CHAPTER 35 -THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM-
CHARLOTTE BAMFORD
…Dammit, faster, steadier, accurate.
The sound of metal cutting wind, brings anyone satisfaction. But that wasn’t the case with me, instead it brought me dissatisfaction. My own anger being turned to me because of my uselessness on talent. It’s been two days since grandpa has told me that Alter might have a connection with everything that is happening now and what will happen in the future.
But that is all he can tell me, is what he says, until I get stronger than him he will tell me his investigation that he conducted on Alter’s life or so I think. As the daughter of the two great monarchs of Lerasea, my talent should be over the roof. Prodigy level combat along with mana level, but no matter how much I undergo training under different tutors, the same result comes up.
I tried many mana evolution elixirs, but no result appeared. Training for countless nights on magic spells along with chantless-spells, using full power that I could draw out my mana ring. I tried consulting Grace about the problem but all she told me was to train even harder, probably with that I can at least improve something.
What method have I not tried yet? Nothing comes to mind, but like grandfather used to say, “Books are always the solution.” But, I looked around, spectating the remaining monsters that were left. Just outside the dungeon, monsters or beasts are roaming around it with only one thing in mind, to kill.
Being lost in thought really is something, huh. I turned to where the last two remaining beasts were, a Gorgon and a Ghoul. Despite their appearances they are quite dangerous to green mana ring users, even B-rank adventurers are frankly scared to face them alone.
…Now, what will they do now that they don’t have anymore allies around like they did before. I need to study their every movement, as part of my training to get the blue colored ring and be strong enough to help the Espions that are short handed.
The ghoul prepared his attack while the gorgon only watched. I didn’t want to use my ring phase for a situation like this but if I don’t, I won’t get strong enough.
“Phase: Zero”
My connections to my affinities increased dramatically, before I was only able to use twenty five percent of the wind power, now I am able to use ninety percent of the power.
I still wasn’t able to use this phase to its perfection but I was able to use it for longer periods of time. My appearance didn’t change like the Espions or like Alter, but it did change my perception of mana.
And from the looks of it, both mana beasts knew it too. Even I could feel my aura leak from my body, I should probably finish this fast before an adventurer mistakes me for a monster and sends a whole army to kill me.
Setting my sights on the ghoul, I dashed forward, preparing my attack. The ghoul attacked on pure instinct that it left him wide open, a clean slice through the neck and he was no longer.
I turned to the other beast that only witnessed its partner in crime die before her eyes. No emotion came from it, instead of waiting for some crazy thing, I quickly conjured wind on my left hand and used it as a boost. Then I positioned my rapier to a thrusting motion, rapidly moving my weapon that the gorgon could follow with it.
Cutting off one of its limbs, the gorgon activated her Statue spell using her little hair snakes to do the job. I noticed this and covered my eyes with my hand and used the wind to give up the gorgon’s position. Striking my rapier, the outline of the gorgon’s head seemed to fall off.
I quickly covered some ground before making the decision of opening my eyes, but something or someone told me not to. Their voice sounded like a bell in an echoey room, “don’t open your eyes yet, the gorgon’s spell is still active. I will stop her spell.”
No outline was in my vision, how can that be? I asked myself, frowning from such hypothetical questions that had no bearing whatsoever.
Then the bell-like voice came back but this time the wind accompanied it, “you can now look.” With hesitation I opened my eyes—one of them first, trying to make sure that I wouldn’t turn into stone—slowly, the silhouette of a woman appeared right in front of the Gorgon’s head.
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The woman stared at me as I looked at the Gorgon, switching my gaze to the ghostly woman, I put my rapier away before reasoning with my mind.
It was the spirit that I summoned before fighting the monsters outside the dungeon, she was my ticket of reassurance just in case something bad happened. Her characteristics sure scared some people that didn’t know about her but she’s kind when it comes to it.
I slowly walked to where the gorgon’s head was laying, sheathing my rapier and letting go of my Zero phase. “Her ability won’t turn on randomly?” I question, concerned about my own well being. Curious, I poked the head with my foot as the black-haired ghost answered. “Princess, if you are worried about something like that, you should have summoned my husband instead of me.”
I let out an embarrassed small laugh, meanwhile the ghost woman gave me a hopeless face. A sigh came from her mouth before she began talking while facepalming, “I never would have thought that the once young matured elf princess would give me this type of distrust now.”
“Well if only you and your husband would have not had a soft spot for children, then you wouldn’t have been in this situation,” responding back, not backing down.
I used summoning magic to store items, almost like it was a storage bracelet. Always finding bracelet storages annoying–for ultimately losing them every single time–that I alone developed a temporary inventory that consisted of using magic.
The only problem with this creation of mine was that it was very limited to certain items, not only being able to hold a couple but only what my mana capacity is capable of holding. This was another reason why I wanted to be a blue mana ring user, but that only meant that I would have to train for it.
As I stored the head in my magic storage, I used wind magic to arrive faster to my next destination, the laboratory.
Dozens of minutes have passed since my journey to the laboratory that resided in where the monarchs had their council room, thousands of feet below it, there is a giant room that high-ranking soldiers and monarchs alike go to test new technology. That is where the first mana ring was created, though many people don’t know its identity, they just apply it by saying that it was a gift from the gods.
“Princess, we’re able to see the council’s building.” Announced the ghost woman that I called nanny.
The building from clear sight from here, ignoring the couple of thousands of feet above that I was on. I started to recollect the time that Alter was called here because of his ‘duty’, clearly remembering those emotions from back then compared to now. I would say that I am feeling rather gifted.
Little did they know that the gift isn’t from a god but from a being from another universe.
When I came to sense I had realized that I was going at full speed towards the tower that guards the monarch’s building. …Dammit, I can’t slow down.
“Earthen Wall”
The ground below me rose up like a wall, defending the tower behind it. “This is going to hurt,” I told myself as I was headed straight to the wall. Putting my hands in a guarding position, relieved my impact by a lot, however it alerted the guards from the tower, causing them to think it was an attack.
All guards from different races surrounded the wall, having their weapons pointed at me. I undid the Earthen Wall before landing in the middle of them and trying to explain what had happened. Now knowing this, all the guards that surrounded me went back to their post.
‘That sure was embarrassing, princess.’
Mhm… that is rare, nanny. I was curious as to why she would talk in my mind if she could just talk like she did before. Ghosts are truly interesting, I thought to myself while walking into the building like nothing ever happened.
Walking through the wallways, I felt a disturbed presence. I let it be for a couple of minutes, yet it grew bigger and bigger with each step I took to get to the laboratory. Speak your mind, nanny. Don’t try to hide it, it already has made it to my thoughts.
‘I’m sorry, princess.’ Nanny hesitated before speaking her mind, ‘it’s just that I am concerned about your own safety when you go to that beings’ room. It feels like that being is going to put you in an experiment like it did—’
I cut her off. Like it did with your child? I didn’t get a response back from her but her own emotions told me so. Her child was about my age when he was submitted into experiments because of their own failure as parents, since then I’ve been having dreams about it and it feels like I know their child but in the end I don’t.
Though I don’t get the reason why I share their dreams, needless to say I don’t want to either since it’s part of the contract I’m guessing. These dreams of their life just keep appearing more and more, the more frequently they do, the harder it becomes for me to ignore.
Nanny seemed a little more calmed but the anxiety was still there, I should show her that there is nothing to worry about. As I came to that conclusion, the doors that I expected to see since I got my mana ring were at the end of the cavy hallway.