'And how is she right now?' (Krey)

I find myself in a serious yet laughable predicament that is somehow messing with my usual pace. I am speaking with an old man, which resembles Gandalf a lot except for the wings and the four floating pieces of Manatite surrounding him, using Aura Transmission while also talking with Liz through telepathy.  The problem does not lie with the old man but Liz and Kira.

In my head, an image of the human form Liz appeared. Its a new and very interesting feature of the telepathy between me and Liz. I am currently sitting down on top of Liz's huge head. Liz's massive body is kept afloat by her large pair of leathery wings... and Liz said that she is still growing. I don't know what size she will actually reach but it would be a really bad joke if she reaches the height of Godzilla. I don't want my little sister to join the ranks of the Kaijuus.

The Liz in my mind moved her lips and began answering my question.

'Not really good but she's getting better. Although she keeps murmuring, "So Krey really hates me that much huh? *sniffle* But that was just a simple joke I made years ago... *sniffle* Uuuwwu... Liz's frills *sniffle* Uuu..". Hehe, so Big sis Kira was actually just joking with you Krey nii-chan. Yet you actually hated her for it. She is really shocked right now. Just leave her alone for awhile, it will settle soon. But I wonder, is my frill such a comfortable space to be in?' (Lisana)

Liz made an expression of amusement and gave me an advice that I'm not sure I can follow. I want to hit my head atop Liz's skull but it might hurt Liz so I won't. My mind is a mess trying to decide which one is at fault, me or Kira. I really, really, REALLY just want to dump all of my problems on Kira and blame her for what happened between us but I know when not to cross the delicate line. A person can only be shameless at the right time. Now is not the right time.

'Oh crap... this is troublesome. I'll properly apologize after she settles down.' (Krey)

In fact I don't really want to apologize. Unfortunately the scene of Kira shaking, tears coming out of her eyes in large drops, face ashen has been deeply imprinted in my mind. Sometimes, I wish that mages didn't have perfect memory. Now the memory of me making a girl will occasionally show up in my train of thought along with other bad memories. Damn it, and her looking like a teenager just racks up the guilt points inside me.

'Ufufufu. You are so childish Krey nii-chan. From my understanding of your society's laws, engaging in any sexual activities without the consents of both parties are frowned upon. What big sis Kira did was simply stare at your naked body for a while before moving on yet you actually misunderstood it. Despite giving off the feeling of a mature person, Krey nii-chan is actually very inexperienced. Oh, now Big sis Kira is squirming in a space behind my frill. Hya- it tickles!' (Lisana)

Oi oi oi, who said I am inexperienced! I have a multitude of experiences! I've worked on a lot of part-time jobs! Heck, I even perform assassinations! Who are you to say I am inexperienced! I simply don't have friends okay! Its troublesome to always keep the status quo with them. 

'Hey! What the hell are you going on about now?! I admit that it was my mistake for jumping into conclusions but it is also Kira's fault for making me misunderstand and acting perverted all the time! And what's up with your tone of speech? Where did my cute and lovable Liz go?!' (Krey)

Yeah! Why do you sound like a mischievous brat all of a sudden?! Do you have mood-swings? Multiple personalities? First you have the cheerful little sister mood. Then the gloomy serious business girl mood. Now you have mischievous and cunning mood. I don't know you anymore!

'Alright, I'm sorry Krey nii-chan~ I won't tease you anymore~But you should really reflect on your actions Krey nii-chan. Although I don't really care about what you do, Big sis Kira is important to us, so you must do your best in appeasing her! Ahaha, that tickles~!' (Lisana)

'*sigh* I know, just let me talk with our little friend here for a moment.' (Krey)

'Whatever you say, Krey nii-chan~' (Lisana)

I finally escaped the pressure of being scolded by Liz... well I wasn't really being scolded but it still weighs on the mind. Although Mind 3 is the one handling that conversation, it still affects me very much. To make the long story short, Kira woke up and first thanked me for severing the Will Bestowal on her psyche then complained about my rough treatment of her. Then I told her the reason why I was like that to her. And then she got shocked and shakily explained what really happened back then on the inn five years ago. This in turn gave me a huge surprise and a very heavy and painful feeling engulfed my chest. I realized that this was guilt. Now Kira is resting somewhere on Liz's frill, sulking and occasionally weeping which I can hear and makes my heart feel like it is being squeezed. Man, this is really troublesome.

