Chapter 65: The race toward the climax
A white butterfly fluttered its wings, elegantly flew past a few unsuspecting elven patrols before disappearing into the small opening windows of an elaborated treehouse covered with the leafless wisteria. The woody vines were not native to the Vernys forest itself but were a gift of friendship from the former Kingdom of Yue, a state that was conquered by the Yin Empire more than three decades earlier. It used to house the ambassador from the kingdom, yet ever since its demise, the place was given to the two esteemed guests which the Shilna clan had taken in: the last prince and princess of Yue, a pair of beautiful high elven twins, who also currently served as the High Shamans of the Confederation.
「What does it say, Onii sama?」A pink haired elven girl, appearing in her teenage years, asked after she heard the sound the butterfly made as it entered the house. Although her eyes were blind, her keen hearing sense was more than enough to make up for her disability.
「Let me check.」Her brother, who appeared just as beautiful as she was, raised his hand, reached out and caught the butterfly, which quickly transformed into a small piece of paper.「It looks like there are upheavals in the other three clans. The forces loyal to the Princess had taken over and declared Yllaes dono an illegitimate head. They are readying their forces as we speak to counter Yllaes.」The elven teen looked clearly annoyed. 「What are they thinking? Woodland clans fighting against woodland clans? Don't they know the Yin Empire is looking forward to the day our forces get exhausted and depleted? This is ridiculous.」
「...」The girl thought for a moment before trying to calm her hot tempered brother. 「I don't think Yllaner dono would be acting this foolishly. She knows full well the threat of the Empire. If my guess is correct, the forces of the three Clans are not aiming to engage Yllaes dono's host in an open battle.」
「Then what are they doing, mobilizing their forces right now? Besides, if they're doing nothing, then Princess Yllaner will be the one who's in danger. I heard she had a backing of a dragonkin for some reason but Yllaes dono right now has both numbers and the forces of the Hyakki Yagyo on his side...」The brother suddenly stopped saying anything more once he came to a sudden realization. 「Wait, then the forces of the Clans are planning to...」
「Yes.」The girl nodded slightly. 「They are aiming for the only leverage Yllaes dono has. Without it, Yllaes dono will undoubtedly be checkmated, despite having the entire forces of the Shilna military at his disposal.」
「Yllaes dono is such an idiot. Why did he rise up against the Princess.」The brother clicked his tongue. 「If he is content to serve under the princess once she takes over as clan head, the Shilna Clan and the Vernys Confederation both will be much stronger. As High Shamans, we're not supposed to interfere with their internal affairs but I just can't help but fear this conflict will mark the end for the confederation… Just like the civil war that caused the downfall of our Kingdom.」
「Don't worry, Onii sama.」His sister slowly made her way to the elven teenager. 「Let's have some faith in the Princess.」
「Yeah… Somehow, I feel like the climax to this conflict is approaching. We can only hope the outcome of their sibling rivalries will not weaken Vernys. Not when Yin Empire is salivating over the Vernys territory like a pack of hungry wolf.」
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「That appearance… you're looking the same as you did 10000 years ago, Matelus. I should have recognized you the first time we met.」Kibadios raised his eyebrows.
「Well, I don't blame you, Shisou. After all, this organization XIII cloak hid my face pretty well.」Matelus grinned. By now, he had completely pulled his hood down, revealing a man in his thirties, filled with youthful energy and incredible life force, not like someone who was supposed to be in his 10000s. His eyes are piercingly blue, as vibrant as the last time Kibadios had seen him. His spiky dark hair, which resembled that of Shogo from Tensei shitara slime series, lacked a single gray strand of hair. Yet, for Kibadios, the one single thing that has changed about the star pupil he helped train was his demeanor. Gone was the timid genius he was once familiar with. Instead, standing in front of him, was a man exuded with confidence, mixed in with a hint of malevolence.「Besides, I was the one at fault here. I should have realized the cute hybrid monster was your reincarnation. Welcome back, Shisou.」
「... You still have yet answered my question: Why are you looking exactly the same as you did more than 10 millennia ago? This is not your reincarnation, isn't it?」
「Ho? I thought you would be more concerned for your slave and Ryuu kun back in the encampment.」Matelus pointed out, which caused the hybrid to twitch slightly. Of course he was worried for those two, but right now, there were simply too many things happening simultaneously for him to process.
