Despair: Peril At The Mansion
With the flower now destroyed, Marcus's eyes regained their color. Now he seemed aware of his actions and movements. He was now in control of his body and consciousness.
The flower shriveled up and died on the spot. Its whole body turned into a pile of colored ashes.
When Marcus regained control of his body, he was still in the line of fire from Reina's ice swords. There was no time to be confused or ask questions about how he got there. He had to get out of the way and throw away the sword that was covered in frost, lest he lose his arm.
This time, the sword took longer to freeze because it was enchanted with magic. However, it was close to touching his hand.
"Old man... I'm glad you're back to your senses."
Marcus placed his palm on his forehead like he was suffering from a major headache. A sheen of sweat shone on his cheek, probably from all the high-speed movements and fighting.
"...Old man, huh?!"
Before he could even collect himself, the first thing he said was a reprimand for Krai. Even in such a situation, being called an old man was something he wouldn't let slide.
"Ahh... I mean, Sir Marcus. Yeah, that's what I meant... Hehehe."
There was a light exchange of heartwarming banter between the two of them. For a moment, they forgot about what had just happened.
It eased their nerves from all the tension.
"For some reason, I feel like I injured Lady Reina." He said.
His palm was still on his forehead, and he examined the surroundings. In front of him was Krai, along with the dead flower ashes, and when he turned his gaze to the back, that's when he saw Reina.
"Lady Reina!"
He rushed to her side and found her passed out on the ground, missing an arm. She lost a lot of blood to the point where now she could no longer master the will to force her body to stay operational. Or maybe since Marcus was back to his senses, there was no longer a need to stay awake.
He crouched down and carried her in his arms. She still had her pulse, and the amount of blood she lost was not life-threatening; luckily, she acted fast when stopping the bleeding. However, the blood loss was enough to make her body weak. She went to sleep to save energy and produce more blood.
"What happened?" Inquired Marcus.
Krai came closer to him with his head slouched down like he feared telling Marcus he was the reason for harming her, even though it was technically not his fault.
But a proud man like Marcus would not consider such trivial excuses.
"When we were about to go home, you started acting strange, and before we knew it, you had attacked master Reina, cutting her arm off."
"..."
There was no need to explain any further because when he held Reina in his hands, and Krai explained the synopsis of the situation, memories of the events that had transpired when he was being controlled flooded his mind.
The man didn't respond. He just looked down at Reina's face. He wasn't sad or frustrated about what Krai just told him; rather, he was angry and disappointed with himself for causing harm to the person he was supposed to protect and for letting himself be controlled.
He gritted his teeth, trying not to wail.
He may have looked 50ish in his old age, but the face he made would shatter a man's heart.
"We need to hurry home so we can help her."
"Right."
They gathered themselves up and prepared to go home. However, the small relief they felt when they finally succeeded and the brief moment of lament they felt when preparing to go home was disrupted by an even greater threat.
Suddenly, a large amount of mana coursed through the entire woods. Not just the part where they were, but the whole woods.
Even the village of the elves deep in the Zeus Woods was in disarray from the mana they felt. They were in shock, and some were frightened because they knew what was causing such a large influx of mana.
So their fear was mixed with a little puzzlement, for they had done nothing to anger it.
To Krai and Marcus, the mana was so intense it sent a cold shiver down their spines. All they could feel from the mana was anger and sadness at the same time, much greater than the ones they felt at the moment.
You killed them!
A voice resounded in their heads, not just Krai's; in fact, the voice was that of a woman this time, and it resounded in everyone's heads.
You killed them!
Say my name, master!
Then the original voice in Krai's head returned.
Between the manly voice that ushered warnings and requests to say its name and the voice that dished out chilling lines, he was confused which voice he must listen to.
They fought for his attention.
From behind them, where the flower's ashes lay, mana started to converge around that spot, and the ashes rose in a spiral form, spinning around without any wind.
Krai looked on as the mana and ashes performed their dance, breath catching in his throat, not daring to move one inch.
He couldn't move; the mana had him paralyzed, and he dared not blink as well.
Marcus quickly got on his guard, sensing that something was not right about the phenomena happening in front of them.
Without even realizing it, Marcus had already placed Reina on Krai's back.
"Ahh!"
"You need to run."
Before he could even ask why, Marcus placed Reina on his back, and he commanded him to run. Marcus took the sword on his waist.
The sudden interaction with Marcus broke him from his paralysis.
"What do you mean? Let's run together!"
"I'm staying here.... Whatever is coming is dangerous, and I have to protect you two... I won't let harm come to you again."
