empire was never disappointed in his daughter.
The headmaster also added more to the reprimand. Something about a ruler's actions having consequences for not only a nation but also the entire world and that an heir should know better than to ignore warnings and signs that might cause a tragedy. He even takled about how this could have created a diplomatic incident between the civilized countries.
The Thalassa Union and Elfort wouldn't have been happy to learn that their future leaders were killed by the idiocy of the Akwarian future empress and the hero candidate. And of course the blame would, in reality, fall on the Papal States because no-one wanted to go to war with the Empire.
The lion-man was so angry at the teen that he had unconciously activated his "Roaring King" trait, effectively scaring shitless the girl, who received the full effects of his bestial ability in the face.
And now, there she was, near the hero candidate, with her head hung low and eyes that stared into nothingness. The two were completely isolated from the rest. Without any suitable weapon, they couldn't take part in any form of training that involved pushing yourself and your limits further.
It seemed that even the Union twins didn't really want to share their burden. They were among the other students, laughing, exchanging tips and stories. These two guys were cool, Claire thought. They were funny, easygoing but serious when they needed to be. From what the rumors said, they were the one who had managed to stall the Paladins' golem until the Inquisitor arrived.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Margos was an incredible fighter. He used some sort of boxing style where he infused his attacks with pure, non elemental mana to deal devastating blows to an opponent. It was brutal but terrifyingly effective against armored targets. Metal reacted badly to magic after all.
MaviK was a little bit calmer, more lean. He had a more dignified aura.
His fighting style was very different from his brother's. When Margos launched rentless assaults to break bones and armor, MaviK used wind magic to accelerate himself and slash weak points with windblades.
The two were an formidable pair together, and a complete nightmare to fight. One damaged gear while tiring the target, the other swiftly delt with the now unprotected opponent.
But even with their abilities and background, they learnt to get along with everyone in a day, unlike the other two, whose reputation and image pummeled to the ground on the first and second day of school.
"Aro, do you think MaviK could help me with mana control when we're not in classes ?"
"For sure, he's already proposed to hold side teachings for students who struggle with some aspects of incantations. I'll try to get some tips from Margos inn the meantime. I need to get more muscle mass."
"Go ham I gess ? Nobody's stopping you."
"Hey you two students, quit slacking off ! Or at least find a discreet place to do your stuff."
Oh no... Both Aro and Clare facepalmed and felt heat rising to their ears. Despite his legendary background, Sir Sun Mane was the embodiment of an awkward uncle. Why did he have to phase it like that ?
---
"Just look at them. Laughing and caring about the others... Shouldn't they try to help us instead ?"
Ramiel turned his head and looked at Liz'a. He rolled his eyes.
"You told us yourself. This isn't a game anymore ! and stuff like that. If that's not a game, then are we even the protagonists ? Do we really count ? This ginger elf guy pulverized me in physical assessment and you're useless without your wand. Without it as a medium, you're incapable of focusing your mana to even cast a second level spell... And somehow, despite you being the prodigy, that elf girl mamanged to cast a tier four spell without her wand... And they're not even side characters...
I think I understand Margos and MaviK. From their point of view we're as good as dead meat for now."
Liz'a bit her nails. Ramiel was harsh but right. Both of them had been destroyed by extras. At least Ramiel knew how to take the loss, despite his gloomy behavior.
On the opposite, Liz'a had attempted to recreate the incantation she casted in the training grouds but failed miserably, she was loosing too much mana without her wand and the incantation only ended up as a single icicle. A tier-one incantation.
Even if they tried to be discreet about it, she could catch the other students' looks of doubt and disappointment. Even the headmaster looked shocked at her poor mana control and muttered to himself for a good minute before taking notes.
"So what do we even do now ? Both you and I... completely powerless."
"I don't know, why are you asking me this ?"
"Well you seemed so sure of yourself when you said that we shouldn't follow the plot anymore. So tell me, what's your idea ?"
"We run away. Or we get approval for a transfer." answered Liz'a instantly. At that, Ramiel made a dumb sound, likely not believing the girl's words.
"H-hold-on ! This this instant. Y- No ! You can't just fuck everything up even more ?! You do realize that this won't get back my sword, right ? Your wand, certainly but the sword's in the cathedral. The pope made it clear that I wouldn't touch it again unless I stopped weird stunts like the one we pulled."
"We'll ask my dad."
Ramiel facepalmed and sighed heavily.
"Nooo... if your dad's willing to confiscate your wand for who-knows how much time, you can be sure he's not going to let me have the holy sword back... And I'm a fucking commoner, you'd think he'll give two shits about me ? I'm sure he probably crossed my name on our coutnry's hero candidate list already..."
"Then you break in. The sword's literally on an altar in the center of the cathedral." Liz'a said calmly.
"I- that's right. You must be crazy. No way in hell I'm doing this. Let's just do our own things to improve our situation and we'll be good."
"You're no fun. By the way, I'll have something to show you tonight just before curfew. Bring the others."
"O... kay ?"
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"She has awakened. Do something for once. We will have to act soon. Let's gather our followers !"
"No. By doing nothing, I am ending everything. Because no effort is made."
"C'mon Diligence. Do something."
