Marlene

“Foot soldiers, forward! Protect the backlines with your lives! Mages, cast your Conflagration! Burn their lines to the ground! Knights! Prepare to chase and surround them! Do not let any of these filthy demons escape!”

Marlene smiled as she watched her underlings do their work. She didn't have to do a thing other than yelling her orders from the top of her horse.

Perfect. They’re moving just as I want them to.

Their defeat a few months ago didn’t reduce their morale or coordination in the slightest. They’re still as elite and perfect as well.

The counter-invasion had begun. The human Alliance, mustering around 100,000 soldiers strong, had launched a surprise attack into the mithril mines that had been occupied by the demons. 70,000 came from the 7 city-states, while the other 30,000 came from the Church.

The demon forces who held the territory numbered only in the 10,000. They never stood a chance.

“Now, mages! Cast your Thunderstorm! Don’t let those flyers near our troops at any cost!”

Arborea’s forces, led by Marlene, consisted of 4,000 mages, 1,000 horse knights, 3,500 foot soldiers, and 500 hired adventurers, give or take.

Her composition was certainly unique, as it was so topsided towards the mages. Normally, an army wouldn’t want such a composition, since mages needed so much time to prepare their attacks, making them vulnerable to archers and horse riders of the opposing side. However, she was a prime believer in the superiority of magic over anything else, no doubt due to her heritage. And she was there to protect them if her “meatshields” failed to protect them.

The skies darkened, firing off lightning after lightning over the flying demons who were trying to approach her troops. The Thunderstorm she ordered was created by all of those 4,000 mages. It was named Synchronized Casting. Using their joined mana pool of many low-tier mages (the majority of said mages couldn’t even cast any spells beyond Intermediate-level), they could cast a Master-level spell like Thunderstorm without fail.

Oh, she could take care of those flyers herself, of course. But why would she waste her mana to trash like them?

“Alright, finish them off! Create a Grand Tornado to chase after the running ones! Knights, foot soldiers, retreat at once!”

Grand Tornado was the common name for the Master-level Wind spell that conjured a massive swirling wind with a radius of a mile. It was quite the dangerous spell, considering that you could end up killing yourself with it if you cast it too close to where you were.

But, Marlene trained her mages well. She would have an expedition with all her mages once a year where she would demand them to cast spells over and over until they were completely dry. She would even tell them to kill S-rank monsters in the process.

As for the other part of her army, well, she couldn’t care less.

When the wind died down, the battlefield became quiet.

They had won. And they didn’t even have to use their full strength.

Only Arborea and Fontaine faced the demon forces head to head. The rest stayed back in reserve, waiting if the main army, led by the Demon King, were to appear.

Speaking of Fontaine…

“You idiot! Why did you do that?!”

Marlene groaned. Oh great, it’s the nagging elf again.

She turned her horse to the side and saw a dark-skinned, redheaded elven woman standing with her hands placed on her waist.

Clearly, she was upset.

Natalie val Fernstein. The general of Fontaine's army. A soft-hearted fool who should not be on the battlefield.

"My soldiers! You didn't let them get away before you summoned that tornado of yours! Do you know how many just died from your stupidity?!"

"They're expendable, are they not? I don't see the problem."

"You!" She walked forward towards Marlene, wanting to yank her off her high horse, both figuratively and literally.

Only for the mage to respond by blasting her with a wind spell, sending her flying a distance away.

Pathetic. How can a general be that weak? She's supposed to be an expert swordswoman too. What a joke.

In Marlene's head, she considered herself to be the strongest woman amongst all the city-states, only rivaled by Lionfang from Korlopur and Malakath from Kanaan. And even those two couldn't compete with her magic.

"You! How dare you do that to our commander?" One of her underlings said, drawing her weapon. The others soon followed. Naturally, this meant Marlene's own soldiers had to draw their blades as well.

She wasn't afraid, of course. Fontaine had been the weakest city state for a long time. If push came to shove…

"Alright, you two, knock it off. We're here to fight against a common enemy, aren't we? Gahahahaha!"

Marlene sighed. For this one, she had to be a bit more courteous.