He drew the sword he took from Krai and stood, staring at the cause of their panic.
"No!"
"Do not fret, young Krai... I'll be returning soon. You go before me, okay?"
He gave Krai a comforting smile, as if accepting the fate that was about to befall them. The smile was effective on an old man's face. Krai had no choice but to comply and run. He went into the forest and disappeared, leaving Marcus alone standing guard at the route they took.
That face. That's the face of someone who plans on dying, he thought.
"Tch!"
He clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth once again at his uselessness. In his mind, he was truly useless.
A female figure appeared in the mana convergence spot. Seeing it, Marcus understood everything.
Sorry, young Krai. My lady. It was not my intention to lie. He thought. But at least I'll buy you time to get far away from here.
He apologized to the imaginary Reina and Krai in his head. He closed his eyes for a moment and wore a slight grin on his face. This was done as a way of accepting the situation before he could engage in battle.
The grin was that of a battle junkie, but one with anxiety and worry.
☆☆☆
"Are the troops ready yet?"
"Yes, my lord. We're just awaiting your word."
"Good."
A chubby man, whose name is Count Juliq Herlon, was conversing with a tall butler at his side, whose name is Edmund. They stood in the front yard of a big mansion, the kind only nobles own or influential merchants. Even Reina's mansion was small compared to this one.
It can be compared to four football fields stacked on top of and against each other.
They got into a fancy carriage that sat in front of them and headed outside the mansion.
"What a great night to get back what rightfully belongs to me... Reina, the time has come."
The count stared at the sky through the window of the carriage as they drove off. He stared at the rising moon with a smile on his face, a smile that one would see on someone happy about the future.
☆☆☆
In front of Reina's mansion, two demi-human guards were stationed alongside two men who appeared to be adventurers as the gate's security.
The demihumans were a bunny man and a wolf man.
The hearing of the bunny man and the sense of smell and sight of the wolf man made them the perfect combo to guard the mansion efficiently.
Not to mention their sense of danger.
It would be hard to invade the territory under their watch.
They stood at the sides of the gate on the inside of the mansion. The other two adventurers stood with them.
For a nation dominated by a lot of discrimination against demihumans, they all were talking and being chummy with each other on a level that could be considered more than being acquaintances.
There was no hint of animosity in their conversation.
"Come on! You could never beat a demihuman in physical combat." The wolf-man spoke.
"He's right, you know. Even if we included magic, which would put you at an advantage, I doubt you would best us." The rabbit-man added.
They spoke highly and mightily about their power in physical combat and how they would dominate the human adventurers they were stationed with. They wore light armor with metal plates. This is to facilitate their agility and not to dampen their sense of touch.
They are beasts after all.
"Tch! The number one adventure is Reina, A human. Which means humans can beat you in magic."
One of the adventurers said, trying to build his case. He used their master, Reina, whom they respect as an example.
This made it hard for them to dispute his claim.
"Yes, but you're not Reina, nor are you good with magic."
The second adventurer made fun of the other adventurer.
"Hey, you should be on my side!"
"Hahaha!"
They all laughed hysterically. They were arguing about who would win in a fight between the four of them, and it turned into a fun moment of laughter for the other three, while the other adventurer felt embarrassed.
The laughing was defined, and if it continued, the man might have cried, but luckily, he was saved from a night of embarrassment, or maybe not.
As they continued to laugh, a different sound emanated from amongst them, the sound of gurgling and struggling.
When they checked to see who or what was going on, they saw the rabbit man lying on the ground with his throat slit.
He held his throat trying to stop the pouring blood, but his hands were drowned in it.
He fell to the ground, and before the other three reacted, the wolf man was the next to fall victim to the same attack.
They were stunned by the sight in front of them, causing a moment of confusion which the assailant took advantage of to take out the wolf-man next.
Take out the strongest ones first. That's what the assailant must have planned.
This time, the two remaining adventurers were quick to react to the situation, but would find that it was all pointless.
They got ready for a fight the moment the wolf man fell to the ground and stood back to back. One held a sword and the other a staff.
In their minds, standing like that, they would protect each other's backs, but the assailant didn't attack from the back as he had before. This time, he attacked from the side.
You could smell the fear oozing from them, and the sound of their heartbeat resounded in the quiet night.
By how he managed to get the jump on the two demihuman guards, this man must be good at hiding his presence; not even a whiff of bloodlust was detected from him.
As the two adventurers gazed back and forth in all directions, a man appeared from the side with a knife at both their necks. That's how they noticed his position, by the cold feel of his knives, ready to take their heads.
