Irona
Year 593
Year 1394 in Manegia
"Where are they!? Find them now!"
Emotion suppression lifted.
"Hoo..." Joshua panted, seeing as their suppression was down. "Looks like we're safe here."
"Yeah," Emilia said. "Good thing we know this hiding spot."
"You said it," Ronald added.
It was just a simple mission in Emilia's homeworld, just observe some suspicious people attending a shady meeting inside a cottage hidden in the dense forest that made up a third of the land in the nation it's in. However...
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"Huaam..." One of the guards yawned, looking directly upwards as he did. "Huh?" he widened his eyes.
Standing on one of the beams supporting the ceiling, there were three figures, two brown and one light blue.
"Intruders!" the man yelled, pointing his finger up to the ceiling.
Immediately, Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia dropped from the ceiling in succession.
THUD
THUD
THUD
"Protect the duke!" One of the guards yelled as others followed his words and surrounded the person in the fanciest clothes.
TZANG
TZANG
TZANG
But, instead of a fight, the three Court Wizards simply launched themselves to the exit, with some kind of magic propelling them forward.
In a bewildered state, the duke barked, "After them! They cannot know of this!"
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After which, the trio was chased by an entire platoon of horseback soldiers shooting arrows and spells at them.
Now, they managed to hide in a cave hidden in foliage they stumbled into a while back. Of course, they made sure nothing else was living in there.
"Geez!" In frustration, Emilia kicked the charred corpse of the monster that lived in this cave. "What is that all about!? You told me that ninja tactic worked all the time!" she snapped at Joshua, but quietly so that they wouldn't be heard.
"Excuse me," Joshua retorted. "Nothing works every time. There are always those people that break the norm, like that yawning guy."
"Huh, he kinda reminds me of someone." Emilia deadpanned.
"..." Joshua simply stood there with no defense.
"Quite down," Ronald whispered. "They're patrolling back to this area."
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As the search party has not yet subsided, the three Court Wizards took rest inside the dingy cave, waiting for them to let up.
"Why can't we just kill them and be done with it?" Emilia asked.
Ronald winced hearing the teenage girl's casual statement of killing.
"Because one of them is still those 'good and honest' nobles as far as the public's concerned," Joshua replied. "Better let them know that he's secretly evil before we get him."
"Oh, fine..." Emilia relented.
"Hey," Ronald interrupted. "Can't we just transfer out?"
"By the time the circle's complete, we would be skewered already." Joshua deadpanned. "And we'll screw the transfer if we give Orders."
"Well that's just great," Ronald crossed his arms.
"Well hey," Joshua said. "At least we know the duke is a shady character colluding with the local evil magic organization. Now we just need some proof and wipe them both in one fell swoop."
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"Hm, I don't see them anymore," Ronald reported, peeking his head out. "I think we're clear now," he said, turning his head back to his partners.
"Finally!" Emilia groaned as she stood up. Joshua followed suit. "This place is cramp," she complained.
But as she took another step, she tripped over a carcass. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, falling over.
GRAB
"I got you!" Joshua instinctively caught her by her stomach. "You alright?" he asked, helping Emilia's footing back.
"...Y-Yes," Emilia said sheepishly. "T-Thanks..."
"Ahem," Ronald coughed. "You're faces are getting too close."
With that, they immediately put some distance, with their cheeks as red as Ronald's fire maneg.
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CLASH CLANG CLASH
On top of a tree, the three Court Wizards watched as the battle between the duke's guards and this kingdom's royal army unfolded in the duke's mansion grounds.
"Well now," Ronald remarked. "The evidence we piled up certainly paid off."
"Yeah," Joshua nodded. "And the look on the royals' faces was absolutely priceless when we dropped on them from the ceiling and tossed it at them."
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"Oh please," Emilia complained. "That was reckless! We just got chased around by a calvary the other day, then we got chased by the royal army. And both of them are right here duking it out!"