It has been a long time since I felt this... vexed? ashamed? stupefied? *sigh* This is really one of the drawbacks of constantly being in contact with other people. I miss the days that I am alone in my apartment. Just reading light novels and manga, watching various documentaries, surfing the net for new part-time jobs, doing household chores, making new and effective toxins and poisons to use for the rare assassination jobs that I occasionally receive, cleaning and fixing my tortur-*cough* "interrogation kit" and the like.

Haaahhh... that was blissful. Building up relationships is really hard. Although I can talk to people really well, I always put up a mental wall between me and them. It is like I see them as something unreal, something for my amusement and comfort. Kira and Liz are probably two of the four people I can treat as someone I have a relationship with and people I care

for. Although there are some issues with Kira, I do genuinely consider her as someone important to me.

Fuuhh... why do people seek companionship anyway? I really just want to be alone but some part of me yearns to be with other people. This is quite annoying. I do not like it if I can't even control my own urges. My favorite time is when I'm alone, but unfortunately my 'special' connection with Liz and Kira never lets me be alone. Although I can be alone, I can never be truly alone. The mark in my forehead allows me to sense where Kira is and Liz... well she's always talking to me in my mind.

Facing the contradicting opinions I make, I can only shake my head and throw that issue in the back of my mind and concentrate on talking to the old man. Of course as a mage, whole focusing on one thing is our forte.

Let's get back to talking with the old man. We are still facing each other high up in the air. Since I don't know what his name is, I'll just call him Gandalf-san in my mind.

Now then what are you planning Gandalf-san? Why the heck are there people riding monsters here at top speed? Although I am sitting here on Liz's head more than two-thousand meters up in the air, my Aura Sense can still reach up to a radius of four kilometers. Normally, Elder-level Mana Manipulators's Aura Sense's range can only reach up to half a kilometer, one kilometer if one is talented, but since utilizing this Common Divine Art highly depends on the control of mana, no one can beat me in that field. Except probably for the gods... and some other exceptional people.

I know that two kilometers away from here, a large group of seventy-six Elder-level Mana Manipulators are heading at our location. Half of them are riding some peculiar mounts. There are some that look like lizards except that they have crystals for scales... it kinda looks like a lump of diamonds from far away. Others are horses except for the purple gleam on their coats. And some look like ostriches... except that they are on fire. No not like a phoenix that is made out of entirely flames, but more like the pokemon, Torchic. Well there are only seven of them there. The ones riding them probably people with an affinity with the fire element. 

The others that are not riding the mounts are running. Seriously running. Based on the speed of the mounts, I think they are rushing here at speeds of sixty kilometers per hour. The ones running are probably warriors and the ones riding the mounts are mages. I now realize the painful truth that mages are physically weak. Well what about me then? I have a very good physique that even Kira praised so am I an abnormality? I don't know if its because Frelinia modified me or because I'm her champion but its fine since it is helpful.

Now then, why are they heading here? Surely Gandalf-san will explain. Why? From our conversation through Aura Transmission earlier, his alignment is of the Tolkium Kingdom. And the group heading here are carrying flags that have the device of Tolkium Kingdom emblazoned on it. Its a silhouette of a book being surrounded by various weapons, essentially forming a circular wall of weapons around it. Quite weird but hey, who am I to judge? I am not stupid. Them coming over here are related to Gandalf-san over here.

Okay, let's ask nicely for now.

'Fellow expert, are the people coming here your subordinates?' (Krey)

I was told by Kira that this is how Mana Manipulators address each other if they do not know each other's names. Sometimes even though they already know their names, they'd still add "fellow expert" before the name. I am seriously tempted to say "Fellow Daoist" like the characters do in the xianxia stories I read but its counterproductive. Hell, they might not even understand what Daoist means.

 Gandalf-san had his old face twitch for a moment before replying.

