Chapter 8
Somehow, they managed to pluck the herbs from the steep and got their reward when the sun was setting. “Can’t believe that an ice element could be used like that.” Dromeus pants lightly as he mutters while taking the bottle of water from Kaiser. They both are waiting for Olivia while she takes today’s missions’ rewards from Sindy.
Kaiser laughed, “But, from the looks of it, we clearly can’t use it that way unless in desperate situations.”
In place of rope, Olivia created a make-shift rope using her ice element. Its durability is far higher than normal rope but the downside of it was, the rope is too cold. Just a brief touch could already freeze the touched skin.
Kaiser looks at the grimacing Dromeus who’s stroking his waist. “Is your waist still cold?”
Dromeus grumbled, "Yeah, it's still cold even though my mana covered my body."
“I’m sorry for that. Let us treat you to dinner later.” Olivia proposed as she sat down. “Of course, do not expect expensive meals.”
The young duke perks up at the opportunity as he smiles, “Instead of treating me to a dinner…How about allowing me to request something from both of you?”
“What?”
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“Is it okay, Olivia?” Kaiser asked as soon as Dromeus wasn’t in sight.
Olivia did not answer and walked away while Kaiser followed behind her a step away. She soon replied. “What is?”
“Allowing Dromeus to follow us, I mean.” Kaiser said. “His identity is one thing but his intention is the most baffling.”
Olivia breathed out slightly, staring up at the moon that unconcealed itself just a few minutes ago. She then glances at the man behind her, “I don’t know.”
“Huh?” That answer wasn’t what Kaiser expected the most.
“You think I’m some kind of genius? Of course I am. Does that mean I can see inside people’s hearts? Of course not. Much more a pervert’s heart.”
“O-Oh…”
The conversation between the two ended with a slight breeze of the cold wind as both of them took in the buzzing surroundings of the night. The bars were jammed with people as laughter and shouts lightened up the road.
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With his back facing the entrance of the dark alley, light steps of a leather shoe sounded in the silent night. Not long after, a sight of a black plain carriage came into view and the man went to knock on the door. “Welcome back, Your Grace.” Greeted by the head butler, Dromeus nodded in affirmation.
The carriage started to move as soon as he sat down. Dromeus’s left thumb find it way to his glabella as he inquired, “Has His Highness calm down?”
The head butler answered, “Yes, Your Grace. His Highness is currently unconscious-”
“Stop. We’ll talk about this later. Don’t let outsiders know of Edwyn's presence in the palace. Give him a new identity and hire someone to change his appearance. Send some of our knights as His Highness’s knights.”
“What about the collapse of His Majesty The King?”
Dromeus gazed at the head butler quietly for minutes and suddenly, he smiled. “Abandoned the king, His Highness takes the most priority.”
“...I understand, Your Grace.”
Delighted at the obedience of the head butler, Dromeus lifts up the curtain of the window to see the bright moon of the night. The boisterous laughs of the people and the brightly lit streets are the sign of the peace the kingdom has had thousand years ago. Yet, it was bound to be destroyed as the tumultuous conflict had been kept for too long.
And among this rising danger, an entity took advantage of it.
“Your Grace!” The head butler called out to Dromeus urgently. “The barrier had been breached!”
“What?” Dromeus woke up from his stupor and asked urgently. “Since when? Where did it happen-”
“Aghhhhh!” Before the words could be finished, screams interrupted him. Dromeus ran out of the alley, right in time to see people running for their lives. Not bothering to change his appearance, Dromeus parries the attack with a swing of his sword.
And oh, Dromeus' worst nightmare happened. The sickening dark mana could instantly be felt as he was thrown back from the impact. “...Why?” Why are the foul demons here? They aren’t supposed to exist!
Asking is futile, as the chaos had already started. As strong as Dromeus can be, he is not a one-man army that could stop thousands of enemies. Soon enough, the situation had become dreadful even with the presence of the soldiers and knights.
The grotesque looking demon had not even given an effort in stopping the soldiers and knight as they continued playing around. Ripping up the woman that it caught, the despair and screams became the melody to the soldiers. While licking up the blood and munching on the fresh bones and flesh, another demon makes its way to chase a man, plunging that body with a sharp piece of broken wood, its hands slowly grinding the body every time it is stabbed right through it.
Similar situations happen everywhere and only half of the people escape to the safety barricade that had been created by the soldiers before.
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“Aria! This way, quick!” Olivia freezes the feet of the incoming monsters as Aria gets behind her while holding her daughter. Kaiser on the other hand tried his best to shoot the remaining demon by picking up sharp objects with his wind. “Olivia, where should we go?”
Olivia thought for a moment before replying, “This kingdom had another gate at the end of each district on the way to the center where the palace at. The soldiers should have built another barricade there. We need to go to the castle!”
Kaiser nodded as he took the responsibility of carrying Lily while Olivia carried Aria as they ran much faster than this pair of mother and daughter. Moments later, they run into an acquaintance.
Dromeus drenched in blood, whether it his or not went unknown as the said man moves gallantly as the person in charge, holding up a small barrier for the remaining left citizens while also engaging a fight with the demon. Olivia quickly uses a spell in binding a demon behind Dromeus and uses another spell that stabs right through the demon as ice grows from the ground.
Dromeus recognized the familiar moves and sure enough, Olivia and Kaiser are there running towards here…with a horde of demons.
Kaiser couldn’t help but yell. “You idiots! Why are you bringing another horde!?”
Olivia grimaced at the tones and clicked her tongue while Kaiser felt apologetic as they really caused a problem.
“Kaiser, brought Lily and Aria with you. I’ll deal with the demons.” Before Aria could protest saying it is dangerous, Olivia already gives her to Kaiser who actually sped up his run more by using the wind to accelerate the speed.
“One, two, three, four, five,...” Ten in totals, Olivia slowly put her hand on the ground as she closed her eyes to concentrate. A wisp of cold breath comes out of her mouth as her hidden runes on the forehead shine for a second, trails of light moved toward her placed hand on the ground. “Sculpted Dome.”
A sudden blast towards the demon, the sudden drops in temperature alert the people behind Olivia as they saw a very ridiculous scene. A dome-like roof appeared above the demons as snow fell from it gently with a steady rhythm. But, once the snow touches the demons, as if they are burned instead, the demons scream in agony as the snow latches onto the skin and there grows a crystal-like ice that is slowly dyed red. The red flows like a liquid in the ice, forming a very mesmerising abstract.