「You said they were fine?」Kibadios just wanted to confirm once again.
「Well, our Ryuu kun got a hole on his body, but with his healing factor, he probably is fine. Bedridden for a few days, but fine regardless. That slime should recover in no time too. The girl was unharmed to begin with so no need to worry about her.」
「... Thank you, Matelus, for saving them.」Said Kibadios, though he still had some reservations about his student's intention.
「You're very welcome, Shisou.」The man smiled, though, again, Kibadios could notice the feeling of uneasiness swelled up within him.
「Master, what should we do?」Ryan remained silent for a while, finally deciding to speak up. Of course he indeed worried for Ryuu; however, as of this very moment, he was more interested in learning about Rowan's safety. 「We still have to find Rowan chan... I...」Kibadios could feel the hero's hands shaking. After all, he was the one who cut his own loved one down mercilessly without a single explanation.
「Like I said, Ryan, Rowan chan is still alive.」Kibadios tried to calm the hero down.「He made a contract to be my slave for perpetuity, consensually accepting my incubus crest onto his body. That crest links him to me in a way. Since I can still feel his presence, he's not dead yet...」Kibadios somehow stopped in mid sentence, his eyebrows slightly frowned in worries, though he tried not to show it to the hero. 「He's probably resting somewhere, recovering from his wounds.」
「Then we gotta look for him soon. He should not be far from here.」urged Ryan.
「Decision decision.」Matelus whistled, uncaring of his teacher's blight.
… He's definitely not the same Matelus I knew before . Concluded Kibadios. But it's not as if someone is controlling him. What's going on here? And why did he try to attack Rowan and Maia's village? And what's his purpose here?
「Ryan, calm down!」ordered Kibadios. By now, the hybrid had gained back enough strength to let go of Yuusei and stand on his own.「Instead of focusing on a single thing, you gotta look at the big picture. Yes, Rowan needs our help, but so does the Princess. With Ryuu, the strongest individual at the camp, got defeated, the Princess' forces will undoubtedly become restive. She wanted to use his overwhelming presence to assure her followers victory but now, that has come back to bite her. The next few days are the most crucial part of the conflict. You have to go back to the encampment and protect her.」
「But, what about Rowan chan?」Ryan understood everything his master had just explained to him, but he could still not muster the determination to leave the healer behind.
「I will stay here and look for him. I cannot pinpoint his exact location, but at least, given my connection with him, I should have a better chance at finding him than you do.」Explained Kibadios.
「... I understand, Master.」The hero reluctantly nodded. 「Please find Rowan for me… I would not be able to look Maia in the eyes if something were to happen to him.」
「Dont worry. Just focus on protecting Yllaner.」ordered Kibadios. 「I will bring Rowan back with us.」His master gave the hero a confident grin, trying to reassure him one last time.
「Thank you, Kibadios sama.」acknowledged Ryan.
「If you like, I can take him back to the camp.」Matelus volunteered.
「What do you mean?」
「I mean, this!」Matelus snapped his finger, causing a portal to appear right in front of Ryan. 「Just walk in there, Ryan kun. It'd take you to the encampment right away.」
「...」Kibadios carefully studied the warped space before allowing the hero to walk inside. 「Just do it, Ryan… Matelus isn't our enemy.」 But, I don't think he's on our side, either. The hybrid continued his sentence in his thoughts.
「I will await for your return, master, along with Yuusei chan and Rowan chan.」Ryan bowed respectfully before walking inside the portal. 「Thank you, Matelus dono.」
「Don't worry about it, Ryan kun. I'm happy to help.」
「... If you're happy to help, why did you not volunteer to protect Sylvia's reincarnation?」pointed out Kibadios after Ryan had disappeared. 「And that portal, that is not merely created from a teleportation skill… that is a warp in the fabric of space itself. Tell me, Matelus, why are you still alive after 10000 years? How can you control space itself?... and most importantly, what are you really planning?」
「You're as sharp as ever, Shisou」Matelus commended the hybrid.「But not sharp enough to realize that I'm not the one who controls this portal. This is her doing, not mine.」Matelus pointed at the space right next to him, which started to glitch out like the matrix before a girl appeared, catching the hybrid off guard.