'Why yes, fellow expert. They will serve as our entourage. I hope that fellow expert will heed my request to follow me into a city.' (Gandalf-san)

'I am terribly sorry fellow expert but I have other businesses to attend to. I hope you don't take offense for this but I can assure you that I have no intention of being an enemy of the Tolkium Kingdom' (Krey)

Although I can achieve my objectives if I do follow Gandalf-san, I still don't trust him. Trust is very hard to earn and if I make a mistake, it might endanger Liz. The objectives given to me is 1.) to take care of Liz and 2.) to make a foothold or a foundation in this world. Although Liz has already hatched and has a better chance of surviving that way its not really a good reassurance. Her strength of a late-staged Grand-level Mana Manipulator is helpful to me, but there are still many things that can endanger her. I trust Liz since I can tell that she is smarter and saner than me but I still have my own values... though they might be wrong but I still trust my values no matter how twisted they be.

My first and foremost job is to follow Frelinia's requests, and taking care of Liz is the one of them, and much more important than getting integrated in Salratia.

Now then the issue with making a foothold. It is better to be in a position of power in one of the factions in Salratia. Kira has some connections with the nobles in the Tolkium Kingdom so I reckoned that aligning myself with Tolkium Kingdom would be rational. My first plan was to become an adventurer and step by step, slowly build up strength and reputation. But it changed when I met Kira, so my plans had to be redesigned on the drawing board. I was even dragged by Kira to begin champion training in the Magic Mountain Range which ended up with me being trapped... how sad.

 By the way, giving the instruction manual to Sally was part goodwill, part curiosity about her mysterious background (rare affinity sealing), and part directing attention towards her and her friends. Although I want to be in a position of power, I don't want too much attention so I had Sally test out the waters. Of course if something bad happens to them, even I'd feel bad so I specifically wrote a lot of advice for Sally on how to handle any problematic situation that might occur. Its a bit irresponsible I know, but I had a gut feeling that Sally would be fine so things should be alright.

Now Kira has connections with the nobles. That's what she said. The problem is that the connections that Kira made... I still don't know will be useful after her five-year disappearance. According to my inferences, there might have been a large-scale assassinations of Colonnades in the Tolkium Kingdom by Lumen Isles Union and there is a 70% chance that all of them succeeded, placing Tolkium Kingdom in a sorry state.

Since Kira disappeared for five years, she might have been presumed as dead. I don't really know what the attitudes of the nobles are, what they will do when they find out Kira is still alive and is much more powerful than before, and if they will try to send her out in the battlefield. So its better to investigate the nobles that she has a connection with secretly before coming to a judgement.

Ally with other factions? Nope. Here in the East, the alleged superpowers are Tolkium Kingdom and Lumen Isles Union. The other kingdoms are simply there thanks to the insistence of Tolkium Kingdom to let them exist. Otherwise, Lumen Isles Union might have swallowed them all up. Lumen Isles Union is a no-go. One reason is that it has an unstable cohesion between the various species and I am highly doubtful that it would be a good place to be in. Two, the demon girl is there. She probably survived since she was also caught up in that membrane of Divine Mana that the protected us from the stupid god's death ball. Although Destruction-type mana is dangerous, there are surely experts that can cure her there and she will definitely survive.

I'm counting on the chance that she became crazy or had some sort of trauma from the experience in Magic Mountain Range, but that's a bleak kind of hope. The danger that she possesses is fatal to me since she saw my face and although it can be solved with wearing a mask, there is a risk of her exposing my 'false identity' which are in some ways worse than my real identity. I supposed I did dig my own grave when I bluffed that way because of her daydreaming issues with Saint-level Mana Manipulators. I tend to follow the flow in times of pressure.

So my plan is to stay here in Tolkium Kingdom, observe the state of affairs then make a move to instantly get a position of power in the Tolkium Kingdom. If that fails, my back-up plan... I think I'll have to rely on Sally if that happens. I hope she finished reading the entire book I gave her. Otherwise the hidden message won't be transmitted to her.

'Ahaha. That won't do fellow expert. Please do stay here for a while' (Gandalf-san)

Gandalf-san gave a good-natured laugh and denied my request.

...

Somehow I'm finding Gandalf-san annoying right now. I'm seriously tempted to refer to him as 'Geezer' but let's calm down first. I was about to respond to him but something that showed in my Aura Sense made me turn quiet.

