The subtle movement of the stirring body next to Martel awoke him in the early morning. To be more specific, as one of the bodies next to him began to stir. He cracked his eyes just enough to see, but not enough to make it evident that he was awake. The person in question was Morgan, who just woke up as it was Shiro who had kept watch after Martel’s shift. Though it was a short four hours ago, Martel did not need any longer to rest.  

Cali rested in a slightly curled position on Martel’s chest. While this would be considered an innocent act, it was lost by the fact that she was not wearing any clothes. She did not clothes and only wore them because it was necessary for human form when outside.  

Martel internally sighed as he registered the slight absurdity of the situation. It had been happening so naturally that it had escaped him; he had, in loose terms, a harem. He was a bit conflicted because, while he enjoyed the company of women, he had his fiance, Freyja. It also wasn’t as if he intentionally tried to make it happen, or that he had impure thoughts to any of them, which he didn’t. To him, they were close friends and companions, but maybe they were a little to close.

These thoughts crossed his Martel’s mind as he stealthily looked at Morgan’s drowsy face, began to show signs of panic. A sense of nostalgia came over him as he recalled the time when he fell into her bed as a result of his spontaneous journey into this world. [You’d think she would be used to waking up with me in her bed.] He thought with an internal chuckle.

Martel never got tired of teasing her.  

Though most of their interactions caused Morgan to retaliate physically, Martel only found that her rebelliousness furthered his desire to tease her. This time, her behavior was different, which confused Martel. She had a perplexed expression on her face instead of anger or shock furthered by the complex emotions he sensed as they welled up inside her.  

When the Spirit Emperor Yggdrasil charged him with the care of Cali, he also bestowed upon him the knowledge to utilize spirits. The spirits were emotions given form. A side effect of such extensive knowledge and sensitivity to them was the ability to sense the general emotions of the people around him. It took some time for him to get used to due to his lack of ability to control whether or not he could feel them.  

Martel could see that she carefully looked at his face. Then, her eyes stopped at his lips as the conflicted feelings inside of her intensified. Confused, Martel pretend had just woken up. As if struck by electricity, Morgan jumped up.

Martel gave her a glance and a smile. “I’m happy to see you so full of energy after a hard day’s ride.”

“W-w-what are you doing here?” She asked him in a panic. “You have your own tent!”

“Cali prefers this, and I only wanted to wake up to your beautiful face,” Martel replied as he teased her.

“That doesn’t excuse you from being in the ladies’ tent you pervert!”

“Oh? If you’re going to call me a pervert, at least let me do something a little perverted.” He said as he made a suggestive advanced towards her. “Like hell!” she said as she punched him in the face.

[There is the Morgan I know.] Martel thought with a hint of relief.

After that, they ate their food, gathered their camp, and traveled down the road toward the village.

...

The occasional smacking of wooden windows against the buildings echoed as they entered the village. Martel was half expecting to see a tumbleweed given the rundown and abandoned state of the village. When they got to the center of the village, they entered a tall building which appeared to be a combination of a tavern and inn. Inside there was an elderly man drowned in his sorrows.

“Surprisingly quiet in these parts,” Martel said as he walked up to the man.

“Ya mean you haven’t heard?” The man said with a slightly depressed expression. “Not even a week ago about a half-dozen of the 30 people who lived in the village to the northeast of here showed up. They came quite battered and had stories of monsters that slaughtered the village. After a small group of volunteers had failed to come back after three days, most of our village decided to pack up and leave.”

“Not you?”

The man shook his head. “I’ve lived here my whole life. Wife passed on, and my children found spouses and moved on. The fear of death doesn’t hold as much sway over me as it used to.”

“I understand, thanks for the information.”

“Be careful if you head over there ya hear? You youngins have your lies ahead of you. Don’t waste it trying to accomplish foolishly heroic deeds.”

“I understand, thank you for your advice,” Martel said as he took his leave.

...

“So? What is the story?” Duran asked as Martel approached.

“It seems it wasn’t a false report. It should be approximately two hours out from here. If we manage our time correctly and can get fresh horses, we can be back in the capital before the day’s end.”

...

As they approached and the village, smoke could be seen in the distance. A short time later, Martel sensed something and immediately stopped his horse.

“What is it?” Duran asked while he stopped his next to Martel’s.

