The Scorched Mountain (Part II)

Aegreon, Shiina, Luna, and Raymond exited from what remained of the arena and entered the capital, leaving Sariel and Yaxun alone.

"What do you intend to do with this hole? Do you want me to fill it in?" the traveler asked.

"Can you cover it up?"

"Cover wouldn't be the right word, I would say level it out." As he said this, the traveler raised his right hand partially, which began to emit a brown glow.

Then, the earth around it began to shift towards the hole, slowly leveling the ground.

"It will take some time to get it ready, since my main element is not Alteration."

"I understand, can you tell me why Aegreon was so intent on killing you?"

"I was hoping you could answer that for me, what do you know about him?"

"Aren't you together?"

"Sort of, it's a complicated story."

"I see. He doesn't talk about himself, so I know little. However, he's not a bad person, he helped us in an attack we suffered from the Angels before. If it wasn't for his strength, our kingdom wouldn't exist today."

"So, he fought against the angels, but he wants to visit their world..."

"How is that?!" Yaxun was startled.

"That's what you heard."

"And why does he intend to do that?"

"If you don't know, I'll know even less."

The king remained silent and tried to find some reason for Aegreon to visit the other world alone. The only possibility would be the desire to exterminate their race, since he fought with indescribable fury when he helped his kingdom.

"The only possibility that makes sense is that he wants to exterminate them once and for all."

"Hmm... If you allow me some advice, you'd better decline his request."

"So, you know what he wants from me?"

"Yes, he wants to use your army to disguise himself among your soldiers and approach Eden for the annual Vigil exercise. With that, he will be able to easily approach the Astrum Lux with Luna."

"What?! If we do that, we will be considered traitors by the Council!"

"Exactly, that's why you'd better decline his request."

Yaxun found himself silent again as he considered what to do.

"However... I do owe him a great favor..."

"And you intend to repay it even if it brings your end?"

"Well... if they can get through the portal without anyone seeing them, then no one will know we helped them."

Sariel remained silent and only focused his efforts on finishing the hole. The silence intrigued Yaxun, due to the subject they had just discussed.

Sariel finished his task and turned to Yaxun.

"Well, if you have someone who possesses the Nature Element you can easily reforest this area."

"Unfortunately, there are few who can use this element. Some time ago, there was another kingdom that bordered ours. They lived in the forest; however, they were decimated by the angels." Yaxun observed the forest with a mixture of anger and melancholy. "Most of the people of that kingdom had this element, however only a small portion of them survived."

"So those villages we passed through..."

"They are remnants of what was once a great kingdom. You must have noticed that most of them wore green, it was the color of their kingdom, while here we wear red, our color."

"I understand... and the neutral colors?"

"They are those who suffered incurable wounds in the war against the Angels and became unable to fight."

"Incurable? Protection Magic heals almost everything."

"Not to the magic of Angels. Most of the wounds caused by their magic are curable, but some of them are either incurable or take much longer to heal, even with Protection Magic."

"Their magic is the same as humans', however... they just have more magical power than us..." Sariel contemplated. "The only element capable of this is Conjuration, and Angels are not born with it..."

"How old are you, boy?"

"I'll be twenty soon."

"A little before the end of the war then... You would understand if you had fought against them, they definitely used Conjuration magic."

The traveler remained silent and with a thoughtful expression.

"Anyway, we should go now, since you've finished what you were doing."

"Alright."

They both walked into the capital just a few minutes after the others left.

As they walked, several people greeted the king enthusiastically, and he always responded with a big smile and wave. Some were warriors who had already fought against him and been defeated who shouted vows of revenge, while Yaxun provoked them and ignited their competitive spirits.

"Hey! Isn't that the guy who gave Aegreon a hard time and even destroyed the arena?"

"That's him!"

"You'd better fight me before you leave!"

"I'll be the first to fight you!"

"No, it'll be me!"

The people, upon recognizing the traveler, unleashed a wave of fight invitations. None of them held any grudge against him for destroying the arena, in fact they were even excited about it, since he had overcome the barrier's defenses with only his brute physical strength.

"It seems I'm famous." he said, waving to the people.

