Eliz blinked as she watched the whole fight. Having the ability to kill these creatures was really useful. While her parents, Alarr and Raiana, fiercely fought with them, these beings came along and just... killed them all.
"Hm. Handy," Eliz said to herself while she watched the boy melt into a puddle of goo. How to solve this? It's not like any of their people had the Power of Light. Could she solve this with her blood too? But if she uses blood for everything, she soon suffers from anemia.
Fraril's people quickly disappeared, leaving the group alone, but they didn't return to Eliz either. There was no need. Eventually, she would see Fraril soon. Still, Eliz would have to work this out somehow. The entire plot of the story has changed, and now things will revolve around the fight with the Dark Mages.
Her plan wasn't really to get involved but to empower herself; she might have to seek out the Dark Mages and Dark Mana to drain them. And for that, she'd also need a way to kill the bastards or contain them somehow.
For the time being, however, she had to postpone it. Until she had a way, besides her blood, to deal with the Dark Ones, she'd better not hunt them down.
She looked at the others. "I guess we can leave now," she told them, pointing her hand at the bound cat so Holm wouldn't forget to take it.
Miel let out a long sigh. He also recognized Fraril but decided to pretend otherwise for his safety. Discovering Fraril with his unit of men who could fight the Dark Ones was surprising. It only reinforced his decision not to try to find out more about his background. Even more surprising was how Eliz treated him like an old partner. It was ironic that Miel had known him longer and knew almost nothing about him!
Miel quickly walked over to Eliz's side. "What are you going to tell your parents?" he asked. "What? That you, Holm, and Haidi have been dutifully protecting me. We'll also tell them about the barrier problem," Eliz said, looking at him in confusion.
Miel looked Eliz in the eyes before he spoke seriously. "What about the Dark Mana?" he wanted to know. "And about him?" He pointed his hand at the cat-race man Holm had put on his shoulder again.
Eliz shook her head. "We won't tell them anything about it. For now, I don't want them to know. Later. As for him... we'll probably say he was a troubled individual who was bothering us. I'll come up with an explanation somehow." However, Eliz believed they wouldn't be too interested in him, so a flimsy excuse about him would suffice. She wished she could just put him in her ring too, but she didn't ask how it would turn out if she tried.
Eliz looked everyone over before heading out of the alley. "Father. Mother!" She called out to them, waving her hand as their small group approached them.
They all turned to look at them, and her father beamed all over. "Elizabeth! Are you all right?" He ran over to her while her mother suddenly let go of the chain she had been clutching all this time and quickly adjusted herself to look more ladylike.
The sight amused Eliz. Was her mother trying to hide that she had been hitting people with a chain like a dominatrix? "Ugh." Her amused thoughts quickly passed as she found herself in her father's bear hug. "I was really worried about you, my little girl!" Duke was hugging Eliz, and he had no plans to let her go.
Eliz finally raised her hand and patted him on the back. "My... ribs... father...." Eliz complained, but luckily, it was enough to make him let her go. He pulled her away at arm's length before quickly checking her with his gaze.
"No injuries. Good. That's good.... no, wait!" He quickly grabbed Eliz's arm and rolled up her sleeve to see that she had a bruise. Eliz felt she had more from the encounter with the barrier, but they were better hidden.
Duke raised his head and shot lightning bolts in all directions with his eyes. "What happened to you? Who did this to you?" He demanded an answer.
Eliz was momentarily stunned. After all, it was only a bruise! "No one. I just fell. It's nothing, Father." She reassured him. Had this event made him so nervous that he was even more worried? That was disturbing.
Her mother also came to Eliz and pushed her father aside to get to her, but her hug was brief though firm. "We've been looking for you. Don't you know you're supposed to stay in one place when you get lost?"
Eliz's face fell under the Duchess's words. But then she noticed her smile and realized she was joking. "Unfortunately, if I stayed in one place, I'd be sitting on the Dark One's head," Eliz replied and looked around.
She saw that Haidi had run over to Raiana, and Holm was walking over to Alarr with the package, prompting Alarr to inquire about him after checking Holm's condition with a glance. Miel stayed close to Eliz and did not speak.
"Listen!" She called to everyone, and they turned to her. "An impassable barrier blocks Sun Alley. So we can't get out. I suggest we return to the beginning and try that side," Eliz explained.
Alarr approached them with a frown. "So that's why you came back. Isn't it possible to break it?" Eliz shrugged. "Maybe? It certainly wasn't in our power. But I suppose it's strong enough, considering the Dark Ones accounted for the presence of the Enhanced Warriors and those with the Power of Light."
Father rubbed his knuckles. "I could certainly give it a try."
The mother shook her head. "I'd rather try what Elizabeth suggested. If there's no way out, we can try to join forces and punch a hole in the barrier. There are enough of us here who are quite strong individuals."
