“I should have fired more fireballs into the air, who knows Gabriel might interpret it differently. It's like, maybe he'll take it as an emergency signal and kill everyone. I wanted to see what that bitch's face looked like when she was behind bars, maybe she'll start to learn to smile like a horse. And if that were to happen, I would be willing to give all my money right now just to see it all even if it only lasted for a few seconds.”
Azel chattered curtly on their way back from Adali, he still seemed dissatisfied with what had happened to them and Eustella. Now that the Lizardmen Village they were going to was in sight and it was like giving a signal for Azel to express all the grievances in his chest before he regretted it later, Dorem just smiled slightly as if realizing something. Kain and Sido didn't say anything because they were having fun with their snack, which is a large Crocodile Kebab, from the name it might contain the animal's meat... maybe.
“Que Sera Sera Zel-chan, water has spilled from the glass…”
“But I also understand very well, losing thousands of Galds just like that wahh. You guys, why didn't you tell us in advance about the results of your hunt?"
"Don't rub salt on the wound, Sido, what's more, where those wound is still fresh. Let's just say it's was fortuneless event, Wahahaha!”
Before the conversation continued to get more intense, Azel accidentally saw a shadow in the distance that seemed to fly away from the direction of the Lizardmen Village they were going.
“Mr. Dorem, it looks like your son from yesterday has come. Or rather, he's gone back to leaving."
"Dragon!? Where!? Where!?”
“Big bro Mifa just left? Why didn't he wait for us to come back?”
"Maybe it's because of Lady Coda, he might see her and you know what"
"Ahhh, right... We're not going back there to see her today are we?"
“With the information you got? Yes, we will gather the other elders and tell them what the situation in this country is like. You're going to testify, so don't embarrass yourself. But I think it would be better if you performed that war dance of yours before giving testimony, maybe the other elders would have a better sense of how serious the situation is.”
"Heeeee"
Azel finally smiled a little hearing this Father and Son conversation, he also seemed to understand why Mifa didn't want to linger in the Lizardmen Village which was his hometown. Lady Coda with such great ability to read memories, Even soldiers with mental strength as strong as steel would definitely be helpless and unconsciously spit out all the secrets of the State that they know. But this also confirms what the purpose and intention of his coming is, from all the clues Azel can get, it must be the little girl who from yesterday was his goal.
Azel felt a little relieved that if someone from the Elvia Military had interfered, Mrs Coda would have explained the situation about them and the little girl. If that was the case, then they would be cleared of all accusations and all the troublesome troubles related to that little girl. And if that girl was really an important person, Mifa would definitely come here to confirm the truth and pick her up immediately. And it also reaffirmed why he was in such a hurry to leave... however...
"Kyahahahaha!!! See that!? They are like drunk people!”
“Weird right!? Normally they only eat meat, but if we give them this grassroots they will act really weird.”
“This is Catnip huh? This is the first time I have seen the real plant, because what we use is already in the form of powder in package.”
“Catnip? I don't know the official name, but here we name it Cat grass!”
“Kyahahahahah take a look tah one!”
“More and more crowded hehehehehe”
Two little girls were seen shaking the roots of a kind of plant with both hands at a crowd of wild Cats, it seemed that the two of them intended to gather all the Cats from all over the Lizardmen Village because the number of Cats who came was increasing.
Azel's group who had just arrived in front of Elder Shaman house found the two of them without saying anything, one of the two girls seemed to notice their arrival and immediately stood up and then ran towards them with a bright smile.
"Grandpa! Uncle!"
"Oh! Remy!”
They hugged each other as if they had just met after so many years, Dorem lifted her granddaughter with a very loose laugh. Meanwhile the other girl just stood looking at them, it was clear that she was different from the other Lizardmen because she was a human. A little blue haired girl about ten or eleven years old, she looks shorter than Emeline thought Azel. He also immediately realized that she was the girl the two of them had saved yesterday, though now that she had changed her hair into a ponytail and was wearing the usual clothes that by now had made her look quite similar to the average Country child.
But that if you look at it at a glance, if you look closely one can tell if there is something special about this girl. Azel himself did not deny that this little girl had a distinctive aura that somehow he had felt it before, however at this time he was reluctant to guess because the existence of this girl who was still in this place seemed to give a silent whisper to his mind and told him that he had fallen on another troublesome thing.