Hohh... so this was your plan was it, Gandalf-san? Ufufu. I am quite angry right now. Trying to buy time until our 'entourage' arrives are you? The large group is already half-a kilometer away from us and will be arriving shortly. We should have left long ago. Next time, I’ll think twice about wasting time chatting with old people 

'Fellow expert... why are your subordinates forming the "Godrealm Sigil Formation"?'

Godrealm Sigil Formation. One of the Sigil Formations that I can't use on my own. And one of the relatively powerful offensive Sigil Formations.  It is composed of 'foundations' to support the 'core'. These 'foundations' are Mana Manipulators who needs to be at the Elder-level and has Sigils embedded on their mana core. The Sigils are temporary of course. The 'core' is also a Mana Manipulator, except it is better for them to be a tier higher than the foundation. The core is probably Gandalf-san. This is really bad.

Gandalf-san became silent and expressionless. I myself became silent as well. We stared at each other, both hiding the increasing hostile intents in our eyes but it seems to be useless. For what seemed like an eternity, finally, one of us made a move.

Its not me of course.

Gandalf-san... The old man suddenly sent one of his Manatite hurtling towards us and from his mouth I can hear chanting. I don't bother to listen to him and prepared to intercept the Manatite with one of my spells. Suddenly, I realized what he was planning to do and said to Liz in a fluster-

'Liz, back away!! Now!!!' (Krey)

'What?' (Lisana)

Oh fuck it Liz, stop dilly-dallying!

'Fly away now!!!' (Krey)

As I screamed this to her, I levitated myself off of her head and summoned Geheimnis Kaiser out of my storage ring. I flew towards that Manatite, preparing to place a Seal on it but I was a tad too slow.

"Resplendent flames that burns in the Fields of Fulshka, do my bidding and erase those who stand against me! Reduce them into nothingness! [Ifrit's Inferno]!" (Old Man)

As I hear the final verses of his chanting, the Manatite that was heading towards us suddenly gave of a bright light and a gigantic cluster of purple flames, even bigger than Liz herself appeared in my midst. It was a bizarre kind of flame as it had a horrendous aura about, and is probably much much hotter than the flames of my basic spell [Compressed Fireball].  Liz already flew away at that time but she is still near enough to help me, yet far enough to keep out the blast range.

"Krey nii-chan, let me help you!" (Lisana)

"No! Keep out of this fight and don't tell Kira about what's happening here. Fly below us and wait for my orders. Is that clear?" (Krey)

"But! Krey nii-chan-!" (Lisana)

"IS THAT CLEAR??!" (Krey)

"... yes, Krey nii-chan." (Lisana)

Dejected, Lisana flew downwards while I faced the thirty-meter cluster of purple flames hurtle towards me like an executioner's blade. Why I don't want her to help me? Simple. It contradicts with Frelinia's given objective. She might get hurt after all. Why I don't want to tell Kira to help? Simple. I was guilt-tripped. Besides, I always wanted to fight in a life and death battle. They say that constant fighting can help stabilize your foundations and refinement base. I usually stabilize my foundations by meditating but it takes too long, so I want to try out this method to strengthen my foundation.

Whoa- the flames are almost here. But with my Parallel Thought going on full throttle, I can only see this as slow, but it's not the same for my body though. I gave a cold laugh and cast my own spell.

"[Nightmare Wave]!" (Krey)

An enormous writhing wall of darkness appeared in front of me. Ghostly faces flickered all around it, all showing expressions of terror and ferocity. The wall contracted and fiercely collided with the purple flames. The space between us was wrought with shock waves and mana fluctuations as the barrage of two opposing powers fought it out. During that time, I already cast four buff spells on my body. I plan to only use darkness, lightning, destruction, earth and water in this fight. Otherwise my identity in the Adventurer's guild might be leaked out.

The four buff spells are [Cloak of the Ephemeral], [Robe of Thunder], [Cloak of Desolation], [Vestments of the Firmament] and [Robe of the Deluge]. By the way, buff spells are not in any of the categories of magic ans skills. So far there are only six categories: Materialization, Manipulation, Manifestation, Mutation, Merged and Melded. Magic Creation Array is a very powerful divine art, solely relying on the person's imagination, will and mana capacity. A pity it was only Azaroth-san who had this, otherwise people would be scrambling to get their hands on this divine art.

