In a land not too distant from the vicious land of death and peril, in a certain underground bunker.
“Dear, ease up.“
“Ah? Sorry honey, I can’t help it.”
For the first time in a very long time, Aeloria had come home. Today was a day she had anticipated the coming of for a very long time, and she was unwilling to miss it regardless of how important her work was for the wellbeing of the continent.
It was the day her precious daughter would head out onto the battlefield for the first time. Despite how absent she was as a mother, today was not a day she was going to miss. Not just because she had a duty as a mother to watch her daughter grow, but also for her husband who only had her to lean on.
As she had no intention to do any battle herself today, she was not in her usual black combat bodysuit that contrasted with her long white hair. Wearing a comfortable tunic, she stood beside her husband while cradling his anxious head in her arms. If Noah were to witness this sight, he would be quite surprised. The Cedric he knew was not a man with a sentimental side. Of course, if Noah were to see this sight, even he would curb his mischievous teasing in consideration for the feelings of the obviously stressed father.
Though, it was more likely that he would be stunned at the sight of the woman who had effortlessly infiltrated his bunker that he had constructed with the best materials he had.
The bunker being somewhat small, Cedric was currently beside the bed that Emma was sleeping on. His hands held up to his face hid a gaunt face of worry, and even the presence of his wife’s arms around his head only did so much to alleviate his concerns. Unlike Aeloria, he was unable to view the current state of the battlefield several kilometers away, and could only fervently pray that the goddess Calysta would keep his child safe.
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At this moment, Aeloria felt the mana tremors that had even reached their estate subside, and her precise senses even detected the earthquake that did not reach their estate finally calm down after thirty whole minutes. She cast her gaze through the thoroughly reinforced walls of leviathan scales to the training range where her precious daughter would train with a ferocity unmatched by any other. She cleared her mind with a shake of her head and focused. With her eyes, she was able to spot the birds that had been flying in a circle for thirty minutes in a V-formation resume flight in a straight direction, as well as the insects that had shown themselves above land, retreat back into their homes.
“Etzi Chicahua, huh….you really should take better care of your descendants, Jean. Or you’ll be expelled again…and I doubt you’ll be able to escape the same way you did from Steve.”
“Honey?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing! By the way, what's that dossier you have there?”
“Oh, this? I wanted to help considering I couldn't do much fighting, you see, and do more than just logistics work. So Noah tasked me with investigating the Saintess.”
“The Saintess? She's quite the nasty one…it's fine if you're safe, though!”
She then smiled sweetly at him, and he felt the lump of worries in his throat melt just a tiny bit more.
-
In a room too dark for any faces to be visible, before a well-polished table of lavishly honed marble.
“Cease all operations in Odir. By order of Duke Violet.”
He sighed, and leaned back in hjs chair made of similar material while adjusting his double-breasted suit as he did. Despite its clear simplicity, the room and all items within it had an extravagant furnish to it that did not give off an impression of nouveau-riche.
“How unfortunate. That heathen would not be pleased with these results. I do wonder how I could pass this off as a trivial error in my report. Maybe if I tell her we won’t be dancing to the tune of that Saintess anymore. Or maybe if I say that we’ll still at least manage to suck the warehouse dry….”
He then stood up and walked to the door. Despite regularly directly reporting to the head of the Demon Cult, an ‘honor’ not even given to the Archbishop possessed, the demonic duke, one of eight others, was not at all thrilled to meet her.
“Oh well. Maybe I'll have that little boy in Eldoria play with the ex-heroes. I suppose that would be good stress relief, even if possession is a tad bit of a drag.”
As he shut the door, his words reverberated throughout the room.