The girl looked sharply at Azel and Kain alternately, then she folded her arms and with her lips formed a /\ before she then spoke in a quite firm voice.
“Are you two the ones who saved me?”
"Oh you're right, those two have helped me too before. The black haired one is called Azel and the blonde one is Kain.
“Hmmn I see, Azel and Kain huh?...”
Remi answered the girl's question while she was still in Dorem's arms, and before the conversation could continue Mrs Coda suddenly poked her head out of one of the windows.
“You guys have returned!? Good! Hurry up and get in here, we have important things to talk about right away! Miss, you please come too. We can't waste any time."
“Oida!? But"
“Please be aware that even though you feel like you only slept for one night, you have actually been missing for days. Everyone who loves you must be worried right now.”
"Okay... sorry Remi, looks like I'll be leaving soon"
"Ehhh even though we just met..."
The little blue haired girl looked sad as she spoke to Remi who also heard her reply in a low tone. Azel and the others walked slowly leaving the two of them, giving them some private space.
“You heard that Zel-chan? Looks like my guess was right, that girl was a kidnap victim! Thank goodness we took the right action”
“Yeah, and the trouble just started… it seems”
They then sat on the floor in the room where yesterday, Mrs. Coda took a deep breath of her tobacco pipe and then blew a thick smoke into the ceiling before starting to speak.
“Your eldest son just came to visit Dorem! I didn't think he could show a face like that, he's no longer a lizard that looks pale and runs away when he sees me. Wow!”
“The military has forged his mind well then, hmm hmm”
“But with such a completely different form… did your son ever hint that he still has an interest in the Lizardmen's women? It's because the girls here seem to have lost interest in him, gee"
“When it comes to that madam, it seems that what we fear will happen sooner or later. You see from what I heard from Sola, my eldest son is very famous in the capital and many women from other races are trying to get close to him.”
“Well, we're talking a young and handsome true Dragon here. It would be strange if the nobles of this country did not want to acquire such a valuable asset, perhaps they would even voluntarily accept an illegitimate child.”
“Ughhh...”
Coda takes another puff of his tobacco pipe, while Dorem folds her arms in front and lifts her face to the ceiling with her eyes closed. It seemed the Shaman's last sentence nudged a serious topic, Sido knew his father had been avoiding the topic all along. He only looked at his father carefully because all this time he had also not dared to bring this topic into their conversation, although he was also curious about what his father had in mind for the matter of his older brother.
In the midst of the ongoing silence The little blue haired girl who had finally entered the room with /\ lips still adorning her face, she just walked leisurely even though most of the people in the room were looking at her. Coda instructs the girl to sit next to him facing Dorem and the others, after a while Dorem opens her eyes and speaks again.
“Regarding that, I am also very worried. You see from what I heard again from Sola… it seems that my eldest son is a bit close to a girl from the Viridios clan”
“Is it true Father!!!? Isn't that a big problem! Isn't Viridios a traitorous Clan!"
“Keep your voice down brat! Walls have ears too! What's more about this sensitive matter, the ears of the wall must also be enlarged, you don't want everyone in the Village to gossip inappropriate things about your brother right?”
"But Lady!"
“You brats are just be quiet and listen when adults talking, now shut up!”
Sido's shoulders, which had been raised in panic, now dropped languidly following his head which was also down due to the Shaman's anger. It made him look smaller, Azel himself dared to testify if he saw a fire burning in Mrs Coda's eyes at that moment. The shaman glanced left and right as if he wanted to survey the entire room before continuing on.
“Ahhh thank goodness I vacated the room and told the others to leave earlier, I didn't expect to hear this. But I understand why this boy is so panicked. Are you sure Dorem? How could that be? I mean, is your son that stupid?...wait, does Lord Elzar who is the boss also know?”
“Surely, there is no doubt about that. And here's the weird thing, the Viridios girl I'm referring to is a Knight under Lord Elzar's auspices. Those two are in the same squad so…”
“...You mean... the two of them... have spent a lot of time together, both were strangers in the Military because of their backgrounds... they help each other and in the end... Are you kidding me Dorem? Here I though a group of Orges from Bisrakh roaming this land is already strange enough.”
"Hmmm? Oh! Mifa already said the situation? It seems that this will become quite serious if the military people dare to open their mouths."