I flew around the blast range of our spells and caught sight of the old man, who has now assimilated with the Godrealm Sigil Formation. Illusory runes flowed around him in a swirling manner, while bright, blinding patterns appeared on his clothes and skin. His eyes turned golden, not like Liz's dark and icy gold but more of a shining one.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

I looked down and to my left I can see the sorry state of the former Magic Mountain Range. Sheesh! Kira said that the Magic Mountain Range was his territory, that's why he attacked us when I coerced the demon girl to activate her Aura Domain. It was partly to instill to her that I am an innocent brat who knows nothing of the world and partly due to curiosity. Who knew that that stupid god had some issues with common divine arts. Well fuck that memory.

And to my right I can see the vast plains with the occasional grassy hills, and the group of mana manipulators all sitting cross-legged on the ground, their eyes flashing with the color of gold. Their arranged into a circular formation and are directly underneath the old man. I can see threads of mana flowing out of their bodies and float into the old man's body.

The old man also has threads of mana coming out of his body, floating towards the sky before expanding into a net, making a barrier in the form of a transparent dome. The dome has a two kilometer radius, encompassing a huge space with me, Liz and Kira inside it as well.

"An Elder Magus actually has this power... no. This must be a magic item. Fellow expert, that attack just now was a warning. Please obediently follow me into the city otherwise... you and your dragon won't live to see another day." (Old Man)

The old man coolly said that as the four pieces of Manatite revolved around him. His wings flapped in a slow manner giving off the impression of an ancient deity. I snorted coldly and replied.

"And what makes you think that I can't break out of this flimsy barrier, 'fellow expert'." (Krey)

This guy is really a hypocrite. Still boldly saying fellow expert in a friendly manner while throwing out threats, quite annoying.

"Fellow expert, seeing as that you know about the Godrealm Sigil Formation, you must surely know the predicament you are in. I implore you to surrender. Losing a young talent such as you would be a big loss to Salratia." (Old Man)

Oh fuck you and your threats underlying on words of kindness. I am gonna shove those pieces of Manatites up your ass! Although they are precious materials, I know how to easily make them so I won't worry about that!

"Yes, I do know about the Godrealm Sigil Formation. And there are horrible flaws in such a formation." (Krey)

I said in a jubilant tone, making the old man frown. Obviously he knows about these flaws. Suddenly, his eyes showed an ominous glint before pointing his staff... towards Liz! Refined mana started to gather on the point of his staff. Oh no you don't!

'Liz! Hard right!' (Krey)

While saying that, I launched myself towards the old man. Liz already dodged forcing the old man to stop his attack. The old man had a surprised looked on his face before the the Manatites around him also launched towards me. The old man clearly didn't expect me to do this. Fufu. One flaw in this formation is that, although it empowers the 'core' greatly, it only strengthens one's original capabilities. For example, a mage that is skilled in long-range attacks will have their long-range attacks instantly grow more powerful than it ever was. The same goes for warriors. This old man is a mage so he's specialty is in long range attacks.

Me going to him is forcing him to engage in close-combat, the nightmare for mages. Although he can cast spells in our fight, he will use only low-level ones so that he won't be affected by the force of the spells. Unfortunately, the Godrealm Sigil Formation also enables him to survive as it constantly supplies him with power. Injuries would be healed in an instant and he has a nearly inexhaustible supply of energy, so this is not really a great advantage for me.

The Manatites started to glow red and four molten rocks appeared in their places. Cautious, I dodged two of them while letting the other two hit the [Vestments of the Firmament] and {Mana Film} which I placed on my body. The {Mana Film} instantly shattered while the [Vestments of the Firmament] glowed red but soon it returned back to being the brown coloured illusory armor it once was.

While that was happening, I prepared to cast my own spell while contacting Liz through telepathy.

'Liz, fly above those Mana Manipulators and cripple them. You can't kill them nor can you eat them... On second thought, only if you cut off one of their limbs can you then eat the severed body part.' (Krey)

'Yes, Krey nii-chan!' (Lisana)

Finished with giving my command to Liz, I faced the old man and cast the spell I chose after careful consideration.

"[Tribulation Lightning]!" (Krey)

Dark red lightning appeared around me and forked its way towards the old man. The red tendrils crackled intensely while letting out a hiss that sounded like the laughter of the devil before flashing, and hit the old man directly. The old man's face turned red and he spit out a mouthful of blood. Red electricty coursed through him before disappearing. His face also became normal, as if nothing happened.