Martel looked absent-minded as he looked into the distance. “Spirits. I can sense a massive amount of spirits. Not only is there a large number of them, but they are heavy. While they aren’t as heavy as Cali, I imagine that they could easily be capable of taking humanoid form. They seem to be a decent distance beyond the city, but I do not know how fast they can move.”

“You can sense them?” Morgan asked.

“Me too.” Cali’s disembodied voice echoed from the black breastplate she had become. “I believe they are acting semi-autonomously and are most definitely under the influence of something. Possibly the Red Dragon?” Martel asked her.

“Probably.”

“Very well. We will enter with caution.” Martel said with a nod.

...

As they got closer, the horses started to resist.

“They can probably smell the death,” Shiro said. “I can smell it too.”

“I see. Let us tie up the horses here.” Martel replied

The first house they approached was relatively burnt. As they rounded, the first noticeable thing they saw was a dead body. It seemed to have rotted for days and had hints of animal bites. The combination of the smell and the sight made Martel feel sick. However, he was more immune than Morgan, who threw up on the spot.  

Martel gently rubbed her back and helped her away from the scene. “Duran, why don’t you keep your sister company while the rest of us go and investigate the village.”

“Okay.” He replied as he led Morgan away.

“Cali, can you take human form and help us look around?” Martel asked.

“Okay.” She replied as she turns from the breastplate to her young girl form.

Martel wasn’t too worried about Cali witnessing such a scene as he didn’t think she understood the concept of death yet so she should be okay and it would be a learning experience for her. She wasn’t the young girl he had to worry about. “Shiro, are you going to be okay?” He asked with concern.

“Yes.” She replied, seemingly unfazed.  

Martel was worried for her because she had witnessed the death of her parents. He wasn’t sure if it would cause issues or help her in this instance.

“Don’t touch any bodies as they can carry diseases. Though it is unlikely, keep an eye out for anyone who might still be alive. We have some space on the horses, so if you see anything that might be of value, let me know.”

““Understood,”” They both replied.

The three of them separated and began to search the village.

...

After thirty minutes had passed, Martel took a very unpleasant job upon himself. He decided that the best course of action was to burn the bodies. Given that they would only remain here, rot, and attract scavengers, he felt that it would be more appropriate than to leave them. The smell of decay and burnt flesh filled the air. 

Overall, the village was what Martel expected it to be, very remote. The houses were straightforward and showed little to no signs of any luxury. Because of this, he had to be very careful with his magical flames. However, it gave him an unexpected discovery. He found he could control what burned so long is he consciously tried. It took a decent amount of focus, but it was not impossible to do even in battle.  

Only after he started did he realize that he had made a mistake. The excitement of the discovery caused him to forget about the spirits he had sensed earlier. As he stopped the cremation, he began to expand his sense range. He frowned as he did not like the results. A mass of spirits were less than 200 feet and approached rapidly while another closer group headed toward Duran and Morgan. Cali was on the other side of the village, and he could not sense Shiro at all.

[I understand that I told you to be on guard, but now’s not the time to be practicing confine, Shiro.] Martel thought with a slight panic as the spirits began to barrel towards him.

They were as Martel speculated they would be, a mass of spirits and humanoid form. The appeared to be nothing more than shadows clad in armor. Many of them wielded black weapons with black smoke coming out of them. All of them were faceless as little wisps of black smoke exited through what would be the weak points of their armor. While Cali easily had ten times their strength, there were a couple hundred of them, though only about fifty approached. Martel built up his Ki as the first one approached. It came at Martel with a dark sword which he quickly cut through with his Ki Blade enforced sword. He proceeded to cut down the Dark Trooper’s arm, but it kept coming until Martel cut it entirely in two that it finally dispersed.  

Though it happened in a short seconded, Martel considered himself lucky that the one he had just cut down was ahead of the others as they could have surrounded him. However, after that short exchange, he was confident he would win a war of attrition against this number.

[So long as I play smart, I doubt a single one of them will be able to touch me. However, I may lose in a battle of attrition, so I need to be economical.] He thought as explosions began to resound in the distance. Suddenly a white blur cut across his vision.

[Shiro?] He barely managed to think as she shot in between all of them.  

Shiro’s Gentle Touch technique was of no use against beings that neither had Ki nor true physical form. Though she had practiced the Ki Blade, it was barely enough for use in combat. Martel knew she understood this, yet she still dived into the midst of them.  

On instinct, Martel began to proceed towards her. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were narrow like a cat’s fixed its prey.  