“No unfortunately, I found out from another source. Your son came here to confirm something, he really has become a full-fledged soldier because he took the time to come here by pulling his leg not by order, but as part of the thing that helped him in his service to Elvia. I lied about something and did a little intimidation to make him not feel at home for long. I'm sorry if what I did didn't seem to support his cause, Dorem, but I felt compelled to do that.”
"There is no need to apologize madam, we all believe that the choice you make is certainly reasonable."
"Thank you Dorem for your trust, we will postpone our conversation about your eldest son for another time because we have quite an urgent matter"
“Umm, yes I agree madam. Is this about an imminent war?"
“No… or maybe that's the case from there, we'll just get to the point. However, before that. Miss, I think it's time for you to introduce yourself."
All eyes in the room are now following the movement of the shaman's gaze which turned to the little girl sitting next to her, the girl seemed to take a breath and lift her chin now.
“Sorry for the trouble, then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fioralba Razil La Flaga, the 2nd Princess of the Flaga Kingdom. I know this is hard to believe but I was kidnapped some time ago during a visit to Darcia, and for some reason I don't want my presence here to be known by this Kingdom or the others.”
As if suddenly the whole room fell silent, all that could be heard was the sound of a group of male Cats outside who seemed to have been fighting for territory because they had come to their senses from Catnip. On the other hand, the information that came from this girl made Azel's expression even more wry, even though it was only a few sentences but all that information couldn't be trusted under normal circumstances.
Flaga as many people know as common knowledge is one of the Kingdoms that is included in the core members of the Central Alliance, one of the founding pioneers of the Alliance in fact. A Kingdom that has Military power that is said to be on par with Ishtora and Ishcandar, the three greatest Military powers belonging to the Human Race who are the backbone of the Alliance in dealing with the military might from other Nation Rule by the Gods.
Whereas Darcia Council of State was a Country south of Elvia, further south than Rapoz and closer to the southern tip of the continent to be exact. A country that specializes in Magic technology, which in its history has given birth to many great and famous magicians. Even Rozene, who Azel himself considers to be the number one magician as their Guild's representative, once said that he was still green when compared to the higher-ups there. The praise that came from someone who was considered a Brain Monster by many people definitely couldn't be underestimated. What's more, Sirius as one of the famous and oldest Magic Institutions in the World residing there, had bestowed an honorary title on Rozene as a High Wizard. An open invitation for him to join them as a member had arrived, but all of that was delayed due to the case that happened to them two years ago.
"Mi Lady...?"
“I guarantee this girl is telling the truth, you know what I mean right? Especially you two, Azel? Kain?"
"Honestly, it's still hard for me to believe, we're talking about a Kingdom that is thousands of Kilometers away from here, on a different continent you know? And their Royal Princess appeared in the middle of knowhere swamp with a group of elite Orge troops from a Kingdom that was also on a different continent from the Princess? I hear this Kingdom is on war alert huh? Wow this is all starting to make no sense…”
"Hey evil eyes! You're telling me I'm lying! You see my blue hair? This is the hallmark of the Flaga Clan for generations you know! No, even in my family only my father and I have this as evidence of a preserved pure blood!”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Even fools know that if you want to change your hair color all you have to do is buy some hair dye at the nearest grocery store, normally that doesn't prove anything but…”
“Zel-chan is right, it's not good to dye your hair if you are still educated. At my school when I first entered junior high school, my friends thought I dyed my hair on purpose and misunderstood that our school allowed it. A commotion occurred during a routine ceremony on the first Monday, the principal held an impromptu raid when he found out that many of his students, both new and seniors in second and third grades, dyed their hair in various colors. We men are shaved bald, women are still lucky with a pixie cut but are still required to be painted black again like the original color.”
"Oida! Your school is so old fashioned! Revolution! Revolution! Limiting creative ideas from an early age is very dangerous for the progress of the nation! Your school needs a revolution!”
“My mother herself did not refuse the obligation that the school demands in dyeing students' hair black and she also did not agree, as a result, throughout the year I got a free haircut every few weeks. And during that time I always wore my school hat, the haircuts they gave me were always modest...sometimes the cuts were uneven.”
"Oida!!! Teachers committing acts of oppression on students is already a crime! At Flaga, we always value fashion and individual appearance, Stylish Ever seems to have become our National motto! Tell me about that school of yours, we'll revolutionize it! And dragging them the oppressors to justice!
