Chapter 403 - Cadria IV

The journey from Estau to Sarnium was as quick as it was calm. The village was only two hours away on foot and less than half that by coach. In no time at all, the party passed through woods and entered the rural domain.

In most other nations, the settlement likely would have found itself surrounded by wooden fences—physical deterrents to keep out the monsters that roamed the surrounding lands—but Cadria had few such barriers. Those of the magical variety were far more common; if a settlement was located along a strategic point, such as on elevated ground near the border, the government was almost sure to supply the necessary implements to see that it was defended. Even for villages plopped down at random, they were easily acquired, costing only about as much as the average community project.

Allegra’s hometown, however, lacked any such defensive functionality. The bright golden fields, though carefully portioned and arranged, were completely unrestricted. There wasn’t a single protective measure anywhere to be seen. The only defensible area looked to be in the center of town, where one could find a small hub of storefronts neatly packed together.

It was not as if the locals failed to understand the concept of obstruction—wooden pickets gated many fields so the livestock would be barred from entry—nor was it a matter of pride. Rather, it was precisely because they had lived for so long aside the northland’s ravenous beasts that they knew a fence would serve no purpose.

In the first place, the monsters were smart enough to avoid most populated areas. They understood that attacking a settlement would only earn retaliation and extermination in kind. But if one were hungry and desperate enough to make the attempt regardless, a flimsy wooden structure, even reinforced by mud and magic would hardly serve to impede its progress; a single swipe of the claws would suffice to see any such a barricade removed.

It was precisely to compensate for the weakness that the town watch was thrown together. Its members would gather in the case of an attack and take down the rampaging beast as best they could. It was a risky endeavour. Most volunteers died within their first year of enlistment, but those who survived emerged as true battle-tested veterans, ready to join the nation’s standing army.

Of course, with Allegra present, Sarnium needed no watch, but a glance around the village revealed that its men continued to shoulder the role regardless. Their weapons were out in the open, laying against the sides of their barns and silos alongside their pitchforks and ploughs, for the people understood that relying on the strong was but a temporary measure. Without any might of their own, they would fall the moment she decided to move on. Such was a fate that had befallen many small settlements in the past, either because their guardians had gone to war, turned their coats, or wound up dead, and Sarnium was in no hurry to see history repeated.

“Make a right here,” said Allegra. “It’s the building on top of the hill.”

“How quaint,” said Arciel. “With Cadria’s technology so advanced, I expected your villages to look starkly different from our own.”

“Me too,” said Chloe. “I’m not really sure why. Not even the city was all that much different.”

“The city had a fair number of curious artifacts, like the lights, the barrier, and the thing that dispensed the bathwater, but this village doesn’t seem to have much of anything at all,” said Krail. “Is there maybe something buried in the soil at least?”

“Good observation,” said Allegra. She commanded some of the nearby wheat to part, revealing a large, metal disk around the size of a plate. It seemed to be planted in the ground, nestled into a small bump in the ground otherwise devoid of plantlife. “That’s one of the many rukhs we’ve got set in the fields. They’re pretty handy. They can’t do any higher level terraforming, but they pul—”

“Enough.” Claire clasped a hand over Allegra’s mouth. “No lectures. Bad rabbit.”

“You’ve gotten awfully cheeky in the years I haven’t seen you.” Allegra pouted as she pushed Claire’s arm away.

“Mmmnnn, I dunno,” said Sylvia. “She’s kinda always been a bit cheeky.”

“The Claire that I knew was quiet and obedient,” said Allegra. “Or at least she was in her older years.”

Claire shrugged. “The Claire you knew was terrified of her father’s shadow.”

“And you aren’t?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Wait, was she really?” Sylvia looked between the tutor and her pupil. “I’ve seen her get a little spooked, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her actually scared of something. She’s always been super reckless.”

Claire poked the fox’s nose. “I’m not reckless.”

“Uh huh…”

Allegra laughed. “Well, Virillius’ face probably ranks fifth among the scariest things to have ever existed, so I doubt much’ll faze someone who's gotten over it.”

“What are the others?” asked Arciel.

“Fully manifested false gods,” said Allegra.

“I certainly know them as a cause of great hassle, but are they truly so frightening?”

The rabbit crossed her arms and crinkled her mage’s robes as she solemnly nodded her head. “You won’t know it until you face one of the really bad ones.”

“I don’t believe the ones my old companions and I faced were all too powerful, but I can certainly see how one with a little more divinity could come off as utterly terrifying,” said Krail. “There was this one time, roughly seventy years ago, when we discovered the cult of the scrying lam—”

His words distorted as his tongue was violently yanked.

“No lectures,” said Claire. “And no long stories that sound like lectures either.”

“I would really like it if you could at least let me talk occasionally,” said Krail. “I swear you’ve denied my last three attempts. It’s one of the only things my old bones still have left to enj—”

Another yank.

