Chapter 24: [Behind Closed Curtains.]
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Announcement
This feels more like a behind the scenes than anything.

-Meanwhile-

// Dealing with uncertainties //

As Prince Lance was sent to communicate to deal with the demon-kin that have arrived in their territory. Esla and the knight captain were searching for Estel's traces using a device with pieces of jewel used to shield her from harm.

It was made for a single purpose.
Which is to find parts of the missing pieces of the jewel as only half of it were present, along with the missing setting where the jewel is held.

As they thread the forest, a few hours had passed they sooner found it...
Underneath the dirt is its rusted piece along with a few fragments of the jewel itself.

"Looks like she was here...
Shall we expand the search?" Seid ask.

The Knight captain then said.
"It would be wise to speak with the leader of this territory.
We are in unknown lands, not to mention the opponents are being cautious."

Esla returns flying downwards toward them.
After she landed her black scaly wings fluttered as it retracts to her bare back as it disappeared from everyone's sight.

She then said in annoyance.

"Tch!, cowards.
All of them."

The knight captain then said.
"I take, they fled the moment you came after them?" Esla nods.

"I already felt their presence the moment we left, the capital.
I thought my sense's were fooling me, but now they are like annoying flies." She said in annoyance then exhaled to calm herself.

"How goes the search?" she asks.

The knight captain then reached to her hand then placed the metal piece of rusted jewelry on her hand.

She said in surprise and frustration.

"She... was here.
Though, why wasn't she wearing it?"

"Well, only one way to find out." The knight captain said as he touched the rusted jewel piece.

『Phantasmal Tracker』a wave of wind then flowed out the jewel.
A ghostly illusionary figure of Estel then revealed itself as it moved to leave ghostly foot-prints behind. It was now visible to everyone despite the long days that have passed.

Technically a spell created by a very furious demon-kin who desired to track down his missing family who fled from their kingdom on a vacation trip. After finding them, he punished them by dragging their sorry asses back home.

Eventually, it became a useful spell for searching for people.
It reacts strongly to their owner's presence that it only reveals their last moment before it separated from its owner.

However, the only flaw was that.
It only records the few short moments,
But enough to follow their trail.

Esla who saw her footprints could only pale as she understood that Estel had walked barefoot.
In a rocky and muddy place where she was sent to...
She said not a word but followed everyone else to where it leads to...
It led them to the brick roads made by the city.

"There are little to no traces of monsters here...
It's fortunate that the people of this nation seems to clear their presence." Seid said.

The knight captain nodded to him then added.
"The tracks end here, did something or someone picks her up?"

"Bandits, Perhaps?" another shadow knight said.
All of them gazed at the poor knight with annoyance in their eyes.
________________________________________________________________________________
// A Threatening Greeting. //

When they were about to walk to the capital city to investigate more, it was the moment they were greeted by Lance the prince of bristle.

His escort was little but had a capable look to them.
He steps down his horse then spoke to the dark armored, knight captain.

"Good afternoon, dear visitors of the demon kingdom.
My name is Prince Lance of Bristle.
May I ask why your people walk our territory?" he cheerfully and politely said.

The knight captain then snorted with an annoyed tone.
"Hmfp...
Courageous of you, the prince himself to greet us.
It's been a long time since we visited the human territory.
Surely you understand how dangerous it is to make us your enemy."

The prince swiftly felt cold sweat as he said those words.
But then swiftly responded.
"Surely you don't intend to break the treaty, now?
My country simply wishes to know your purpose here.
Perhaps we could be of assistance?"

Esla looks to the knight captain as he did to her.
"Very well..." He calmly said.
But then said with intimidation.
"But if there are any signs of treachery.
I will butcher your countrymen.
This I promise you."

The prince could only nod, to his words while feeling the grip of fear crawling in his back.
They journeyed together to the city of bristle.
The distance between them was wide enough,
that his troubled his soldiers can murmur to one another.
Noticing the black armor and helmet they wore...

"Truly, just like the rumors." one of his men whispered to him.
The Prince's Knight captain then asked.

"To destroy a country after angering their king.
Isn't it dangerous to bring such people inside our nation?"

"Quiet," he whispered to them then explained.
"The record says the shadow knight soared the sky using flying wyverns,
They jumped down from the heavens to reach the city castle and massacring every living being within that very castle!"

"They also allowed the citizens of that city to live, just to spread the news of their actions."

"It doesn't matter how we protect ourselves.
These monstrous people are that powerful."

The rest of his men paled, the moment they heard his words.
"Let us hope we can at least satisfy their needs or perhaps turn them into an ally instead."

________________________________________________________________________________

// Are they really this weak? //

"So... all these people are my half-bloods." Esla said to the knight captain.