"Of course! Anyone would admire you for fighting at the same level as a Pillar."

"Despite the fact that I was the one who took the most damage in that fight."

"What? But you destroyed the arena when you hit him."

"I was on the defensive from the moment I realized that the barrier wouldn't withstand our power, so I avoided attacking Aegreon until the people were safe."

"Your natural regeneration is impressive, I'm sure the Council would covet you!"

"Yes, but they already have an Ice Pillar." Sariel noticed something that caught his attention. "Ah, so that's the world-famous pyramid?"

Despite the distance, the traveler could clearly see the beautiful and imposing palace.

"That's right!"

"It is indeed stupendous..."

"You don't seem very impressed."

"Ah, I apologize, I've gotten used to seeing impressive things."

After some time, they both arrived at the palace and, the moment they entered, a servant appeared and addressed the king.

"Your Majesty, your guests are waiting. In addition, we were waiting for your arrival to bring your lunch."

"Great, in that case I'll bring the meal myself!"

Yaxun and Sariel went to the kitchen and were met with a huge meal waiting for them. There was a wide variety of tropical fruits, beans, various types of meat such as poultry, fish, and other animals found in the forest. For dessert, a cocoa drink and wine.

"Your Majesty, we were waiting for your arrival to bring your meal."

"Don't worry about it, let me take it!" Although he was a king, the customs of that kingdom were very different from those around the world, so it was not strange for the king to bring food to his guests.

"I can take care of this." Under Sariel's command, all the food began to float in an organized manner in the air, and not even the drinks were spilled. The entire meal hovered around him, who had a faint brown glow shining around his body.

"Haha! Wonderful! It's a shame that Alteration is not very common among my people, so we would have another form of entertainment besides fighting."

"Just make the entrance more flexible and you will have the most varied visitors."

"As long as they know how to fight..."

They both walked through the corridors again, and Sariel made a point of showing his mastery of magic with various juggling tricks with the meal, making it spin, stand upside down and even pass around the king, who laughed and enjoyed the spectacle immensely.

In a short while, they both arrived at the door where the rest of the group was waiting. The king opened the door in an animated way, even too animated, as he was slightly violent, causing the door to slam against the wall.

"I apologize for the delay!"

However, everyone looked at the king strangely, without saying a word.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?"

"They must have been startled by your triumphant entrance, even I was a bit surprised, haha!" Sariel came in right after.

"Ah, I apologize for that, here is our beautiful lunch, we will talk while we eat."

The king sat down with the group in a luxurious armchair that was clearly made for him. The traveler, with a large and exaggerated bow, made the dishes circulate around the entire room, passing under tables, going out and coming back through windows, and even passing the fruits through the fountain before placing the meal on the table.

"Show-off..." Shiina was irritated by his proud behavior.

"Thank you. Now, help yourselves." Sariel sat down next to the princess.

"Sit somewhere else, there are plenty of seats besides this one." Raymond scolded.

"I like this place, it's more comfortable!"

"Don't make me have to get you out of here."

"Alright, alright..." Sariel stood up.

However, instead of taking another sofa or armchair, the traveler sat down next to the bodyguard, putting his arm behind his back, as if they were old friends.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just strengthening our friendship."

"Don't make me laugh, get out of here!"

"So, you'd rather I stay next to Luna?"

Raymond sighed deeply and gave up arguing. He knew him well at this point, and knew he was dancing in his hand.

'At least he's better here than next to Her Highness.'

"I always knew you had a soft heart under that armor of yours."

"Leave me alone..." he muttered defeated.

"Very well, let's eat while we discuss the reason you are here. Aegreon." Yaxun looked to the Pillar. "Sariel has already told me the reason for your visit, however I need to make sure it is true. Do you really intend to open the portal?"

"Yes." Aegreon answered after looking at the traveler.

"Why do you intend to do that? What is your objective?"

"When the Angels came, the portal was not opened from this side, which means they can open it whenever they want. That's why we need to make sure they don't intend to invade us again, and only an Angel can activate the Astrum Lux."

"Wait, this is the first time I've heard of this! You had told me something completely different." Luna was surprised by that explanation and felt like she was being stabbed in the back.

The Pillar didn't answer her.