“Too many words,” said Claire.

“How cruel,” said the elf, with a laugh.

Allegra joined him in chuckling awkwardly. “I’m sorry about her. She’s never been the most agreeable,” she said. “Oh, and you’ll want to stop the carriage. This is the place.”

She double-checked her bags before hopping out of the wagon and lazily stretching her legs. The door opened by itself in the meantime, revealing a bright, sunlit home with most of its features in a single room. To call it an open concept house was a bit of a stretch. It was far too small to be deserving of the label. The eponymous open area was barely five meters in each direction, no larger than the average villager’s hut. Though for a cottontail, perhaps it was sizable enough to seem somewhat luxurious.

“Come in, make yourselves at home.” A wave of roots grew from her polished wooden floors and grabbed hold of her equipment. The lab gear was shifted out of the way, dragged down a flight of steps and into the witch’s basement, while the accompanying fittings retreated back into the walls. A table grew from the floor instead, sprouting to life in the blink of an eye. It was accompanied by a full set of seats, each tuned perfectly to fit the party’s members. There were even seats for Boris, Sylvia, and Starrgort around a smaller table nearby.

“Are you sure you aren’t half elf?” asked Krail.

Allegra laughed. “I’m a cottontail, through and through. Haven’t got a single drop of elven blood in me.”

“Then how the hell…”

The rabbit didn’t say anything. She only met him with a wink and a smile.

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Another set of branches carried forward a platter of drinks in the meantime. They held three different containers in their grasp, a kettle, a pitcher, and a small barrel. They visited each of the guests in turn, offering a freshly grown cup alongside a side of drink. Those who asked for tea were served the hot drink directly, but the juice and mead both came alongside a set of ice cubes, magically created by another one of the plant’s tendrils.

“Wait a fucking second. Did this fucking tree just cast a spell?” Jules furrowed his brow. “Is that a thing, elf?”

“I’ve heard of an ultimate that can do something similar, but that’s it,” said Krail. “Other than that, the closest thing would be summoning a plant with some sort of ice-making property, but this is clearly just an ordinary evergreen root.”

“Very ordinary,” said Lana, as she gave it a flick. “Not enhanced like elf magic.”

“The elven system comes with a lot of limitations,” said Allegra. “The one I came up with is a little slower, but it’s far more free form. You’re free to steal the framework if you’re able to figure it out. I wouldn’t mind teaching it either, if you’d rather that.”

A chalkboard started to grow from the ground, but Claire stomped it back into the floor before it could fully manifest. “No. No lectures.”

“Maybe some other time then,” said Allegra. “Now, lunch will be ready in a second,” She pointed at the plants in the midst of making the meal, “but first...”

Mana flooded from her body as her expression turned firm. Allegra wasn’t an aspect. And yet, the sheer amount of mana she released eclipsed that of the party’s bard. It was like the air itself had frozen. There was so much of Allegra’s magic all around that it was almost too difficult to move. The words were ice cold, and yet, they inspired nothing but perspiration in most of the party’s members. Even Chloe and Lana, who were far less sensitive to mana, found their bodies shaking.

Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the pressure suddenly vanished. The mana receded back into the rabbit, who scanned the room with a gentle smile.

“I think it’d be best if you turned around and went home.”

“I am afraid we cannot.” Arciel was the first to steady her breath. “We have chosen this path of carnage knowing of the threat posed by a Cadrian champion.”

Allegra smiled wryly. “Not a single one of you is still calm enough to fight.”

Even Sylvia had reacted with a start, landing on all fours with her back arch and her tail bristled.

“I was fine,” said Claire.

“You’re used to your father’s hostility. You don’t count, and neither do your weapons,” said Allegra. “The problem is how you’ll do as a group, and if this is enough to make most of you balk, all you’ll be doing is disappointing the crowd.”

“We’ll be fine,” said Claire. “I have a plan.”

“Let me guess, you’re thinking of doing something insane like taking them up into the Langgbjerns and magically solve everything by racking up kills.”

“It’s not insane.”

The rabbit buried her face in her hands. “Claire, do you know how dangerous Cadrians champions are?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should know that this little harebrained scheme of yours is never going to work. Cadria’s fighters simply have more strength and experience, and their builds are far more suited for dueling. This silly little party of yours has three true mages. To say nothing of your father, how do you expect any of them to survive one of Durham’s rushes? You’ll just be wasting their lives.”

“With all due respect,” said Krail, “I do think that while I might struggle in close combat, most of the others will be fine. They ca—”

“At his fastest, Durham can outrun my lightning spells.”

The old elf blinked. “Excuse me?”

“In a pinch, he’s capable of reaching roughly four hundred times the speed of sound.”

“A challenge,” said Lana. While everyone else grimaced, she alone had sparkles in her eyes.