"Oh, it's you, Lionfang." She moved her horse to face him. "Why are you here?"

Lionfang Stormbeard. A middle-aged man with bushy sideburns akin to a lion. His other title, The Mountain Breaker. With that large double-sided axe of his, he cut down the mountainous region of his territory to make way for roads and farmlands.

He was supposed to be the descendant of Gom The Dwarf. I could see that with his axe but he's definitely 100% human. He's too tall to have any dwarven blood in him.

He's a terrifying warrior to be sure. I could win if I have a good enough distance from him, but in close range, not a chance.

"Just checking on you two!" He grinned, showing two missing teeth. "Or rather, I am bored just sitting around doing nothing. That Balthazar guy ain't coming."

Climbing down her horse, Marlene continued her conversation.

"We should push forward. I prefer being as close to the heart of his territory before nighttime falls."

"S-Sir Lionfang!"

Marlene groaned. Here we go again.

The dark elf had a painfully obvious crush on the man, even though he already had four wives and seven children. How shameless.

Smiling shyly, the dark elf then said, "S-Sir Lionfang! Lady Relfatia—"

She stopped mid-sentence, thanks to the man raising his hand.

"Casualties are acceptable in combat. Nothing worth fighting is fought without losses. Go, my dear dark elf, and tend to your wounded troops. No need to argue with the lady."

"O-of course, Sir!"

Giving him a salute, the dark elf promptly left, though not before giving Marlene a glare.

I wonder how her soldiers feel, being ordered around by an incompetent buffoon like her. She's not the descendant of Tulsi, the Legendary Ranger who founded Fontaine. She's just an outsider. The real descendant chose to be a trader instead.

Pathetic.

"I'll leave the clean-up to my underlings." Marlene declared. "We should talk strategy now with the others."

"Agreed." Lionfang slammed his fists together, grinning. "Stay on the offense, as you say."

As the two left the frontlines, Marlene could not help having a tiny, little smirk on her pretty face.

Good. This is proceeding exactly as I have planned.

They didn't know at all that I'm going to bring them to an ambush.

Oh yes, the lack of soldiers here is all part of the plan. To bait them into a false sense of security, thinking they have the advantage.

Little did they know that the Demon Lord is already ready for them.

And when the trap is sprung…

Only Arborea will remain from the ashes.

--------

"Hmmm… hmmmmmm…"

"Ah, what joy! What wonderful joy! My little sprout's prediction is completely correct! Once again, a human man breaks the heart of an Izurd!"

The Minister of Summer was celebrating merrily, dancing a fresh pirouette of flowers with her attendants singing along. A hurricane of flowers followed her every ballet, her dress showing a generous amount of thighs, but not so much that she exposed herself.

The Archfey of A Thousand Summers was known to be a beautiful, alluring nymph in many tales after all.

She had just finished her investigation of the boy named Hugo. Visiting the Great Fairy Forest, she asked around the feys living there, until eventually, she found the pair of feys the boy had made a contract with. She then ordered them to tell her everything they knew about him, and since she was an archfey, they were compelled to obey her every word, to the point of forgetting her visit to them. It would be a different matter if they had become his familiar, since it meant their souls would be bound to his, but since they were still free fairies, they were under the authority of the Four Ministers and their Queen, Titania.

Now that she knew his name and how he looked, and his personality, she could scry him at her leisure from her summer throne.

And what a discovery she found.

The kid! He's sleeping with another woman!

She embraces him, coddles him, lets him play with her bosom, and even pleasures his genitals!

Ooooh, I can't wait! More! I want more brokenhearted Izurds in my collection!

Their despair, mixed with their undying love… oooh, their fruit is so so very delicious!

She stopped her dance and looked at the giant tree on the top of the nearby hill.

She was inside of her so-called Throne of Summer, which was the flowery hills she was always seen in.

And there, a giant tree resided, obscured from view by the Archfey from anyone else other than her.

It was the tree that grew out of Quania's memories.

That girl's memories will be mine as well! And I can have another tree! I'll place it right beside her grandmother's tree!

She bursted into a giggling fit.