"Eh? When it comes to that... I don't really mind either. Because my school is the owner of the highest status and a model for all schools across the country, so strict regulations like that are inevitable. And I also agreed that dyeing your hair while you were still in education is not good, well, it's also not denying the student's real hair color."
Fioralba looks very passionate about expressing her dissatisfaction with the teaching system that Cain has conveyed, with her two fists on her chest and standing on her knees Azel realizes that this lass has a SJW soul which is quite troublesome. At least with the assurance of a shaman who has first-class Objec Reading ability, then her status as a Princess of the Kingdom who is famous in her fashion field becomes undeniable.
"Let's put your hair matter aside, Mrs Coda if what you say is true. Wouldn't it be better to leave it to the Kingdom... you want us to hand it over so we don't get dragged into this kidnapping case, is that so?”
"He's right Mi Lady, didn't my son come here earlier? Oh I see? So Mifa came back to bring more people for our Princess's safety, well that's much better for everyone in many ways. Shall we welcome people from the Kingdom, Madam? Have the others been notified?"
"Unfortunately, everything is far from your imagination, the only ones who know where this princess is here are we who are in this room. And herein lies the problem. Princess… if you don't mind, it would be best if you broadly state the conditions yourself.”
Mrs Coda seemed to want to say something but she held back for some reason, perhaps it was a form of respect for the Royal nobility. As if to find that the girl named Fioralba in front of them was someone of a much higher position than them, Dorem exchanged glances at her son and Sido nodded indicating that he understood.
"Hmmm. Actually, what happened to me was predicted by Lady Mimir's prophecy long ago"
"Tch!"
Azel immediately snorted at the mention of the Oracle's name, now aware and convinced that he was already in another trouble.
“Hey evil eyes! You have something to say!? Why do you have that expression!?”
“No! I just didn't expect to hear that woman's name here. Oh yes? You're a member of the royal of that clan right? The Armor God must have received enough money from you guys to let Mimir give you a prophecy, what an ass God!”
“You know Lady Mimir?”
“This Azel is a Chaos Child, princess, perhaps you already know that their relationship with all forms of prophecy is strangely quite the opposite. So for some people who glorify the path that has been guided by the heavens, the existence of Chaos is considered a problem and an obstacle. Sorry if I offended you Azel.”
"It doesn't matter, it's common knowledge. To be honest, I'm quite proud and happy about that fact. Every day is a new day, das ist meine Welt!”
“Then Kain! Are you a Holy Child?”
"Eh? Yes, my mother said so. Is that something special?”
"Are you stupid, blonde? Don't the people around you think you're special?"
"Huh? My mother said my sword skills are above average compared to other kids my age, but when compared to the children of the other main Clan 'Guardian' members… I realize that I'm still green.”
"Your mother was a Spartan, wasn't she?"
"Spartan? What's was that?"
“Wow, if I were the Holy Child. I must have traveled the world and become very famous now, of course Dragon God also immediately recruited me to enter the ranks of his personal Dragonia Knights! Tiamat's title will surely be mine, because according to reports, the position is still vacant.”
"Stop dreaming that is impossible son, what happened to your brother is like a miracle. In our history, there has never been a mention of any Lizardmen obtaining the element of Light even for the great Espada Ra'Livi. Lord Graylant the Fafnir may be an exception since he is from the Gold Dragon clan, but it is also the first in Dragonia's long history and has not been repeated.”
Heavenly Dragon, Greylant the Fafnir. One of the Dragon Lords with the strongest title in his tribe and the only Dragon Race born with the element of Light. Normally almost all descendants of the Dragon God are born with the element of fire, what happened to Greylant Urk Zeigh could be said to be a very rare phenomenon even though one with the element of light was already rare from the start. Greylant himself was dubbed the strongest Dragon Lord in Dragonia history, second only to Dragon God. Even the rumors, if not for the binding blood oath, then Greylant could be on par with the Dragon God himself.
“Then… no, Lady Mimir said nothing was a coincidence. Everthing is already on their own path, Umm…”
Fioralba froze while twisting her chin, she was still standing on her knees in silence for now.
“Oracle divination which reads the entire movement of nature and predicts the future based on the greatest possibility is said to have certain results, but in reality it is far from perfect. In some cases there are several things that need to be fulfilled for the prediction to happen or be avoided, and in this case it seems that all conditions have been met. Is that true, princess?..."
