CHAPTER 56 -AND AUTHORITY-

   LUNA LYRIC

 

   Is that all? I thought to myself, seeing the Vassal who had potential in lasting a few more minutes before her mana ran out. 

 

   A tree… that was what defeated her, a seemingly harmless tree. The anxious feeling that I had earlier had been lost and replaced with disappointment. 

 

   I had thought that with these new powers—the ones that the rat herself made—was going to be stronger than the Espions. Yet, it’s true that they do have more influence over mana and their affinity than the Espions themselves but their experience in real battle is little to none. 

 

   She should’ve changed their ranks if this was going to happen. 

 

   “Lady Luna!” 

 

   It was the elf princess, the one who I had seen in the dungeon’s incident with the basilisk. Compared to then, her aura now is more powerful and more beautiful. As expected of a royal child. 

 

   The princess ran at me with unsureness, she suspected something but it wasn’t something to do with my current mission. The elf—Charlotte if I remember correctly—stopped just a few steps away from me. 

 

   Truth to be told, I had forgotten about her and everything that happened here in Afteon. The moments here that I experienced were drifted into a different place of my mind, when war broke out in Ezar, that was the last thing that I wanted to remember.

 

   Another war after we had been in one, was just truly exhausting. Now hopefully, the war that the future seeing woman—Hannah—had seen is just a hoax and not something that we can’t do without Alter.

 

   Just where are you? 

 

   In my range of possibilities, a certain way I expected him to appear sooner or later. Turning my body to where the familiar aura came from, the blue sky that had the sun almost setting. 

 

   The Espion had been looking from above, flying down like he did before when he received training from Alter just a little more smoother. 

 

   “You sure know how to land now, yes?” I asked with a smile. 

 

   He only stared, not answering my tease. 

 

   “I see you are more tense and stubborn, Espion Ukhac.” As I finished my sentence, the other ones had entered my range of senses too. 

 

   I let out a smile as their aura reflected their own power. It’s been a couple of months and they already have increased their power. 

 

   They’re going to be the greatest powerhouses aside from the Vassals but there seems to be outsiders to this war. My eyes landed on two different people, their levels of power and control was the same if not greater than the Espions. 

 

   The dragon witch didn’t mention any outsiders in this battle, could it be an unknown variable that she couldn’t see? 

 

   Well, it doesn’t matter if they are not enemies and more of an ally to this continent, I hope so at least.

 

   Releasing their aura and energy towards us, the Espions were stronger than they were in the first war. The two generals who accompanied me stood up in front, taking it as an act of defiance or defiance against us three. 

 

   Their weapons had already been drawn and in their respective positions. They would kill the Espions without much effort, that was the reason why I couldn’t let them do it in the first place. 

 

   I closed my eyes, reaching a certain concentration of my mana core and then began to reach into it, releasing not aura but mana. “Calm down you two, remember our current position here and why we were sent here for.” 

 

   Seconds passed before they obliged to my words. On the other hand, the Espions did too when the monarchs of each nation had joined us with their breath being taken away. 

 

   They all had aged—aside from the elf’s representatives—governing their own countries along with rebellious people that had found out about the academy’s attack. Along with the monarchs they too feared a second war against an unknown enemy. 

 

   Seeing as they were speechless to my surprise of a return, I decided to get the ball rolling with a couple of words that I’ve been working on for a while now. 

 

   “Leaders of Afreon, I Luna Lyric, General Lieutenant of the Ezar Kingdom have brought to you by the King and Queen Millguard a great honor.” I spoke with the tone of a true warrior that Lady Millguard had taught me personally. 

 

   Stun to their core, the monarchs stayed quiet with no words in mind. Though I was a general for the kingdom of Londorwin, it didn’t mean that I still had the same feelings of loyalty towards them. The only reason why I obliged to their loyalty was because of Alter’s request of Julie and I to become the peacekeepers. 

 

   However that request has been long overdue since Alter’s ‘death’ and now Julie and I have new plans for this war. 