"Ha! Did you really think the Council would protect an Angel?!" Yaxun mocked.

Raymond looked indignantly at the Pillar. It was clear that he didn't believe for a second that Aegreon wanted to help Luna, but he didn't expect his goal to be so despicable. The bodyguard was about to give voice to the indignation he felt, but he held back because they were in the king's presence.

"I thought..." the princess began with her trembling voice.

"It doesn't matter what you think," Yaxun interrupted. "Why doesn't Ardos open the portal himself?"

"I tried to convince him to do a reconnaissance, but he says it's dangerous and that a second invasion won't happen. I tried to gather the other members for a vote, but Clementius was against it. That's why we will need to sneak in and go through the portal stealthily, because if Ardos kills her we, will lose this chance."

"Hmm, I understand... That's why you asked me to keep this a secret..."

"Will you help us?"

Yaxun remained silent and pondered the matter.

While the king did not answer, everyone enjoyed the succulent banquet. Shiina devoured meats and drank the sweet wine.

As for Raymond, although he liked meat, he only ate fruits and drank chocolate, as, out of respect for the princess, he did not eat anything animal in her presence.

Luna forced herself to eat the fruits and consumed them slowly and dispiritedly, with a slight expression of disgust due to all that meat in front of her. As for drinks, she set aside both the wine and the chocolate drink.

All the appetite she had felt had disappeared after hearing Aegreon's words. When he saved her in Fordurn and told her his plan, a small ember of hope had arisen in her heart, and now her expectations had been completely trampled on by him. It was as if the Goddess Kura herself would not allow her to feel the slightest bit of happiness.

Sariel, as well as the princess, set aside all meat and enjoyed the beans.

"Why don't you try the beans? They are a salty food, I'm sure you will enjoy them, since fruits are sweet." he said after seeing how discouraged Luna was.

Luna took the beans and looked at them with curiosity.

"Are they good?"

"Wonderful! I always take a few kilos with me on trips, since it's hard to find something salty that isn't of animal origin."

"I see... So, you don't eat anything animal either."

"Of course, how could I if I can also talk to them?"

"Ah, you're right. I didn't think about that." The princess looked at the plate of beans again and took a spoonful.

Luna brought the spoon to her mouth and tried the bean with apprehension, and the next moment, an expression of astonishment followed by happiness appeared on her face. Then, she simply devoured the entire plate, completely forgetting her royal manners.

"It's delicious!" she exclaimed with her mouth still full.

Thanks to that simple salty dish, she completely forgot how betrayed she had felt just a moment ago.

"Haha! I knew you would like it! Before we leave, I will make sure to get a good amount to take with us."

"I will arrange for the best shipments for you," Yaxun said after a prolonged silence.

"And what about my request?" Aegreon insisted.

"I will have to organize an assembly to investigate your request, I will call an extraordinary meeting as soon as possible. In the meantime, I will provide you with rooms to stay in and the free will to visit wherever you want" The king looked at the princess. "except you."

"Why?" Raymond asked.

"Well, do I need to say why? They will exterminate her without hesitation if they find out she is an angel. I only didn't kill her because of Aegreon's request. Besides, I don't want someone of your race wandering around my kingdom without being watched."

"Then it's enough for me to be with her at all times," Sariel suggested. "I can use Illusion Magic too, so I can change her appearance."

"Still, I'm not comfortable with an assassin wandering around my kingdom."

The princess listened to the entire conversation, tightly clutching the fabric of her pants and keeping her head down. All the joy that the beans had provided had, once again, been crushed.

"It's better to measure your..." Raymond began.

"Just assign someone you trust to accompany us," Sariel interrupted.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Only Kura will know when she can simply kill my people."

"With me around?" Sariel asked. "Have you already forgotten the beating I gave Aegreon?"

The Pillar stared at the traveler but said nothing.

Yaxun thought for a while when he finally gave in.

"Tsc, what a hell..."

Then, he got up from his seat and walked over to a large table with several documents on it. Then, he brought his hand to a floating brown stone and pressed it for a few seconds.

After a while, the door they had entered through opened, revealing a beautiful woman dressed in green clothes.

"I'm here, father."