— [ WALTZ OF CROWNS ] —

-『CHAPTER 04』-

« Heiress of the House of Novaldein »
— Velestina von Novaldein —

Initially I thought that I was following some kind of a ghost for the child is in a translucent state but upon clearing my mind and focusing on the entity, the translucency then began to gradually diminish, revealing a female child around the age of four to six years old that is somehow shrouded in a thin layer of mana.

I'm guessing this kid's using some sort of concealment magic?

However what baffles me is that as far as I knew, there's no particular race within Valeria that uses these kind of non-elemental magic.

Generally speaking, Humans are only capable of converting their mana solely into Fire element and so there's a high chance that this child came from a different race.

A Dwarf perhaps? No, those bearded fellows can only use Earthen magic so that couldn't be the case. Hmm, maybe this child's somehow manipulating the air around her...but then that's some high tier magic plus she doesn't have wings on her back so this child couldn't be a Wingdian either.

I mentally recalled all the various races that I knew but none of them uses these kind of non-elemental magic.

How perplexing.

My eyes followed the child as she made careful steps while moving down on the lowest part of the hull wherein the cargoes are stored. I then waited for ten seconds before also going down the hull. With careful movements, I scanned the area but the place is relatively dark so I paid more attention to the sounds around me.

"...fgh....els..."

 I could hear faint whisperings and I tried moving a bit closer and find the child talking to someone in a hush tone.

"...Brivadis...fævris...miea..appolus."

I still can't hear much of what their saying so I tried to draw even closer to their hiding spot but before I could even further eavesdrop upon their conversation—

"Hğæis!"

—A cold and sharp sensation just then prickes my back.

Silence.

Ara, my covers been blown.

 What's even more mortifying is that I didn't even sensed any of this person's presence coming close to me.

Danger.

My self preservation senses are telling me that but my curiosity had overruled my rationality and so despite the dangers, I still slightly turned my head sideways and found a silhouette of a person standing behind me whilst pointing something like a rapier at my back. 

I feel cold sweat trickling down my nape as the bladed figure clearly is emitting a hostile pressure and probably has no qualms of murdering me if I ever dare move in an aggressive manner.

Due to the low illumination of the place, I couldn't very well see the overall appearance of this sudden intruder but it then talk with an icy feminine voice.

"....Mi'lordas, hésta vena délælustre omníputas."

I instinctively furrowed my brows.

I know most of the prominent languages here in Aethos but what this person said just now was from a language I've never heard before.

How Intriguing.

First a non elemental magic and now some unknown language.

...Who are these people?

 A certain race which is considered a 'taboo' came into my mind.

Tension permeates the air. 

It was so thick that I could perhaps even cut it with a dull knife. It was then however easily dissipated by a seemingly carefree masculine voice as the figure whom the child was talking to stood up and leisurely stride towards where we stood.

"Elloheim, sandatus lobedié en noch gingæ felis tin nacht...i sammos?"

...What's with that skeptical tone in the end?

I didn't understood a thing this guy said but the person behind me finally lowered the blade that was pointing at my back.

Guess he ordered her to backdown or something.

Clearly this guy is a superior or a rank higher than the woman behind me. His overall presence also gives the air of someone in high position. I gave the man a piercing stare but he just broadened his enigmatic smile even more.

Silence.

"...Who are you people and what are you doing on my ship?" I asked with a calm imposing tone but the guy still just stood there like a smiling dolt as if he didn't heard me at all.

Seconds have pass by...then another and before anyone even realized it, a whole minute has passed with no one moving at all. 

The bastard is still smiling weirdly at me and ticks began to form in my forehead.

That fake smile of his is starting to annoy me.

I was about to repeat my question but in a different language but the guy then began to step forward and to my surprise—

Another concealment magician?

—Vanished into thin air.

That's right.

This bastard just suddenly vanish right in front of me and before I could even react and put up any guard—

"...Iché nieb."

He just as instantly reappeared on my side and whispered something close to my ear. Purely out of reflex, I instantly turned my head towards him and—Smack.

I felt something soft touched the center of my forehead. 

I then tried looking up and found the guy's index finger firmly placed onto the surface of my forehead.

A flood of knowledge instantly came rushing into my mind as if my brain is being battered by a tidal wave of information. However unlike my method of consuming foreign knowledge, his way is more aberrant.

My method takes a long time before the foreign knowledge is fully assimilated into my mind. However, this guy's magic takes no time at all and the knowledge gets assimilated in an instant. Nonetheless, the downside of the latter is that now my mind feels like its being split into pieces due to the forceful way of assimilating information.

Argh! Goddammit m-my brain feels like its burning!

 Veleina's innate military training instantly triggered and within seconds, I then began to shift my stance in a defensive posture. I internally lamented that I didn't bring any weapons with me thus could only fight in hand to hand combat.

"Wha...h-hold on miss I didn't have any ill—"

"—En gardé."

I curtly interjected before closing in on him and sidestepped into his defenseless back. I then grasped his lower torso and lifted the guy upwards and performed an arched throw with all of my body's force and inertia as he propelled momentarily upwards then instantly plunged down and got smacked hard onto the wooden floor.

BAM!

I finally loosed my grip then stood up before wiping the sweat off my forehead.

Whew, that felt good. It seems like the best suplex that I have performed so far.

"Elder Brother!"

"Your Excellency!"

Silence.

A comical sweat dropped onto the sides of my face.

Ara, I think I may have overdone it a little for those two fellows are now glaring daggers at me after running in to check on that guy passed out on the floor.

Hey quit looking at me as if I murdered him.

I'm sure the bastard's still alive—Hopefully.

Hmm?

My eyes widened owlishly.

I just realized something now that I got a clearer view of the three of them.

The guy I just suplex'd looks to be an intelligent type with a neat long silvery hair. He looks to be slightly older than me around the age of late twenties or so.

 The female child looks just like the guy sprawled on the floor and I was eighty percent positive that they're somehow related. She's an innocent looking girl that has her hair styled into a short apple cut that fits her childish looks. 

Lastly, the one whom managed to sneak up on me with a bladed weapon is also a female that likewise looks around the same age as I do. A mask is covering her entire lower face but her raven colored hair is tied firmly into a ponytail, giving the woman the appearance akin to those of an Assassin.

I could say that all three of them have somewhat above average appearance but their most prominent features that got my full attention were their pointed ears and pale alabaster skin.

As far as I knew, there's only one species which have these definitive racial features.

The race which humans mostly considered a taboo to talk about.

"...My my, to think that I would meet Lightelves here of all places."

Well now, isn't this intriguing?