 

   They are truly a lot of stupidity in the sense of leadership. Having and being known for the titles of King and Queen but still being able to not understand what I had brought them, it really makes me wonder how this continent survived the past wars. 

 

   The old king of the elf’s stepped up and spoke, “Child, if it’s true what you’ve said then that means that you have come back for what reason?” Even though he meant something else his tone was different. Child? No you are wrong, a child is a being who is naive about combat and blood shed. I said to myself, but I wanted to say it out loud.

 

   Clearly being betrayed by my emotions, Dale Bamford stood back a foot before gaining his own confidence to ask one more question that irritated me. One that even the dragon generals were enraged that a human, a being who is an ant to them, had released the words of their young master. 

 

   “If you are here, then where is General Alter? And Espion Juliette Riley?” 

 

   Both reptiles led out their aura and placed it on top of the people who weren’t me. Espion, Royalty, even the Vassals who were knocked out earlier fell and were unable to stand up. “You dare…a mere mortal saying the name of the young master?” Someissoa expressed hatred for his young master’s name being said in vain. 

 

   “Someissoa, I recommend for you to calm down.” I said with my hand in the air to my side. His mouth opened to rebound his thoughts in the matter but I continued. “I too understand your feelings, them of all people should they not say his name when they were the ones who hunted him down, but that is past the point now.” 

 

   With fury in my voice, at any moment I would let go of the restraints of chains that I had right now and leave them with the taste of real power, but I can’t do that not now. 

 

   I had to cool down too, it would be ironic if I did what I told Someissoa not to do. 

 

   Now what’s left to do is… 

 

   Moving my head to the direction of the monarch’s position, I spoke in a very clear and direct manner. “If we are going to talk here, I would’ve said something a long time ago and not have been wasting time.” My eyes met with theirs, even the Espions and the Vassals alike. “Let’s go somewhere more private, the matters I’m about to discuss are of importance to this continent’s survival.” I finished. 

 

   “Y-yes I think that’s a good idea,” answered the demi-human queen waving at the Espions to pick up and heal the Vassals. 

 

   Ukhac stared at me for long stretches of time before finally getting a hint of his orders, not bowing he turned his back and headed to where the blue haired girl was. The others did the same, without much effort in showing their emotions, I would’ve thought that they had matured a little. 

 

   Yet the only way for a kid to mature is to get a better understanding of their own life and role in this world. Play powerful and you will lose your most important role and people, play nothing but civilians and watch those who want to be more die for no reason or meaning at all. 

 

   Power and authority, they are very much different as they are the same. 

 

   The monarchs began to walk while the three of us envoys followed with no precaution at all, sure they would have strong people but to beings like us who molded a different source for mana, are nothing more than weaker predators. 

 

   As we walked, I viewed my surroundings to my memory as an Espion. Many familiar faces with different posts while there were others who I didn’t know with posts I was familiar with. 

 

   In the end, I asked myself the question of whether this place has changed or not. Sure, the four kingdoms might have different rules and views but more than that I don’t know. 

 

   I stopped myself before digging a bigger hole than the one I’m currently in. I can’t concern myself with something I can’t control, with or without power. 

 

   Being first, the eight monarchs of each kingdom, stepped upon the room where they hold their important meetings. Where even when I was an Espion general wasn’t allowed to enter without permission. 

 

   However, now I was no longer an Espion but a lieutenant of the dragon army of the Millguards’. Lady Sytairirth had personally taken the position of training me, physically, mentally and emotionally. With my newly acquired skills and knowledge, I needed someone who could teach me the ways to use them. 

 

   Even during the first few invasions between the Elementals and the Dragons, she would teach me certain techniques and tactics without fail. Never too much or never too little, always showing me the perfect amount of time for me to learn them and to be able to use them. 

 

   The round table made of carestine wood—the tree that I threw that blue haired Vassal—with ten chairs around it. Bamfords sat next to the Laswells, and the StoneHarts were sitting alongside the Oskars. 