“Uhhh, it seems so. At least not deviating from what I heard, Lady Mimir said 'You will fall into a long sleep and wake up in a place far from your home, It is a land where flowers bloom all year round and a place for spirits to dance when the full moon shines' and ... "
"Ha? Are you sure it's not a hoax? A royal princess definitely always has the potential to be kidnapped, right? Let me guess, the prophecy doesn't say what time it will take place. And the last sentence seems to have been added on purpose to make it sound more beautiful.”
"Are you stupid, evil eyes? Even if you insist on refusing and denying it, the Oracle's prophecy has come true. You'd be surprised how it wasn't only Flaga who wanted this tragedy not to happen and be avoided, the three great powers of the Central Alliance united their power in protecting me over the last few years you know. And it seems that the exaltation of the Oracle has been proved, you should be amazed in awe for the will of the heavens is a promise that is sure to be kept."
“You're saying that the prophecy has been known to many people outside your family? Even by those corrupt people hiding behind the Central Alliance? You guys are stupid huh? The so-called prophecy can also be a double-edged dagger, it is certain that there will be fools who use it for their foolish interests.”
"Oida! You're a pessimist who likes stupid conspiracies, aren't you?”
“Maybe it's like some kind of suggestion huh? That prophecy? Like a teacher telling a student that he is stupid, and a student who lacks confidence admits that he is stupid and ends up being stupid? That's what you mean, Azel."
"If you know that far, maybe it's time for you to stop calling Sido like that, Dorem Sir. And I'm not a pessimist, it's called being realistic."
Sido looked at his father with disapproval, even so Dorem looked back at his son with an expression that seemed to say 'You've been stupid from the start' while sighing.
“So you mean so Zel-chan? It makes sense”
"Oida!!! Don't talk recklessly! You guys are really rude! Oracle is not the same as cheap suggestion! This power, no, this is the highest blessing that Gaia bestowed upon humans to fight the 'World Curse' you know!”
"Hah? bless your butt! It's disaster if you get prophesied by Oracle, you know. To put it simply, the Oracle issued a prophecy that if you walk on a path X, you will die if you step on a banana peel. And...”
“What kind of parable is that!!! Are you stupid!? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"
"Shut up and listen to the blue butt lass!"
"Who are you calling blue butt, my butt is not blue!"
"Your hair is just blue, who knows what grows on..."
"Zel-chan!!!"
"Azel!"
“I think this has strayed far from what we should be doing, and princess, a Lady shouldn't use such vulgar words.”
“But but he...”
"I understand, Azel, you shouldn't argue with a little girl who is not half your age"
"That's right Zel-chan!"
"Even though you look so scary, you're still a kid inside, eh? Ha ha ha"
“Hey, I don't want to hear that from you two. I'm just not happy that this kid keeps interrupting me."
Mrs Coda took a deep breath because she didn't expect that there would be a problem beyond her expectations, but from the look in her eyes she still indicated that she still had high hopes for this all to go well.
"Well I hope we can move on, princess? I'll take over from here on out, I just don't mind?”
“Hmmph, no problem”
Fioralba finally sat down with his arms folded, his face now as wry as Azel who somehow became annoyed at this girl's bossy attitude.
"Azel, maybe you can more or less conclude the problem we are facing now"
“Woha madam, why is this suddenly a problem for me too? Didn't I tell you, all we need to do is send this brat to the Kingdom."
“It's too risky with all the information I have, it's impossible for the Knights of Bisrakh to last long enough in this land without being discovered without help from within the Kingdom. This is like something that has been carefully planned in advance, they also have a plan to prevent information leaks from us local residents and especially master the topography of this area. What the two of you did the other day in rescuing this princess might be an extraordinary coincidence, or perhaps it was according to the will of the heavens.”
“I don't want to be involved in this heaven's wi…”
“Mi Lady, you mean there is a traitor in the Kingdom? Viridios fanatic, maybe? Hmmm even the remnants of the Jansen Clan might be involved…”
“They neutralized my ability Dorem, you know what I mean?”