"Well you didn't object to it," Joshua defended.
Kids, those troublemakers are slipping away from the south. Do catch them. (Gertrude)
Right. (Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia)
Responding to the Fire Guardian's message from the Transporter Room, they scanned the south of the estate and spotted those purple-garbed mages shifting away to save their hide, conveniently in the Court Wizards' direction.
TZANG
In a synchronized [Eject], the Court Wizards launched themselves right where the mages were going.
THUD THUD THUD
Making various landing poses, the trio unceremoniously stood up gazing at the mages caught off-guard.
"You will not get away," Joshua coldly stated, as ice maneg gathered in his hand, forming a rapier.
Emilia called her Cherished Armaments to her side and Ronald prepared his family's Order, [Burning Fist].
Emotion suppression activated.
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PIING
Manegia
Year 1395
KLING KLANG
KLING KLANG
Hearing the familiar noise when Court Wizards transferred to one of the designated spots as per agreement with the Four Nations, Ronald, Joshua, and Emilia saw the familiar town of Southwood of the Southern Kingdom.
As always, the townsfolk turned their heads to them, seeing the usual Court Wizards, before resuming their business.
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Hunting Guild
"Ah, you're here, you three," the guildmaster, Rudolf, said.
"Hello, guildmaster," Ronald greeted. Emilia and Joshua also gave their greeting.
"And I see you all have grown up a bit since the last time I've seen you," the guildmaster commented, looking at them. "You, Joshua, got even taller."
"..." Joshua stared silently.
Despite passing the age where he couldn't get taller anymore, he somehow got a growth spurt and now stood over a freakishly two meters tall. It was quite inconvenient, finding clothes that fit.
"While you're much more prettier, Emilia," the guildmaster continued.
"Eh? T-Thank you..." Emilia stammered with red rosy cheeks.
After the last time she met the guildmaster, she too had one final development, giving her a more endowed figure but not too much that it'd impact her abilities and a well-sculpted face. All in all, she has a beautiful look that other girls would envy.
"And you boy," the guildmaster called out to Ronald. "Good work ridding some pounds."
"Gurk!" Ronald cringed. Was that all he had to compliment? What about his other growths?
Anyway, how come people know about his weight problem? Was it his cheeks or was it because of the overly baggy clothes that people figured he was overweight back then? When father didn't cut back on food expenses so his son would grow properly, how did he end up like this?
Well, thank goodness for all the cardio ever since he became a Court Wizard. Now he just needed to put up with the congratulations of his weight loss in the next couple of years.
But it's not going to get rid of the photos Rose took from her smartphone that's supposed to be coming in the next few decades in his world. And he highly doubted that the centuries-old vampire would give it up.
Oh... He could feel those damn pictures haunting him one day.
"Guhahaha!" the guildmaster chuckled. "Alright, enough pleasantries, let's talk about the request."
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Kaomagi Earth
Year 2018
Year 1421 in Manegia
"Hey, daddy!" Voice yelled. "You didn't tell us you were chubby when you're a kid!"
"Gah!?" Ronald grunted, almost banging his head to the dining table, and showing the side he had never revealed to his daughter.
"Oh?" Irene raised hey eyebrow. Really?"
"...How did you know?" Slowly lifting his head, Ronald asked creepily.
"Um, Rose showed photos of your younger self to me," Alicia answered.
"I see..." Afterwards, Ronald did nothing but smile wryly in resignation during the rest of the evening.
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Manegia
Year 1395
C̷A̵W̵ ̵C̷A̸W̸ ̸C̸A̶W̸
Wings of a pterodactyl, yet with the head of an eagle. Tendrils sprouting below its kaleidoscopic body, the eagle-type Maneg Beast soared through the sky, raining pieces of its own body coming out of the appendages.
75.4% integrity remaining.