“That’s insane,” said Krail. “At that speed, his skin would peel off before he could so much as take a second step.”

“And he can do it while wearing a full set of armour,” said Allegra. “You would need to be able to deploy a barrier quickly enough to deflect the attack while also accounting for countermeasures against magic without compromising the barrier’s integrity.”

“That is simply absurd,” said Arciel. “Is such a feat even possible for a mortal mind?”

Allegra smiled. “You should invest more of your points into agility. Firepower is certainly important, but you can make up for it with more powerful spells. You need to be fast to keep up with a warrior.”

“I suppose I see the rationale at higher levels,” said the squid. “I had not considered deviating much from my current distribution.”

“Most of the common knowledge only applies at lower levels. At higher levels, you need to start meeting higher baselines, especially in duels,” said Allegra. “You’ll have to think many steps ahead. Our countrymen are far more experienced, and you can bet that most of the combatants we choose will be specialised in dueling.”

“That is rather troublesome,” said Arciel.

“Honestly, I don’t think you stand a chance. You should pack it up and go home.”

“Seems fun,” said Lana. “I want to try.”

“I am unfortunately incapable of backing down at this juncture,” said Arciel. “The fate of the nation depends on our performance. If we are lacking, then we must simply make up the difference through our efforts in the coming year.”

“Half the warriors they’re picking will have lived and fought for a thousand years. Four seasons worth of training isn’t going to cut it, especially not when they’ll be making similar efforts. You might even find them up in the Langgbjerns.”

“Even so,” said Arciel.

“I’m not backing out either,” said Jules. “I said I was in from the start, and I’m seeing this fucking shit through.”

“If everyone else has made up their minds, then I couldn’t possibly throw in the towel,” said Krail, with a smile. “If I must give my life for my country, then so be it.”

“Y-yeah, what he said,” said Chloe.

Allegra looked at her sheepishly, but refrained from addressing the obvious fib aloud. She turned her eyes to the fox instead, who blinked a few times and tilted her head before finally clapping her paws in understanding.

“Oh! Uhmm… I'm not fighting,” she said, after the rabbit nodded.

“Our last fighter isn't with us yet,” said Claire.

Allegra scrunched up her brow, but dismissed whatever questions she had with a shake of the head.

“I see.” She tapped her foot against the ground, thinking for a few moments before leaping up onto the table and giving the guests a scan. Her eyes eventually settled on her pupil, which prompted her to thump the table some more. “Then I'm coming with you.”

Claire tilted her head. “I'm going to be the one who fights my father.”

“I don't see how that changes anything.”

“I thought you wanted a rematch.”

“Not really.”

“Then why?”

“Do you really have to ask that?” Allegra sighed. “If I leave them in your hands, you'll just get them killed.”

“That's not what I meant,” said Claire. “Ferdinand is dead. Chasing his ideals is treason.”

Allegra smiled. “Treason? Why would it be treason? I'm just following the princess’ orders,” she said, before narrowing her eyes, “or did you think you could get away with keeping your identity a secret?”

“I'm not stupid,” said Claire.

“Then I don't see a problem.”

Claire sighed. “Fine.”

“I am afraid I do not follow this particular line of logic,” said Arciel. “I understand that you trust her, Claire, and my trust in you is as you know it, but I wish for this matter to be thoroughly explained.”

“Fishy,” said Lana, with a nod.

“I don’t think there’s anything I can say that will convince you,” said Allegra. “But you won’t win any duels without my assistance. To be honest, I doubt you’ll win any, even with it.”

Claire magically lifted the rabbit by the scruff. “And the real reason?”

Allegra smiled. It was a soft, kind smile. “I tried to intervene when you performed the lost library’s rite, and your father was the only reason I didn’t.”

A blink. “Really?”

“Yes.” Allegra slowly steadied her breath. “It’s been eating at me ever since, and I want to do something to make it up to you.”

“I would hardly have harboured so many suspicions had you led with that,” said Arciel.

“Mhm! Or if you dispelled the illusion that’s making you look like an ordinary bunny,” said Sylvia.

“I-illusion? What illusion?” said Allegra. She started visibly sweating, especially when Claire narrowed her eyes.

“Now that you mention it, she’s always looked like an ordinary, unascended cottontail. Even though she isn’t.”

“T-that’s because I am an ordinary cottontail.”

“Really fishy,” said Lana.

Claire extended a hand in her tutor’s direction, but Allegra ducked under it with ease. Her second and third attempts were no more successful, and bolstering her speed did little to improve her chances. Allegra continued to evade her fingertips, summoning the wind to counteract the vectors that acted against her body’s momentum.

That, of course, only raised the lyrkress’ already astronomical suspicions. She started diving at the rabbit, only for the distance between them to grow each time. Large plates of wood inserted themselves between them, further obstructing her already futile efforts for as long as she refused to give up.