Fuck it. I'll use a more powerful spell next time.

"I told you, fellow expert. Even if you you continue using the tactics of close combat, it won't mean much. I'll simply wait until you run out of mana." (Old Man)

Yeah, that is impossible old man. With Geheimnis Kaiser's mana cost reduction capability, all-elemental affinity, divine art that can control mana and my knowledge as a mage, I can never run out of mana. Although it is troublesome to keep up the fight like this.

"Fellow expert, I told you that the Godrealm Sigil Formation has many flaws. Let me show you one of them." (Krey)

I pointed down and what was there was the scene of Liz flying down towards the mana manipulators, her mouth wide open as dragonic mana coalesced towards her mouth. The old man's eyes narrowed before instantly flying down to intercept Liz but I don't let him.

"[Relic Ice Walls]!" (Krey)

Out of thin air, beautiful and intricate walls of ice appeared in front of him. The ice walls are both imposing and beautiful, creating a scene of glorious majesty. I want to give myself a pat on the back. Adding the palisades was a really smart move on my part. Now it still looks practical.

The old man stopped in his tracks and was about to cast a spell to break the walls but I charged at him, forcing him to back away. The old man looked coldly at me while I raised my hand and waggled my index finger sideways.

"No, no, no~ You have to get past me first!" (Krey)

While playfully saying that, I once again charged at him, employing my experiences on polearm techniques to damage him. Hey, even when you know an enemy's beat you still have to fight him right? Besides, it was always Kira who beat me on our fights. Let's have the old man take the brunt of it as well.

While thinking that, my face that was covered by the black mask formed a smile as I contiued to rain down attacks on the otherwise helpless old man, swatting away his flimsy spells.

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

(Kiralne P.O.V.)

"Was that really fine, Liz?" (Kiralne)

I asked Liz this question, perplexed by how she is acting around Krey. My mind is a bit clearheaded, now that the book is out of my system but seeing the book, which I once thought as something precious to me burn before my eyes, my eyes turn misty. But knowing that Krey was the one who did it, unwittingly I started to get cloud-headed and breath heavily. Is this normal? I kinda want him to abuse me more...

"Of course it is, big sis Kira! Now then, we have taken another step to curing Krey nii-chan's state of mind!" (Lisana)

The image of the human-formed Liz jumped happily in my psyche. Truly remarkable. Telepathy is a very special ability and few have one but Liz... no, Liz is a True Dragon after all. Her turning into a human is proof of that. 

I nod to myself, pretty convinced that Liz is of a legendary race of dragons. Now I'm really curious of who Krey's master is. To be able to train him, a unique Dual Champion and to assign an egg of a True Dragon to him, truly formidable!

"Are you sure that Krey has a mental problem? He seems fine to me." (Kiralne)

I ask this question towards Liz. Apart from the daily sinister pranks and occasional creepy laughs, he seems to be a good kid to me. Besides, he is really cute! I want to cuddle him along with Liz! I woke up long ago and I am here snuggling in the corner of Liz's huge frill. Dragon's normally don't have frills but since Liz is a True Dragon, it must be a normal part to her.

"I told you, big sis Kira. I can't read Krey nii-chan's mind at all! That only happens if the person is far away or is insane! I love Krey nii-chan but I really want to read his mind!" (Lisana)

Yes. Liz also has the ability of mind-reading. I suspect that it is one of the legendary True Divine Arts. My deceased clan only had one True Divine Art but many Common Divine Arts, yet despite that we were one of the top clans in Salratia before our descent. Liz has already read my mind it seems. She still hasn't told Krey about this which is a bit odd and only talks about it with me. I know that Liz loves Krey very much. Her eyes even shows a fanatic glint every time she talks about Krey. Its a bit worrying but it might be a sister's love towards her brother. And the reading mind part? I don't really mind. If the records in my clan's historical manuals are right, True Dragons never resort to malicious acts. It is said that they are a part of the Five Supreme Guardian Divine Beasts, protectors of Salratia. Therefor I can conclude that Liz does not have a bad nature. But the fact still remains that she trusts me more than Krey. This I can be proud of! 