TZANG
TZANG
TZANG
And dodging these projectiles were the three Court Wizards raggedly [Eject]ing themselves all over the place. They also had [Barrier]s formed around them, but they're for when they messed up and got hit.
[Fireball 3] 12 times, 1 meter diameter.
Large balls of flame forming one by one in front of Ronald. With his right arm pointing at the avian monstrosity, once all of it had formed, they fired themselves all at once.
BLAST BLAST BLAST
BLAST BLAST BLAST
BLAST BLAST BLAST
BLAST BLAST BLAST
C̷A̵W̵ ̵C̷A̸W̸
65.7% integrity remaining.
Screeching in pain, the Maneg Beast released mini versions, D rank bird-type Maneg Beasts, of itself, expending its integrity to protect the rest of it.
60.7% integrity remaining.
S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵
Making an annoying sound, the D rank Maneg Beasts flew in an erratic formation, pursuing the Court Wizards in the air.
Simultaneously, Joshua and Emilia formed dozens of [Javelin]s in front of them and launched them towards the birds with pinpoint accuracy, for their Maneg Souls were capable of taking a vaguer Order to home in on the Maneg Beasts.
PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE PUNCTURE
One by one, the D rank bird-type Maneg Beasts dissolved into ordinary maneg as the [Javelin]s did not have enough ice maneg to mutate them into D+ ranks.
S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵ S̶C̴R̶E̵E̴C̷H̵
And then S rank Maneg Beast released another wave of D ranks, more of them this time.
52.4% integrity remaining.
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"Man, that was tiring!" Joshua complained, stretching his arms. His cloak was torn apart. "That bird really had to make so many minions."
"Aye," Ronald said. His outfit was also disheveled. "Good thing our Maneg Souls accepted 'travel to D rank Maneg Beast untargeted by other maneg formation,' so they're just an annoyance with the main Beast killing itself."
"Yes, the Beast is gone, so no one will get hurt anymore."
Breaking away from each other, the two Court Wizards turned to Emilia who was talking to a crowd of children of the village near the Maneg Beast. With her hood off, she gave a soft smile interacting with the excited kids.
"Hm, once you get past the snarks, Emilia really is a kind person," Ronald mused.
"You said it," Joshua agreed.
"Achoo!" Emilia sneezed, surprising the kids.
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Manegia
Year 1396
"Is this a camera?" Emilia inquired. "The lens is sticking out really long."
On the table, a black camera of a certain brand commonly found in many 'Earths' laid there. As Emilia said, the lens was stretched out twice its width.
"Yeah, it is," Joshua answered. "This thing will apparently start existing in about two decades and a half or so in our world."
"Apparently, our tech friend here 'from the future' really loves exposing us nineties kids technology from the twenty-first century," Ronald commented. "He lent it to us for the day, mostly to show it off."
"I see. So then..." Emilia paused for a bit. "Do you guys... want to take a picture together?" she asked, with a hint of red on her cheeks.
"Eh sure, why not?" Joshua shrugged. "Might as well use it."
"But where should take it?" Ronald asked. "The spiral staircase we never used?"
"There is a beautiful tree on top of a small hill near the border with the Northern Empire," Emilia suggested. "It's said that it looks better at night."
"Hm..." Joshua scratched his chin. "Sounds good. Let's go there."
"It's pretty far away though," Ronald complained only to get stared at by the other two. "What? I'm stating the obvious."
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"And... go," Joshua said, pressing the button, bending down as the tripod's too short for him.
DING DING DING
With the camera beeping, Joshua rushed to where Ronald and Emilia were, under the beautifully sculpted tree which its falling leaves shine in the moonlight and the many stars scattered throughout Manegia. Behind them was the snowy land of the Empire to the north.
Beating the clock, Joshua got into position, to Emilia's left. He almost tripped from his cloak; Ronald and Emilia were also wearing their ceremonial cloak.
"Cheese!" Ronald, beside Emilia's right, exclaimed.
And they all smiled.
FLASH