"They are rather weak-willed than I expected.
They don't even realize, we can hear them." she said with disappointment.

"Don't underestimate them,
They seem to be weak at a glance because they are slovenly people.
Unlike us, that fight and train every day to deal with the fierce monsters of our home.

They slack and lavish in the peace they hold.
That only a handful of them is capable of fighting our kind."

She then asked.
"Then why don't we just conquer them?" she said.
He then retorted.
"What's the point of conquering the lands,
when it gains us nothing but more empty land to deal with...

The fact, they fear us is enough for them to leave us alone is good enough.

Also, our race and knowledge may indeed be more advanced than them.
But that doesn't mean we have the numbers like they do." He exhaled with a bored expression on his face.

She then took a bit of time to think.
"The more we expand, the more vulnerable our people become huh?"

He then gently touched her helmet as he rested his hand on it.

"Looks like you got it.
You're as smart as your father."

But she felt the weight of his hand bearing on her shoulders.
"It's kind of heavy you know..." she groaned

He then giggled a bit.

"Pfft, If you can complain like that...
Then I'm glad your beginning to cheer up."

As he noticed the jewel changing its color to a bright white color as its missing pieces were completed.
He then understood.

"Your sister seems to be alive somewhere.
Let us hope she is doing well."

As the prince and the demons continued onwards to the city.
With each of their own discussions and opinions.

________________________________________________________________________________

// A Troubled Shadow. //

A young man known as Callou is currently rushing on horseback with 10 of his men,
After recently hearing a discovery from one of his people informant.

That an attempt of kidnapping was about to occur regarding princess Leanne.
As they rushed to the scene hoping they were not too late.
However, there was a huge problem.

1. The queen is dying and sick.
She was the head of their organization and their main source of the commands.
It crippled their organization as a whole, limiting their next move.

He desired to bring soldiers into the fold, but there was no time as it was only recently discovered.
and the date of the kidnapping was on that day.

2. The lack of information on the coming kidnapping attempt.
The informant which gave them the discovery of the kidnapping died after being shot with bolts.
A battle in the shadow which took place within the city.
The only thing in the message was the location and place of their plan.

As for the rest of the problems, Caillou then said.

"Damn it...
Why is that man here?" he bit his lips in anger while paling at what he was looking at.

He had finally arrived but things were not looking too good.

Finally Problem #3.
The Steel Bull, a mercenary bandit that takes in contracts.
A powerful man that was feared by many warriors and sorcerers alike as rumors claim that he crushed a party of 5 in a  single swing of his two-handed mace, it was also known that his armor was able to resist threatening magic.

Caillou and his men were feeling uneasy and were gritting their teeth as they understood the situation.

They were out-numbered from 40 to 11.
The steel bull was on their side.
Leanne and Lana whom he recognized were cornered and things were not looking too good.

The moment Lana raised her sword, as she cried out.
"Go!"

Most of his men were ready to perform their counter-attack,
Their main goal was to execute the Iron Bull, first.
Breaking the chain of command and causing the rest of them to scuttle and flee.

But things did not go the way as they expected it to be...
______________________________________________________________________________

"KYAAAaaa!" a cry was heard inside the carriage.
All of them turned to the carriage in both panic and worry.

As they soon saw a coachman raising a pocket watch with a jewel inside it as it then began to spread blinding spheres of light.

They were affected, only to realize.
(*That it was Light magic.*)

It wasn't a simple blinding attack where they recovered in short seconds.
They remained blind for a good 7-10 seconds the moment they gazed at it.
As the coachman magic remained in their eyes.

So did the opponents where some of them were trying to fight the encroaching chaos.
That the coachman had prepared for them.
Screams of his men and his cry were heard.

As soon as they opened their eyes, they saw the spheres of light had disappeared.
And the carriage was moving fiercely as they escaped with the coachman on top.

They didn't have much time to prepare, but they returned to their horses and was ready to perform their assistance.

________________________________________________________________________________

// The Tide has turned. //

"Protect the carriage." he cried out to his men.

A roar of their cry followed as figures of their dark clothing followed the carriage through the woods.

They then saw encroaching bandits coming from their side, realizing that there were more of them.

"Enemies on the sides!" one of his men cried out.

A total of 6 bandits were intercepting the carriage from the woods.

"Bring them down!" he shouted.

As 5 of his soldiers pulled out their crossbow,
They soon fired at them taking out three of them as Caillou and the rest charged to put down the rest. A clash of swords and falling bandits it was a simple ambush from their sides.

He then noticed the carriage was already being attacked by the bandits.