Instantly Dorem's eyes widened, the only ten people who knew about the abilities of their Shaman elders were himself and the other elders. A secret that had been closely guarded for hundreds of years and it would be an insult to suspect a fellow clan who had sworn to look after each other after escaping the clutches of the Dragon God, Dorem immediately put those suspicions aside because he still believed in their oath.
“I think I understand where this is going, but frankly I have no interest in interfering in…”
“When you sent Mifa to the Military, I already knew that this fact about my power must have been on the radar of the Kingdom.”
“Madam, do you mean Mifa...”
"Hey you guys, I just wanted to say..."
“Don't panic Dorem, I'm not accusing. There are many ways to get information from someone consciously or unconsciously, and as a soldier, Mifa is indeed required to tell everything he knows about this Village because that is also a form of Patriotic.”
“I really am a narrow-minded fool, if I knew it would be like this. I will not send my two sons…”
"Dorem! I already said I'm not accusing, don't get me wrong because I also agree and also encourage your decision to send them into the Military! I was also aware of the consequences from the very beginning, and I think all other elders also agree and they support your decision right?”
“Thank you for your words My lady, I I am really relieved… uhhh”
As the successor, it is certain that the eldest child is the first to be chosen for the task, Mifa as Dorem's eldest child already has more than enough qualities to become Dorem's successor even before he managed to get the perfect Okipa and become a Dragon. That's why Dorem had given all the knowledge and secrets he knew to his proud son, in other words the number of people who knew about their Shaman's abilities had become unknown now and it was all because of him.
"Don't worry, what I said is still an assumption, because during these ten years nothing suspicious has been done by the Kingdom to this village and your son came of his own accord. At the very least, let's conclude that the Military already knows about my abilities. But why does Bisrakh also seem to know about my abilities? to neutralize the worst to the point where they almost succeeded?”
“There are higher-ups within the Elvia Military who leaked information to them, judging from the scale, it can be concluded that this was not the work of one or several people. A large organized group or maybe… Elvia herself is already taking sides”
Fioralba looks a little concerned at Azel's words, yet hearing that, Mrs Coda just takes another puff of her tobacco pipe and smiles to continue.
"Ho hoo well well, you were suspicious from the start, Azel?"
“Wait a minute, then why did they arrest those Orges then? I saw it myself, you know?”
“Don't be naive brat, in order to trick your opponent the first thing you do is to trick a comrade. Don't you find it odd why there are three 'Pillar Knights' stationed at Adali for months? Odessa, Elzar and Tieh indeed will not betray the Queen, or maybe they are there perhaps to save someone face and Elvia. Oh maker please forgive me for sayin that”
“Are you saying that Lady Odessa along with Lord Elzar and Lord Tieh have been aware of the existence of the Orges from the start? That… I don’t think that, but if this is all from our Queen's will”
“Don't draw your own conclusions at a time like this Sido, My Lady, this is all still an assumption, right? I don't see what advantage Elvia gains from kidnapping an innocent girl, even if there is because she's from the Royalty, I'm sure our Queen and the Pillar Knights aren't a bunch of sleazy people like that.”
“Oh my, if you knew what I know Dorem. But you are right, things have happened and assumptions have been made. Now is the time for us to make a decision, because I am of the same mind as you. But even so, we won't be the main actors in this. Now then, Azel, Kain I have a request...”
"I refuse! I think I already said this, didn't I?"
“Zel-chan… the request hasn't been mentioned yet.”
"Oida!!! I also refuse! Who would want to travel with an obscure, sinister-eyed like you!”
“You heard that Blonde? Looks like we're going our separate ways here, so good luck!”
"Eh! Uh? Why?"
"Well well, princess. You can't do that."
"But, but..."
“Nothing is a coincidence, remember?”
“Uhhh...”
Fioralba who had wanted to stand up again on her knees now sat back down with a sour face, as if without fear looking at Azel who was also looking at her with a painful look.
"Well well, back to what I asked earlier. There are indications that this kidnapping is supported by a power that comes from within Elvia, so our movements and actions as part of Elvia are very limited.”
"If this is Elvia's will, you guys will be branded traitors, you know?"
“It's all because we believe that if our Queen is a just and honest person, we are also taking risks here. But don't worry, as you heard and I myself got from our princess if the Oracle had predicted this. Precautions had been taken and even as it was still going on, the Alliance had already sent six Holy Child people here as a reaction. You've met two of them, right? I found out about this case from them, a little peek at that. They were indeed assigned here to look for this princess by Cardinal, it seems the Oracle's prophecy has reached the ears of the Church.”