They gasped, and before they knew it, they too fell to the ground, holding their necks and gurgling blood.
In mere moments, the laughter they shared was taken away, and in the end, the adventurer was indeed saved from an embarrassing moment, but at the cost of his life. At the cost of everybody's life.
Over them stood Vevil, who was second to Marcus in the mansion. He stared at the four dead bodies on the ground and spoke into a crystal ball that fitted into his palm perfectly.
"The gate is open, my lord."
The crystal ball glowed as if it were receiving his message, and then it glowed back again, receiving another voice coming from the other side.
"Good... What of Reina? What's the status on the men we sent into the forest?"
"I fear the mission may have failed."
"Hmm! I see."
"Don't worry, my lord, Reina and Marcus have not returned yet... No one will get in your way."
"Very good... If all goes according to plan, you'll be handsomely rewarded."
The conversation ended, and he put the crystal ball back into his chest of drawers. He wore a satisfied grin and walked back, heading in the direction of the house.
He left the dead bodies there, not even trying to conceal his treachery and murder.
☆☆☆
I have to get home quickly. She's getting heavier by the second!
In the forest, Krai was running for his life and Reina's. He was panting and running as fast as he could. Reina was piggybacked on his back the same way Marcus had placed her before.
Her arm was hanging from his right shoulder in front, her hair was messy from falling to the ground, and the cold, dripping water from the ice block on her wound didn't make things easier; it only increased his nervousness.
She was breathing faintly, and her pulse was already weak. If the ice melts and she loses more blood, she will die.
"Stay with me, master. We're gonna get you home, and Veda is going to heal you."
He talked to the unconscious Reina on his back, assuring her that they would get home without any trouble. Or maybe he was trying to make himself feel better and not lose his mind over the situation.
"Everything will be fine... Hehe."
He even let out a light chuckle to lighten the mood. But Reina didn't respond. She lay there on his back, arm hanging on his shoulder, ice melting on his other shoulder, and breath slowly catching in her lungs.
There was truly no time to waste; he had to run fast and get her home.
Finally, after some time, he had reached the end of the woods. Now, only a few 100 meters left to get to the mansion.
He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Sweat was beginning to build up on his forehead, not from all the running, but from the stress and anxiety. Running at high speed was no problem for him; his training was paying off in that department.
"Almost there. Hold on."
Even this time, he spoke to himself. Maybe he hoped to get a response this time, but it was the same as before.
He pushed Reina up and secured her nicely, and prepared for another sprint to the mansion.
☆
Reaching the mansion's gate, he was met with dead bodies and a large number of horse and human footprints coming from outside, leading to the inside, but he didn't notice them. They were not hidden at all. His mind was just not focused on his surroundings.
However, one thing was evident from the moment he arrived at the gate. Even before he reached it, he sniffed the smell of smoke and fire rose from the center of the mansion.
He rushed to the house, panicking.
Bad things were happening one after the other all around him.
He heard screams and crying voices coming from the mansion. Some were pleading for help, and some were joyfully swinging their swords, slashing away at those running.
Before he could even get his bearings, another sight he hoped not to see was unfolding before him.
He got to the front yard of the mansion on fire and saw soldiers standing in front, and a line of women was kneeling before them.
There were no men.
Their cheeks were swollen, and their clothes were covered in dust from the house coming down from its glorious stature.
As he looked around at the row of women, his eyes met Mary's. She was the only one who was on her stomach, with her whole body covered in bruises.
"Master Reina..." She said in a voice that was forced with all the injuries she had.
The name Reina got the attention of the Man who was with his butler in the carriage. His name is Count Herlon Juliq.
He stepped on her and kicked her body while telling her, "I'm your master. You are mine... Hear Me!"
He was enraged but failed to realize something important. Mary wasn't just saying the name Reina as a way to comfort herself. She was in front of her, and she said that because she saw her.
She placed her hand forward as if trying to reach for Krai. She endured the pain and spoke regardless of the beating.
"Please be safe... Teleportation Magic."
"Huh!"
The ignorant man kicking her finally understood why her mood was suddenly happy and relieved, but it was too late. He pointed at Krai, who was bathed in a magic circle, instructing his soldiers to stop them from escaping.
Vevil rushed to them with his short swords drawn. When he slashed them, he slashed empty air. They were not there anymore.
Mary smiled and sank into a semblance of sleep.
From the incident in the Zeus Woods to the mansion incident, Krai's entire family was in jeopardy and about to come to an end.
Can he fix it, or will he come to the same fate as them?