 

   Dale Bamford was seated individually, seemingly holding his own ground in all of this strange situation while the others were in complete chaos in their minds. 

 

   I, on the other hand, was alone. Facing all of the kings and queens with no regard for their status like the Millguards. Someissoa and Froghyrth stood behind me like bodyguards instead of envoys. 

 

   The King of Londorwin was first to speak, his tone was that of a scared child whom he knew what he had done wrong and was waiting to be punished for it. 

 

   “L-Luna, why are you here…” he trailed off, looking at both humanoid dragons behind me. When he was content with his spectating, King Cain turned his eyes to mine. With regard to speaking out of pure misery and being scared to let out something that might anger the dragon generals. “…with these fine gentlemen in Afreon? I had thought that you, Juliette Riley, and Alter Violet would be in a different…world.”

 

   Calmly, I let both of my eyelids go down with a relaxed manner before answering the King’s question. 

 

   I took my time to think about the words that would be appropriate to use, after all, the Kings and Queens needed information about the Dimensions now that they know it’s true and not a fairy tale like they thought it was. Worse case they would try to make it their own one way or another, even if it meant selling the souls of this continent for it.

 

   They think that with their authority power can be achieved through the titleholder but that is not how it works, having authority means having control over what is in their range of the title. These people don’t have the authority or even the power to dictate these people—of this continent—to doom hell. 

 

   Some of these people don’t even have mana rings, much less knowledge about mana. However, if planning to kill and invade the other dimensions with the people of this continent is a contract with death directly. 

 

   Like…ants against humans. 

 

   It was a saying that Alter would say when we were at war with the basilisk, when we Espions didn’t have mana rings or intelligence over it. 

 

   It’s not entirely impossible for them to win but it’s not 100% accurate to say. At most they would survive the attack against the monster from the outside but beyond that would be a one sided fight. 

   

   No, I’m going to leave this thought aside but not entirely. With that in mind, I pushed it aside and continued with the conversation. 

 

   “Well, King Cain. Other monarchs, that is true. Juliette, and I have been residing in a different dimension if you will correctly identify…” my eyes dragged around those who were present, including the aura of the Vassals outside. “I will come clean. The reason why we came here was because of an alliance between the continent of Afreon and the people from Ezar. The queen and king personally sent us and requested us for it.” 

 

   Silence… that was the only thing there was, everyone was quiet about the situation that was dropped on the table. I predicted that it was going to take a while for it to sink in. 

 

   Charlotte was the first to question my words, along with the other members. 

 

   Murmurs about how this benefited them filled the void of the room, quite literally I started to fall asleep with tiredness entering my eyes and muscles. 

 

   ‘Lady Luna, I suggest that you take this matter seriously.’ Spoke Froghyrth through the communication linked between us envoys. Someissoa mentally agreed, I pictured him nodding something that I found very interesting about.

 

   But I started to ponder over the ways that these bastards would get here in Afreon. Hannah didn’t give me details about how they would get here or how many they were, all she said was that they would be here to wage war and sink this continent along with those who are fighting and those who are not. 

 

   To me it seemed that she was hiding something aside from what she was letting on, some major detail that is likely the key point to their success in being here. 

 

   If Dimgaze’s army would have a full assault force in movement, it would mean that we should expect some mixed race warriors in their ranks. 

 

   “Espion—“ 

 

   “Espion no longer, I am only Luna Lyric.” I rebutted with a sense of urgency that we get this meeting done with. 

 

   King Stonehart gave me a hatred filled feeling; he was clearly mad about something, but I didn’t think it was relevant. The queens were mostly in fear when they met the generals in the worst way, as temporary enemies against the Vassals. On the other hand, some kings were still skeptical about my arrival with unknown intentions. 

 

   “Why the sudden alliance? I mean not that I’m doubting this topic but why us?” Queen Oskar questioned, motioning her hands in circles and saying, “What is truly going on…no my bad I was asking the wrong question. What is going to happen to this continent for other beings to worry so bad about it?”