“Wait… then why? You didn't say that this morning, we could have…”
“My other assumption is that it will be very risky if our Lady is with them, because of Elvia's eyes that are closely watching them. The two of you are neutral in this matter. Therefore, Azel, Cain, can I ask you guys to help escort Princess Fioralba to Adilheida? To the Embassy of the Flaga Kingdom which is located there to be precise”
"Hah? Did I hear wrong? If we want to avoid Elvia, wouldn't it be better... ah? There is a truth, at this time the border must be very tightly guarded. Wait, wait, wait, why should I bother thinking about it? My answer is still the same, I refuse!”
“Zel-chan, at least consider it first though.”
"Are you really going to accept it? Once again, good luck”
"Well, Well, I know that this request of mine doesn't sound unreasonable because of how hard it is. But I'm sure if you guys are able to do this, and... I'm not saying it's a free request without any reward.”
Mrs Coda pulled something out of her pocket, and placed it in front of everyone. Dorem who suddenly wanted to speak after knowing the shape of the object held back his voice because Mrs Coda raised her other hand to indicate for Dorem to hold his tongue, then after making sure Dorem wouldn't say anything Mrs Coda turned to Azel with a faint smile.
"Well Azel, I think you already understand what I mean right?"
“You seem to have seen that far, have you? Ugh, this is tough. And it would be foolish even if I refuse or accept, you cornering me madam…”
Fioralba and Cain who saw the thing looked puzzled, Dorem who was already furious and impatient seemed to have a hard time holding back something in his throat that was about to jump out.
"Your answer Azel..."
“Even though I accept it, I don't know how I should bring this brat to Adilheida. The Elvia soldiers would definitely arrest us as soon as they saw two adults carrying a child on a trip, they described it that way. One or two cities might still be avoided by maintaining a distance. But we're talking Adilheida here, that's Elvia's Capital! It's the same as giving this brat to Elvia willingly, in exchange for going to jail maybe.”
"Oho! Wel well, now I'm more convinced that my choice for you is not wrong. You needn't worry! Indeed, all you need is to go through one or two cities, I will tell you a faster shortcut and keep you from entering the 'Saleas' Area."
Mrs Coda took out another object from his pocket, it was a letter in a sealed envelope.
“Once you get to Odhert, cross over to the east side of Jansen. From there go to Trenoa Village, which is in the Northeast direction. We know them very well and give this to the Village Chief there, they will show you a secret path to the North that goes straight through the Darras Mountains. No need to climb, it was a tunnel made by the 'Dwarves' that was originally intended as an evacuation route in case of war. In short you will arrive to 'Rocca', from there you can use 'Train' to get to Adilheida. From what I got from Mifa, it looks like the Rocca and others' territories don't enforce strict sweeping on foreigners. You seem to already know about this, don't you?"
"Uhh yes, indeed all forms of strict inspection only occur in this Jansen area"
"Well well, then its okay. Don't do anything suspicious, and keep your distance just in case. As much as possible the three of you are not to be seen walking together in the city, do not sit at one table either, and never seen together in one place. Don't stop eating in towns or crowded places if you can, and I don't think you'd be so stupid to spend the night at an inn.”
“Alright alright, somehow I feel like a five year old going on a picnic with friends from my playground!”
“This old lady can also be worried about Azel, and lastly…”
“Is there anything else I need to hear? Hmmm?"
“I still haven't heard the two of you agree to accept this request of mine? Kain?"
"Eh? It's okay, I'll be responsible for my actions until the end. After all, my intention was to help Fioralba-chan from the start.”
“Fioralba-Chan? My name is Fio, Fioralba without chan!”
"Eh? Alright Fio-chan, nice to meet you!”
"Oida? From the way you talk, are you from that Island country in the south? That country... what's its name again?”
“You can ask him as much as you want on your journey later, Princess, well… Azel?…”
All eyes in the room are now looking at him, Azel suddenly felt a cramp coming to his stomach. He thought very hard because the stakes here could be his lives, not to mention his real status as an illegal smuggler into this country with fake IDs and 'Gate Pass' would be very burdensome in the international court if somehow he got caught. However, what Coda offers here is not something that will happen twice.
“Alright, I accept it... Fuck...”
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