When me and Liz actually talked in person a few years ago, I was first shocked and then excited about the existence of Liz. Not because of the realization that she is actually a True Dragon, but because she greatly resembles Krey when she transforms into a human. Oh the bliss when she addressed me as 'Big sis Kira'... *happy sigh* If only Krey does it as well...no, no. I think it's better if he looks at me badly. Seeing him stare at me coldly like I am the lowest existence gives a happy feeling in my heart. I can't help but shiver in delight! *cough* No, that's way too soon. I'll wait for a few more years.

"Anyway, that was a good act, big sis Kira! Even I almost believed that you were truly wronged!" (Lisana)

The mental image of Liz gave a thumbs up to me while I laughed wryly. Aren't we tricking him already? I already knew that Krey hated me a long time ago, back when we were travelling towards the Magic Mountain Range. Who wouldn't notice the cute trembling that was coming from him before. He was really fun to tease. Still I only changed his clothes before, I certainly did not molest him. I did stare for quite a while but nothing more than that.

Yet he actually was offended. Looks like he has an understanding towards his sexual position. He is quite mature already. I only listened to Liz's request to act like I was saddened to make Krey feel bad. I don't know why Liz wants to do that but a True Dragon generally has high intelligence so I don't have to worry about Krey for now.

I gave out a long sigh before snuggling myself into the tight space of Liz's frill. I still feel guilty though. Krey cured me of that poison and also removed that addictive and evil book out of my system. Although I didn't know it that time, but I really shouldn't have bought that thing. The profound mysteries of wind has to be understood with my efforts alone. I should not rely on external help to achieve understanding. Krey... he has done a lot for me and I still haven't done anything noteworthy for him.

This is really disheartening. No, wait. If I help Liz cure Krey's state of mind, though I'm not sure if it is true, I can still help Krey! My position as his protector is a bit out of balance since he is already very strong so I can only help him out in other ways.

Yes! That is it! 

I psyched myself up. I was about to go to where Krey is at when suddenly, Liz lurched and turned her direction of flight in another path before speeding up making me hold on tightly to her.

"Liz, what's going on?!" (Kiralne)

I asked Liz in a flurry. 

'An enemy.' (Lisana)

Hearing those two words, my eyes turned cold and I was about to deploy my new Aura Wing Technique and summon my beloved sword, one of the treasures of my deceased clan, Natur Fron and head out but Liz stopped me.

'Big sis Kira, don't. Krey nii-chan told us to move away and not interfere.' (Lisana)

I raise my brow in surprise before nodding. If it was before, I would have immediately rushed out, and stand before Krey preventing harm from coming to him but now... I think he can stand on his own. He dominated me instantly, even though it was only a contest of our Auras, I still lost. If we truly fought, I might only have a slight advantage against him, even with using the special poison in my mana core on my attacks.

Since Krey wants to handle it on his own, I'll just watch from afar and support him if need be. Deciding so, I activated my Aura Wing Technique. Three-colored transparent wings appeared on my back. I can feel that I can move them easily like my very own limbs so flying shouldn't be a problem.

I flew out of the space of Liz's frill and floated by her side. Heeh~ Liz's dragon form is quite huge~ I've seen a lot of monsters that are more enormous than Liz but her size is still impressive. The monsters? Unfortunately, due to the sacred oath of my clan, we are not allowed to kill living things. Only when certain conditions are fulfilled can we be allowed to kill. Of course, we can leave them (our enemies) in a state close to death so our oath is not too restricting but it is troublesome.

I looked towards the direction Krey was in and I opened my mouth, slightly shocked. Isn't the person Krey is fighting with... Mr. Turlan? He is a good-mannered old man, although a bit crafty and cunning. He is one of the three Archmagus of Tolkium Kingdom, a Middle-Staged Arch Magus and the second most powerful in the entire Tolkium Continent. From what I hear, the most powerful is the founder of Tolkium Kingdom, the great ancestor who was said to have reached the Saint level! Of course it might be rumors but he clearly admits that there is someone stronger than him in the Tolkium Continent.

Well, whatever. What's most important is... Krey is simply too powerful! Only ten-years old and he can fight Mr. Turlan to a standstill?! Wait there's also the factor of him being the champion of two gods! Really, thinking about all this is making my head spin. Stop them? No way. Krey wants to fight so I should just let him. This can serve as his training.