"Tch!" clicking his tongue he then said to his horse.
"Come on!
Rookie, you can still catch up to them."
Unfortunately, his horse had reached its limit, only to slow down barely able to keep up.
As he saw them oddly being put down by something invisible or falling off on their own.

[What on earth is that coachman doing?] were his thoughts.

On the last moment, he saw one of the men attacking the carriage crying out.
"What are you doing!"
"I don't know!"
"Stop!, STOPAAAGHH." as he saw their own men throw their own people off the carriage after a successful leap.

He was puzzled and confused.
But the battle wasn't over.
There was still more coming to the side.

He then turned to his men behind him still following with a worried look as he grit his teeth while crying out.

"Keep moving, don't lose sight of them!"  while they moved struggling in their pursuit.

________________________________________________________________________________

// An unexpected meeting. //

As they followed the carriage a large distance had already been made between them.
One of his men complained.
"What did those horses eat?"
He then retorts.
"Regardless keep moving, our horses will have time to rest when we reach them."

While they continue forward the road, his men then saw a few bandits in their front as they turned away from the direction they were going moving towards them.

"Looks like we got prey." one of his men said.

"Ready!, Crossbows!" Caillou shouted.

As the few men in horse-back reached them only to notice crossbows pointed at them, they swiftly raised their hands in surrender while slowly sliding down their horse and then began to kneel.

Meanwhile, he then told his men as he leaped off his horse.
"Capture them, and return to the headquarters."

Caillou swiftly ran to one of the bandit's horses as he rushed to the carriage.
"Sir, where are you going?" One of his men asked.
"To check up, on the princess of course!" he said in annoyance as he then added.

"Lace, I'm leaving my horse to you." as he rode ahead.

Riding on a horse he rushed to see the safety of the princess.
He then noticed guards were beginning to march to them from afar.
The princess was crying as she held the coachman head on her lap.

As he approached in worry for her majesty.
He then discovered...
That the coachman was a young lass whose silver hair shone as dusk approached the sky.
The princess was there with a bit of tear on her eyes embracing her head.

"Your... majesty?
Are you alright?" She turns to look who it was instantly recognizing the person in front of her.

"Caillou?"  

As he soon explained to her what happened.
________________________________________________________________________________

// A Broken Command. //

"I see, so mother is unable to work and things turned hectic the moment news of a planned attack on me was made present. Without anyone to turn to, you summoned what available people was left for a rescue mission only to be pushed into a corner." She recapped what had happened as he nods.

Right now, they were moved to the palace where they discussed the ongoing trouble they were facing. Lana and Estel were moved to her own bed to rest, while Leanne covered for Estel giving her a new alias, as a visitor from another country.

"Fine then...
Allow me to temporarily take control of my mother's work.
From the very beginning, she intended for me to inherit this line of work."

She said with a bored expression on her face.
Caillou carefully handed her the papers regarding what was happening in the kingdom.
She then spat a bit of her drink the moment she saw it.

"Shadow knights are in our territory!?" She cried out with a serious and troubled expression.

"I was attacked,
Mother is ill,
Now Shadow knights are threatening to obliterate my nation.
I feel like this country is about to fall apart." she said while furrowing her brows, then continued.

"I heard my brother is dealing with it...
Any news?"

Caillou answer with a wry smile as he explained.
"It seems, he had invited them to the castle.
He believes they are looking for a certain missing noble demon-kin that your mother had brought a few weeks ago."

Leanne then had a bored expression on her face the moment she heard it,
She turns to Estel with a bored expression but fortunately, she was still sleeping soundly with Lana beside her, in her mind, she could only say.

[It makes sense...
But I still need to hear it from her own mouth first.]

Caillou was confused why she gazed at the silver-haired lass but if there was one thing he was intrigued by...
Was how courageously she turned the tide alone.

Leanne then covered her eyes and rubbed it a bit.
"Damn it...
Someone is leaking information in the palace.
It's annoying enough, that our only lead was killed in action." she bitterly said with a troubled expression.

"Fine then, I'll instruct your people to do the proper work and procedure as a mother has.
Our main objective is to find the snake lurking in the palace.
Hopefully, we can find the roots of the jerk that tried to sell me off like some slab of meat."

Leanne gave him papers stamped by the royal seal and instruction written by her hand.
Caillou then swiftly gave her a bow as he said.
"Yes, your highness."

As he left the room, she then turned to the two companions right now which are currently out of commission. Leanne command was for them to rest in her bed.
As she still have unfinished question regarding Estel's situation and the issue regarding the demon-kin.

________________________________________________________________________________

I'm so sorry sensei, if the story is losing a bit of common sense...
Writing in muddy waters inside my head, fixing typo's and grammar issues.
Altogether is like fighting a giant slime monster that keeps regenerating no matter how much common sense you throw at it...

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