How? Even I cannot sense her? Kibadios' eyes were wide open. Standing next to him, Yuusei suddenly put up his guard, for just as his master, he realized the girl was an entity that not in a million years would he wish to stand against.
「She is...」
「A secret.」Matelus smiled. 「And to answer your question, Shisou: why did I not protect that Princess myself? The answer is simple: I just don't care if she lives or dies. In fact, I really don't care for the outcome of this trivial conflict either. I was there, by chance, to protect your properties because I do owe you a lot so that's the least I could do… I was hoping to have a talk with you, but it seems like you're still busy worrying about your insignificant slave. I will postpone our real reunion to some time in the future. Once everything is settled, seek me out at the ruin under the lake. I'd like to know your "answer."」Matelus bowed to his teacher, before both him and the girl started to spiral into the empty space much like how Obito disappeared using his sharingan. 「... Though, seeing how despite weakened so much by the poison, you still care so much for insignificant lives, I feel like our "answers" are just too different… to the point we may go against one another in the future.」Before completely disappearing into the vortex of space, the man gave his teacher a mysterious smile. 「Try your best to find that "Rowan kun," Shisou. I'd hate it if he dies and I have to start all over again.」
「... Matelus...」muttered Kibadios at his student's ominous farewell. You know Rowan? … Was that why his village was attacked?
「Master okay?」Yuusei turned toward his master after hearing about the poison.
「I can manage, don't worry, Yuusei.」Kibadios patted his head, though unlike previous times, Yuusei was now standing taller than his master so the act felt kind of wrong to the hybrid. Still, Yuusei still seemed to like it so much that his small rabbit tail started to wag like a dog. 「Well, look at you, your clothes are too tight for your body… Kinda like Gon after he turned into an adult.」Kibadios smiled before his shadow appeared and spit out a pair of dark clothes.「Here, try to wear these. They're clothes from one of those adventurers that I devoured. They should fit.」
The mutant simply nodded and put the clothes on as his master instructed. 「What now?」He asked. 「Looking for Rowan senpai?」
「Yes… Let's go to the river's bank. We have to hurry.」Kibadios frowned. 「I might have promised Ryan nothing bad will happen to Rowan, but truth to be told, Rowan might as well be at death's door, lying half dead somewhere. If we're not hurried, we may be too late.」
「What?」Yuusei was worried
「You see, if Rowan was conscious, he should be able to use the
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The slew of bad news reached Yllaes all at the same time as his army encamped for the night, from the coup d'etat within the three clans to the death of Skyer. According to the report, the soldier did not know how had fought against his right hand man but his lifeless body was found in the middle of a gruesome massacre, where dozens of bodies, most of them were the low ranking adventurers that were hired and attached to the army, scattered around. As the Prince read the report, his close confidants could see bloody veins popped in his eyes, causing his tears to turn red. He did not have time to process his rage and sadness before the news of the three clans turning against him reached his ears. Before he set out with his army, he had calculated his chance of winning against his sister was more than 75%, yet now, it was him who got backed into the corner.
「What should we do, Yllaes sama?」
「We have to turn around and protect our territory! The other three clans will attack us in the back!」One suggested.
「No, they will without doubt, match their armies here, combining with the Princess' forces, and try to crush our forces directly, once and for all.」Another argued.
「Are you stupid? That would cause untold numbers of casualties. The princess will not allow that.」
「Shut up!」The Prince commanded. 「Let me think!」
「Report!」A messenger barged inside the tent, bearing an urgent message.
「What now?」One of the Prince's advisors asked.