"We should get moving then," Alarr said and nodded at the cat-race man Holm was carrying. "And who is he?"
Eliz looked at the bound man who was flopping on Holm's shoulder. "Just a nuisance we ran into. Don't mind him," she replied evasively and turned to head back. Her eyes rested momentarily on the dirty puddles left by the Dark Ones. She wondered if she would gain something from them as well. She wished she had the opportunity to try.
They hadn't gone very far when they had to stop and saw another beast standing in their way. A giant bear, but its body was all crumbling holes, and it was being fought by a warrior in white and gold armor with a spear that glowed with golden light. The warrior was a man of the Raccoon race.
It seemed that it was only a matter of seconds before he was completely victorious. Eliz's eye twitched as she watched the great mass of Dark Mana go to waste. She felt like her heart was bleeding like she was losing money.
They watched as the warrior dealt the last two blows to the creature before it began to melt into a pool of goo. The warrior rubbed his forehead and looked around as he noticed them. "The civilians should evacuate. What are you people doing here?" the warrior asked.
Duke made his way over to him. "I am Duke Von Roseblood, Pacifist," he said. "The entire Sun Alley is blocked off. We're looking for a way out," he announced, and Eliz smiled secretly. Her father was suddenly wholly normal again. She liked him more as a fighting maniac.
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"Elizabeth," Eliz heard a new voice as she watched the conversation between the warrior and her father. She turned and jerked in surprise to see Gray standing behind her. "Shit!" She yelped in surprise, immediately feeling her mother's eyes on her. "Watch your language, young lady!" Eliz admonished, biting her tongue. In front of her parents, she tried to watch what she said. But it couldn't be helped. Gray's sudden appearance startled her.
Plus, Gray looked rather scary. He wore the same armor as the raccoon warrior but looked terrible. His skin was tinged with grey, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like an addict. "Gray," Eliz said and then moved significantly behind Alarr. He glanced back at her before looking back at Gray, his eyebrows almost coming together in a frown.
Gray watched Eliz and said nothing. Eliz recalled his strange-sounding letter and Donovan's words that Gray was crazy. He looked that. She would have suspected he'd escaped from the sanitarium if it weren't for his armor.
"Kid, did you get her?" Raccoon Pacifist asked. Gray watched Eliz silently for a moment longer before he moved and approached his partner. "No. She passed through the barrier. I tried to get through, but she wouldn't budge," he replied dryly.
"Duke Von Roseblood! Lady Roseblood. Elizabeth." Eliz suddenly heard more voices and stared as she saw Donovan approaching, as well as Chad. 'This is not good! All the Male Leads are in one place! Nono... this is not good,' Eliz thought worriedly, thinking fondly of Eren, the only one off somewhere doing as she ordered. If he were here too, she would be distraught that she had unwillingly gotten herself into some new situation where they were supposed to save Male Leads.
Duke frowned at Gray. "Young Ironhound. I see you're turning into a Pacifist. Since when are you blessed with the Power of Light?" He asked. Gray fixed his eyes on Eliz again. "Since the incident with Selene," he answered shortly.
Seeing Gray staring at Eliz, Miel stood beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Gray's gaze became even more intense, and a dangerous-looking vein popped on his forehead. Eliz looked from one to the other as they pierced each other with gazes. She was surprised lightning hadn't started flying through the air. Eliz immediately wrapped one arm around Miel's waist. After all, Miel had gotten the shot for this reason, and she was genuinely uncomfortable with Gray's intense gaze.
"Young Hephisto and Legorned. What a surprise. It must be fate that we all meet here," Mother said and went to stand by her husband's side.
Donovan and Chad both bowed to the Duke and Duchess. "It seems so, Lady Roseblood. We followed our friend Gray in case we could help, but there isn't much we can do against the Dark Ones," Donovan said.
Gray kept exchanging tense glances with Miel, and they paid no attention to anything else. When Miel suddenly pressed his lips to Eliz's temple, Gray reached his peak of tolerance and stepped towards them, his fist clenched and his jaw set as he gritted his teeth. But he hadn't taken two steps when suddenly his fellow Pacifist struck him in the head with his weapon.
Gray jerked and stumbled headlong before looking back at the raccoon. "Stop making nonsense. And all of you. This is no time for social niceties," the pacifist scolded everyone, looking impatient.
The Pacifist looked at them. "Civilians, move to safety. If you can't get out, find shelter and await rescue."
Duke frowned and lowered his gaze to the raccoon-headed man who barely reached his waist. "Not everyone needs to stay in hiding. We can fight... Of course, my beloved daughter should hide!" He turned to look at Eliz, but when he saw Miel hugging her, he let out an insistent murderous pressure.