"Mah, leave him be Charity. He'll do nothing, as usual. I bet he doesn't even want to get unsealed."
"But I do ! Everyone does but this lazy sack ! Give meeeeeeee ! Freedom ! We have to help Patience !"
"Oh yeah, are you gonna do that in our sealed state ? Good luck with that."
"Owww... my ears. Shut the fuck up Temperance... It's the first ime in centuries we can talk to each other and I get awoken by this..."
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"Captain. Where should we find lodging ? From what Raya said, no-one here is trustworthy enough to guarrantee safety. Fodd isn't a problem thanks to our supplies but..."
"Don't worry Kars. The church is going to be our place. It always has been. We'll just need to sprinkle some Holy Water on the corners of the buildings and set up some guarding night shifts. just do so while under invisibility. We may catch some indtruders tonight already."
"Hm. I hope we don't. I need my beauty sleep."
"I... Alright. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. Just don't oversleep."
Zzzz...
"... May Sloth strike you down, you lazy ass."
"Captain, enoough with the jokes. We should focus. Look around you, ain't that strange that every weapon or armor shop we've seen up until now are closed ? Not a single chimney with smoke in it. But every adventurer we've encountered is equipped to the teeth, with gear in pristine condition. That's not normal. Even the sturdiest armor breaks down one day. This could be an area we'll have to investigate."
"Yes. I hoped that I wasn't the only one who noticed it but everything is too... well made. HalForge's a metalworking town but still... Not a single scratch on even wooden shields, the blades aren't chipped away even though they're being used and so on..." another commented.
"I'd be curious to see the alloys used to create such lasting gear..."
"Wait a second. There's one forge still open ! We should check it out."
"Only four of you. And remember. You guys are drunk."
"Aye captain." and on that, four Paladins hopped off one of the carriages, faking a clumsy landing. One of them faked it so skillfully that he almost slipped into horseshit.
A few minutes later, the group of four were in front of a magnificient and lavish-looking forge. They barged in quite rudely, screaming and laughing, effectively startling the patrons inside. The person behind the counter was an elf woman with a slender build and almost unmatched beauty. She was frowming deeply and approached the rude newcomers.
One of the Paladins looked down to meet hez gaze and smiled dumbly.
"Hey there cutie~ You the boss of this shop ?"
The unnamed elf cringe at the woman's line and stepped back a little bit. She coughed awkawardly and went back to a more profesionnal tone.
Ahem...
"Holy knights. I believe you're causing a ruckus here. My shop is closing soon and I'd like to keep the place clean. If you are interested in my wares, I suggest you come back tomorrow. Moreover, I don't think anything here can suit you. Holy weapons must be far superior to the ones I sell in my humble shop."
"Heeeeeeh ? C'mon girl. Lemme treat you some nice beer tonight ! I promise I'll buy you some daggers tomorrow !"
"Right." the elf drily replied. And despite their drunken state, the Paladins knew it was time to go away. But not before one of them left a mace with a broken handle on the counter. That one Paladin wanted the weapon repaired for tomorrow and she'd pay five times the normal amount. The shopkeeper accepted the task and shooed away the other patrons.
"... What am I gonna do with this ? Alright. Let's just dump it into the molten slag. One less weapon for them if they cause trouble to master."
The elf grabbed the weapon and recoiled back instantly. Some kind of electric shock had coursed through her body, and it was very painful. It felt like her hand was burning from a frostbite. She tried with the other hand but then again, same reaction.
"Fuck... of course it has to be a holy weapon... she just had to give me a holy weapon to repair. And whatever shitty god they believe in... I don't know about it."
"You called Ruia ? I felt a disturbance." a voice resonated behind her.
"Ah ! Master Murgoth ! Right when I need help."
"Uh ? What's that mace doing there ?"
"Ah... that's what I was going to talk about. The holy knights we saw with your spell dropped by and left me this. They want it repaired for tomorrow. They just came in, flipped over a shelf with their drunk asses and scared away the customers."
"Well, let's see if it stands up to my own skills. GAH ?! What the fuck ?! Why did it shock me ?!"
"Ma-master... you're a demon. Obviously you'd react badly to holy objects."
"Right... then let's used blessed touch on it. There goes. I can hold it now."
---
"... So ?"
"Just as you said. Bomb has just been activated. We now know that a demon is in town now. And that will be the signal for Raya."
"Let's get back to camp. We'll have to report that. let's gather some more stuff and bail out before hellfire comes. I give us a day before we get back home."
"Yep. That elf gave us plenty of evidence already. So what can we list ? Demonic aura around some weapons. Plus, she didn't react to getting a holy weapon handed to her, even if a useless one. But most importantly, Us conversing in 'japenes' and the elf not reacting to it and her use of the term 'holy knight', an heretic designation commonly used by otherworlders near the end of the Era of Virtues.
You can also add no specifications of the materials used to make the equipments, as a commercial infractions that is. People will ask less questions if they see legal, complicated stuff on a document."
"To sum it up... this town not only has a demon inside it, but also an otherworlder ? Or maybe both ? A otherworldly demon ? By the way guys, where's Rob ?"
"Rob, you coming ?"
"..."
"Rob ?"
Blergh...
"Rob... You didn't hold the booze in your mouth for the whole... Nevermind."