「According to our spies, the dragonkin that sided with the Princess was gravely injured. We don't know who was able to best him nor the extent of his injury, though. However, his defeat had caused the morale of the Princess' army to plummet. The rumor circulated within the army was that the Great Demon Lord Ashura himself had taken out the dragonoid.」
「What? Ashura?」
「No way. I thought we did not have contract with him for such a mission?」
「Was it because Erik reported to him about the dragonkin's presence that caused him to make his move?」
「...」Yllaes remained silent while his advisors argued among themselves. I still have a chance to win this. 「We will continue to march forward, until our enemies are destroyed.」The Prince finally declared.
「But Yllaes sama, our home territory is under threat from the three clans right now.」One of the commanders reminded the Prince.
「So what?」Yllaes coldly asked.「You have lost sight of the reason why we set out in the first place. It's to catch my sister. Even if the three clans were to attack our territories, it would take weeks, if not months, for them to penetrate deep and threaten our capital. By that time, we would have triumphed over Yllaner. If their figurehead is gone, who then, can unite the three clans? Once we're done dealing with Yllaner, we will turn around and crush them. Though, if they learn my sister had perished, I'm sure they would have no choice but to accept me as the head of Vernys. After all, just like my dead sister, those who followed her and caused these coup d'etat knew better than to fight against our army and risk depleting the military might of the forest. In short, the only way for us to secure victory is to crush Yllaner before the three Clans can threaten our capital. It's a race to see which one of us would achieve our objective first.」
「「「I see」」」Those who gathered nodded.
「Besides, our forces will grow stronger soon… by leap and bound.」
「What do you mean?」
「I have contacted Erik and secure further assistance from the Hyakki Yagyo: six of the 12 captains of Hyakki Yagyo will join and help us eliminate Yllaner herself.」
「What? Really?」The news was a shock for everyone. After all, rarely could someone secure a contract with just one of the captains, let alone six of them. The last time when the whole 12 captains, along with Ashura himself took up a contract, they were able to decimate a whole country into oblivion, gaining himself the title of a Great Demon Lord.
「Yes. My sister will fall, sooner or later.」declared Yllaes.
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As the commanders excused themselves to go back to their tents after a long discussion with Yllaes, the Prince simply sat back on his chair, exhausted. I'm surrounded by idiots , Yllaes thought as he lamented the fate that befell his right hand man. None of the commanders under him possessed the insight that Skyer did. Had he did not start this conflict, Skyer would still be alive right now. He had no doubt in his mind that the elven man's death was due to Yllaner. To him, it was ironic how he had determined to sacrifice even his dearest sister in order to unify the forest under the rule of Shilna, only to have someone who he thought of as his own brother perished instead. Although he cursed his own incompetent for not able to select more capable individuals to serve under him like his sister did, he was rather luck that not even one of the commanders gathering at the meeting realized that the goal of the three Clans will not be the capital of Shilna, but the small territory with a garrison of less than 2000 men: The very land where the Orcan was being mined. Instead of the weeks and months as the time restraint the Prince had declared in front of the others, Yllaes had calculated that it would take the three clans no more than three days to attack and take over the mine. Once they did, he would definitely lose the support of the Hyakki Yagyo since the only reason the group took up the contract was to secure Orcan in the first place. And once the support of Hyakki Yagyo was lost, he'd be completely checkmated. If they knew the perilous situation we're truly in, no doubt there would be mutiny. The prince surmised before reaching his hand up in the air and tried to grasp the victory that seemed to be moving away from him. This means I have to settle our feud within four days, before the news of the three clans' success in taking over the mine reaches the front-line. Yllaner… I will not give up until the end.
So, based on the results from the poll surveyed a few months ago, people prefer to see a fraternal twin, one male, one female so here's a picture of the elven twins:
https://imgur.com/9b6kPZT
^click on the comment at the link to see their picture.
Artist: Nidu? I believe. Pixiv ID: 4320508.
They were livestreaming when they drew the twin and it lasted 7 hours lol. I think they're a hidden talent because their style is extremely elegant, but many of their pixiv submissions did not have more than a few thousands view. Too bad I dont think they draw R18 cuz I would love to have them draw Kibadios ravages the twins. :3
Also, I have yet come up with a name for the twin. They'll most likely have chinese names (or chinese-japanese sounding name, much like "Yue" is both Japanese and Chinese. Fun fact, Yue is an actually state during Warring States Period... I digress haha.