Miel immediately jumped away from Eliz as if he had been burned and looked away so he wouldn't have to face the Duke's murderous gaze. Duke stared at Miel for another second before relaxing again. "Elizabeth, you and your group will hide in the house. Your mother and I will go with the Pacifists and try to find a way out," Father said.
Eliz felt like arguing. They weren't as defenseless as he thought, but from their perspective, they were. Father and Mother were strong; even if they couldn't kill the Dark Ones, they could keep them at bay. On the other hand, Eliz couldn't show that she could also deal with the Dark Mana. "Hm... yes, Dad," she agreed unwillingly.
The group was about to split up again. Gray stepped closer to Eliz. "Elizabeth. Can I..." He started, but Eliz held up her hand. "Don't talk to me. I don't want to hear anything," she stopped him immediately and turned away from him.
Gray made a face like a kicked puppy. He nodded his head. "I understand," he said quietly, stepping away from her again.
Eliz was relieved to see that he had stepped back and wasn't pressuring her. She had set up her fake relationship with Miel because of this. She was worried that once he was out of Selene's power, he would have some ideas on how to get back together with Elizabeth. Judging by the dueling looks with Miel; she was right to be concerned.
She certainly had no desire to make things right with him. Now it was for more reasons than just being the Main Male Lead. And even if she had, she'd be pretty put off by his state of mind. And the fact that he was now also one of the Church of Light's people didn't help.
Gray suddenly turned and pushed Eliz, Donovan, and Chad toward the group. "You will also stay. Don't come to me again," he said sternly. Donovan and Chad hesitantly looked at Eliz, who gave them a frown and turned to Gray.
"There's no need. We'll take care of ourselves," Donovan objected. Gray shook his head. "This is the Pacifists' job. You'll stay. My partner has already agreed to the arrival of the Duke and Duchess Von Roseblood. But that's only because they're strong with experienced fighters."
Eliz figured that maybe that wasn't the only reason, but it was also because he couldn't just give orders to someone like them. She looked at Donovan and Chad and sighed inwardly. She actually had other plans than hiding. Eliz and her group could move down the street and try to go after Dark Mana. But if she were going to get Donovan and Chad to join her, she would really have to hide!
Gray leaned over to Donovan and Chad and said something quietly to them. Donovan finally nodded, and Chad sighed before nodding his head in agreement as well.
"'Alright. So goodbye for now," Gray said and looked at Eliz before walking to the raccoon man's side.
Eliz's parents came up behind her. "We'll go and secure a way out of this situation. You stay hidden. We'll be back for you soon," her father said, giving Eliz a brief squeeze, and her mother smiled at her. "It will be done before you know it."
Eliz looked from one to the other. "Take care. Don't get involved in anything dangerous. Especially you, father!"
Duke smiled. "Always so worried about your old father." He pinched her cheek.
"And nothing for Mother, is there?" complained the Duchess.
Eliz smiled at her. "That's only because you're not as reckless as a father."
The Duchess smiled. "True."
"Hey!"
Eliz and her mother exchanged smiles before her parents moved away from her. Eliz looked after them, feeling a little apprehensive. She hoped they wouldn't encounter anything they couldn't handle. Then she looked at Donovan and Chad. She pursed her lips in displeasure and then looked at the street full of dark spots. Damn.
"Then let's find a place to hide. Preferably one of those stone houses," Eliz suggested, turning around to find one of the houses that would work as their hiding place. At least she'd be able to think things through, and she could try and confess to the cat man.
Duke, Duchess, Gray, and Gillen returned to the square.
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Short Summary of Achievements and Bonuses to refresh yours memory.
Chapter 3: Achievements Big Sister:
Your influence on your relatives has a stronger impact; children have more trust in you, and people with a younger sibling complex will look more favorably upon you.
Chapter 18: Achievement: Coordinator
People who follow you have 3% more success, your actions are more precise, you notice details more easily.
Chapter 18: Bonus - Potential
You can see a character's potential.
Chapter 24: Bonus - Merciless Queen
Your aura of superiority is more dominant and can affect Rank 1, when you speak people listen to you, each successful alliance adds 1% mana.
Chapter 24: Bonus - Shock
You can send an electric shock to a target with a touch, causing paralysis.
Chapter 35: Bonus - Language of the Light Elves
Language of the Light Elves and the World Tree.
Chapter 45: Achievement Like a Fish in Water
Dark Mana has become your nature and no longer harms you. However, regular exposure to Dark Mana is necessary. If you are not exposed to Dark Mana at least once a month, your body will begin to wither and become sick. Two months without exposure to Dark Mana will cause you to die.
Chapter 45: Bonus Dark Mana Synthesis
Dark Mana Synthesis allows you to absorb a certain amount of Dark Mana into your Mana pool and transform it to your benefit. Every 100 liters of Dark Mana Synthesized adds a random boost: Mana Pool Size, Mana Control, or Body Enhancement.