Tonight, she would pay that Sherry girl a visit.

--------

Sherry

W-what? Where… where am I?

This is… a flower field?

...Wait, have I been here before?

"Hello!"

Sherry looked up and saw a whirlwind of flowers in the air. The whirlwind then died down, revealing a dark-skinned woman in a red dress with giant butterfly wings on her back.

It hit her at once.

"You… you're that fairy!"

"Yes! I am that fairy. The guardian fairy of the Izurds. I am also known as the Minister of Summer and the Nymph of Solstice. Pleased to meet you again, little Sherry." She covered her mouth and giggled.

She was floating nonchalantly mid-air, with her legs raised and her arms hugging her knees. At this angle, Sherry could almost look up her dress.

She didn't seem to be bothered by it though.

"What do you want?" Sherry frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "This is my dream, isn't it?"

"Correct!" The fey clapped her hands together. "You are perceptive, aren't you?"

She then floated further away. "What I'm here for is to show you this."

She snapped her finger.

And suddenly, their surroundings changed.

"W-what?"

They were now standing in the middle of a tiny camp. Three tents surrounded a bonfire, which lighten up the darkness that enclosed the grounds.

The archfey snapped her finger once more, turning two tents into a bed of flowers.

Only one remained.

"Enter." The fairy smirked. "If you dare."

Sherry looked at her with suspicious eyes. What is this, some fey trickery? Fran told me not to trust her.

Still, her heartbeat began to rise. Somehow, she could feel that whatever lied inside that tent—was not something she would like to see.

Walking forward, she opened the flaps.

Only to freeze at what she saw.

"Ooh, Lord Hugo… *slurp* Your manhood… *slurp* It's so large and warm…"

A woman was on her knees, servicing a young man with her lips.

A young man she knew all too well.

"H-Hugo! Y-you—"

"F-Felicia, you're too good at this… I-I can't—"

"Let it all out *slurp* I want it *slurp* all your seed…"

"Haah… it's… it's coming out!"

Sherry couldn't see it physically but just by his expression, she knew he had ejaculated.

Right into the mouth of another woman.

A woman that wasn't her.

The woman sat, white fluids dripping down her lips, trailing down her large, exposed chest.

"Thank you for the meal, Milord." She smirked, licking her lips. "That was delicious."

That was the trigger that set the volcano off.

Sherry's hair fired forward, grabbing the woman by her waist, hands, and neck.

Or, that's what it would do if she wasn't incorporeal.

"This is a vision, not the real thing." She heard the fairy's voice. A small version of her had landed on her shoulder, sitting with a grin at the unfolding event. "A memory of your lover's escapades while you were training so hard for his sake."

"H-Hugo… he's… he's…"

They weren't finished. The woman then slid off the rest of her dress, winking at the youth before squeezing her breasts with her hands. Grinning, the young man took her offer. He grabbed the pair and massaged them, all the while the woman moaned from the pleasure.

"Y-you… get away… get away from him…"

"Your breasts are so soft as always, Felicia!" Hugo grinned. "Aahh, how nice it is to have a girlfriend with large breasts like you… I can never do this with Sherry for sure!"

"That's right, Milord. You don't need her when you already have me~♥"

"S-stop… please… stop…"

Tears began to fall from Sherry's eyes. Her entire body shook as her anger, jealousy, and despair overcame her. Her hands tightly clenched themselves, turning pale white in the process.

"You're right." Hugo chuckled, caressing the woman's hair. "I don't need that moody, baboon girl anymore. I much prefer a mature, elegant woman like you, Felicia."

"B-baboon?" Sherry's voice croaked.

"Let's get married then, Milord." The woman smirked, wrapping her arms around his back. "We'll then go to her place to tell her the good news."

"Oh, we can do that." Hugo smirked back. "I owe her that much."

Sherry had seen enough.

She bolted out of the tent, running as far away as she could from the scene.

All the while leaving a trail of tears behind her.

The archfey snapped her fingers, switching the scenery back to her flower fields. A victorious smile adorned her face when she manifested back in her normal size.