Fighting against the Tolkium Kingdom? I've considered everything and I think that they wouldn't mind letting us toy with Mr. Turlan for awhile. In fact, they should be happy to let us. They would probably try to rope us in to contend against Lumen Isles Union. Well it all depends on Krey though. Whatever he decides, I will simply follow. 

'Big sis Kira! Krey nii-chan produces a lot of colorful spells doesn't he?' (Lisana)

And as always, Liz is so adorable!

'Big sis Kira, Krey nii-chan wants me to take care of the people down below~ I'll be back~!' (Lisana)

While saying that, Liz's massive dragon body flew downwards towards an unassuming group of people below. Eh? Isn't that Filly? I can see the familiar figure of the rabbit-kin Filly, also one of my few friends... Wait, isn't she my only friend? This is kind of depressing. The people I am close too are a pitiful number... *sniffle*

So I wonder what they are doing there? These positions... Sigil Formation? I lightly bit my lip and turn my head towards where Krey and Turlan are fighting. A gigantic wall of ice suddenly appeared, blocking Turlan who was heading towards Liz. Hmm? Mana patterns and illusory symbols of that kind? No way... Godrealm Sigil Formation? Is the situation that serious to call for this thing to be deployed?

Ah! So that is why Krey is resulting into close combat! Such a smart kid! Utilizing the flaws in the formation, no ordinary people can do that. Well this is a bit troublesome. I chased after Liz and reached her before she was about to launch a breath attack and said urgently-

'Liz, don't kill them okay?' (Kiralne)

I was worried that Krey gave an absurd command to Liz. We can afford to offend Tolkium Kingdom a bit, but I hope he won't be too excessive. 

'Don't worry, big sis Kira. Krey nii-chan said to only sever the limbs. Ufufu... I wonder how they might taste like~?' (Lisana)

Oi oi Liz. Don't make such a scary comment. Even the people down below can sense what you are thinking you know? Your drooling y'know? We are only a forty meters up in the air right now. Seeing a gigantic dragon like you will plummet their morale. Stop gathering mana in your mouth!

'No don't. Just disable them. Don't sever any limbs or the like. We'll get you high quality meat later alright?' (Kiralne)

'*pout* Fine.' (Lisana)

Whew, I was able to convince Liz not to take things too far. Now then. Krey has had enough fun, let's end this foolish fight for now. I flew towards the two combatants at top speed. I think I'll use the special poison ability that Krey gave to me. I haven't tried it yet after all. 

When I was only a few tens of meters from them, I used the special skill that I recently developed and merged it with the special poison in my mana core. The Vitavare clan are masters of combat, developing skills is a bit hard for the current me but I can still manage.

"Decaying, depraving wind... [Cornelius Gale]" (Kiralne)

From my sword, refined mana flowed like a steady stream and surrounded my blade. The special poison in my mana core, I think I'll call it Anti-mana Essence because of its mana-binding properties also coated the surface of my blade. This created a bizarre blue and yellow glow to cover my sword, Natur Fron.

This could be one of my strongest skills... at least based on what I thought it should be. While speeding towards them, I rotated my body and formed a swirling gale around myself and my blade. Eventually it turned into a cyclone and it covered Krey and Turlan, blowing them away and eliciting shocks on their faces. Well not Krey, since his wearing a mask. Even I am a bit surprised.

The mana surrounding them are basically non-existent right now. Krey is alright but Turlan is in a rough state. The mana patterns and symbols are flickering. I was feeling a bit guilty but I had to stop this fight for now. If they were to seriously fight it would be a disaster. 

"Lord Turlan, Krey, why don't we talk first before lashing at each other's throats?" (Kiralne)

Haaii~ I still have to address Mr. Turlan as 'Lord' since he is a noble, though its quite annoying, as a scion of the Vitavare clan, acknowledging nobility should be within my sphere of tolerance. But I used Krey's name to address him, maybe this is a bad thing for the negotiation?

I think that to myself while waiting for Mr. Turlan to calm down and respond to my question.

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

Author Note: Heyo~~ It's summer already! This is the 23rd chapter~ Hope you enjoyed it. If you want to know what the various buff spells actually do, I'll make a side chapter for it when I have the time... and motivation.