Another lovely broken heart… How beautiful…

She bought my little embellishments hook and sinker…

Like grandmother… like granddaughter…

--------

Marina

"Come! Ygdrassil!"

I tapped my staff to the ground. With a loud creaking sound, the Great Tree swiftly grew itself into existence in front of me.

I was now inside the usual forest where I would go to test my spells. It was the most ideal place to do so, as the land's mana was in abundance and it was far away from any civilization.

I took a deep, plentiful sigh. Here we go. If this doesn't work…

"Don't worry, Miss! It will work! I know it will!"

"Nysa is right! You're a genius after all!"

My two summons were on my side. Or, I should say, familiars. My High Fairy had offered herself to be one some time back when she learned I required her help in creating Perfect Yggdrasil.

Reluctantly, I took her offer. I didn’t want to bind her soul permanently to mine, but she insisted.

Her true name was Ur Cheddarwood in human tongue, evolving into a Guardian Fairy in the process. A Guardian Fairy is around the same strength and size as a Great Fairy, with the difference that the former focuses more on its martial prowess. She now wields a sword and a shield.

Why did I need them two, you might ask? Simple. I needed them to channel the power of nature properly through Yggdrasil during the process of me evolving it into Perfect Yggdrasil.

"Get to your positions." I ordered.

"Right away, Ma'am!"

I waited until they perfectly merged with the Great Tree before activating my transformation spell, turning myself into a dryad. Or rather, half of one. To cast Perfect Yggdrasil, I needed to be in a hybrid transformation form, so I could keep my full magic capabilities and gain the abilities of the dryad.

I then entered the tree as well, carrying my staff in the process.

Now, let the ritual begin.

"O Great Divine Tree! I call upon thee as your grand priestess! Reach your roots deep into the Earth and tap into the very lifeblood of this planet!"

I paused my chanting momentarily, reaching deep into my wooden surroundings.

I could feel it, the roots growing down and down and down through the soil.

Good. Phase 1 is complete. Moving on to Phase 2.

"O Great Divine Tree! Strengthen yourself with the blessings of the Earth! And feed yourself with my essences and my underlings' as well!"

Here is the dangerous part, strengthening the tree so it can take the stress from its hyper-accelerated growth.

I could feel it, the tree sucking into my mana, my familiars' mana, and the mana of the surrounding land.

Urghh… must… focus… concentrate… spread the power so it won't implode on itself…

…

…

…

Good. I think… I think this should be enough.

Now for Phase 3.

"O… Great… Tree…" I panted, feeling weakness throughout my entire body. "May your roots… spread through the land… reaching down… even to the Underworld itself…"

It's… it's going! The roots! They're going further and further in! Piercing through the hard rock layer like butter!

"O Great Tree! Go forth! And claim the bounty of the Earth for yourself! As your priestess, I beseech you!"

I unleashed all my remaining strength—all my mana.

And then…

This is—!

A surge of power entered my body, or rather, the tree's body.

"Aahhhh!"

I screamed, overwhelmed by the energy I just tapped. Swiftly, I turned off the valves before I lost my control entirely.

"Haa… haa… haa… haa…"

If I were outside the tree, I would've been on my knees for sure. But since I was inside it, I was tethered in place by the tree's roots who wrapped themselves around me.

Now… slowly… I open the valve… and sense the pulse of the leyline…

Reaching back into the tree, I asserted my control over the roots. As carefully as I could, I let them absorb the power the leyline possessed. Just a little bit.

Hmm, this would take me a while. I need to do as the book says.

And so, I remained inside the tree for hours that day, sensing and charting the energy inside the leyline. Or perhaps it was days. I couldn't tell. I was sustained by the tree and I had no need to go outside. I didn't need to drink, eat, or go to the bathroom. In my dryad form, I could feed on mana comfortably.

When I had my result, however, I was struck with complete and utter disbelief.

...No. That can't be!

This… this is impossible!

This static flow… far too unnatural to happen on its own… and these shapes, reminiscent of runes…

They're… they're drawing a gigantic magic circle underneath the continent! Right inside the leylines!

What I learned that day… was a threat far beyond my imagining.

---

A/N:

And here begins Marina's troubles.