[Are her instincts controlling her? Hopefully, she is still in control of herself.] As that thought crosses his mind, Shiro jumped further into the group. “Shiro! Get back here!” Martel said in a panic.

“It’s okay; I can do this!” Shiro replied in a voice filled with optimism and excitement.

As soon as those words left her mouth, she was surrounded by them as they prepared to strike. Even Martel had no guarantee of escape in her situation, and there was no way she could withstand all of their blows. Martel’s mind went white when he realized there was no way he could get there in time.

When she had left the camp to meet with the Demihumans in the fort, Martel had come to realize just how much Shiro meant to him. She was a sweet and innocent little girl who had suffered far too much. She witnessed her parents death and was stranded in the wilderness for nine months before she was captured in what was enemy territory. If Martel didn’t intervene, she probably would have been interrogated and experimented on. Given all of this, she still was very happy and enjoyed life. Her exuberant smile lifted the spirits of all who saw it.  

Shiro became very attached to Martel and rarely separated from him over the two and a half months they had been together. She had a significant dependence on Martel. Naturally, Martel knew this as well, but he hadn’t realized how much he depended on her until she had disappeared. When she returned, Martel realized just how precious she was to him. That same precious little girl was now in front of him about to be killed, and there was nothing he could do.

[If only Cali were here in her chakram form!] He screamed in his mind while he madly lurched forward as time seemed to slow in his now bloodshot eyes.  

Then, a light appeared. In his current state, Martel didn’t give the light a second thought. If he did, he might have realized it was very similar to the light that brought him to Albion. From the light came two black chakrams that began to fall in front of him. Almost out of instinct, Martel used Lightning Magic to create an electromagnetic field to control them. However, he wasn’t in the mindset to hold back in the slightest. Because he was pressed for time and couldn’t add Ki to them, he added Wind Magic to create fine blades. Under stress, his nose began to bleed, and his eyes were bloodshot. If someone looked at Martel’s eyes, they would be able to see flecks of gold that shone in them. There was only one thought in his mind; [Kill!]   

 Shiro managed to take out one of the Dark Troopers and was only a split second from being struck by the others. In that instant, she felt a faint breeze pass by her. She turned towards the other Dark Troopers and saw they had frozen in place. In the next moment, their halves separated and dissipated. In an instant, 20 Dark Troopers were defeated.

Martel only just managed to stop his momentum next to Shiro as he fell on one knee from exhaustion.

Shiro panted as she stared at the other Dark Troopers. “That was clo-” she began before she froze, and slowly turned to look at Martel.

Around the same time, Duran and Morgan were also in combat outside of the village. Given their position, they had encountered the Dark Troopers before Martel. However, the majority had gone to deal with Martel as they were alerted to the Magic he used to burn the bodies. The result was a battle between about 50 Dark Troopers in a battle against Duran and Morgan. However, it wasn’t a battle; it was a one-sided slaughter which was performed solely by Morgan.

Duran stood prepared at Morgan’s side. He had intended to engage them directly at the beginning. Against that number of foes, the best course of action would be for the fighter to hold them off will the mage took them out from a distance. The only reason he decided to fight was that he wanted to ensure a safe escape route for the others, and he had confidence in his and Morgan’s combat abilities. However, something happened to change his mind drastically. Just before he had charged at them, a giant ball of fire passed him and quickly closed in on the Dark Troopers. The moment it touched one of them, a massive *bang* immediately sounded as five Dark Troopers were instantly defeated.

Stunned, Duran turned to look at Morgan, who had already started to make another one. The Magic she had just used was one he had never seen before. It couldn’t even compare to ordinary Fire Magic. The reason for Duran’s surprise was because the Magic was one of Martel’s creations.

The Magic was two-fold. It was a large flame that contained a lot of flammable gas. Because of both the gas and flame were created with Magic, it was possible to keep them apart until the caster desired. The result was something that was far more powerful and efficient than Fire Magic. Explosion Magic was a more apt label. Morgan already had a similar ability, which she demonstrated when she blasted Martel out of her bed when he transferred from Earth. This, plus Martel’s help, gave Morgan the powerful Magic she had just demonstrated.

Duran saw his sister in a new light and admired Martel’s courage to tease her. In his mind, he correctly guessed Martel was aware of it and had most likely helped her create it. As he wanted to avoid the blast, Duran decided to stay at Moran’s side to only stop those who got too close. After a short amount of time, only about 20 Dark Troops remained. They tended to move relatively slowly, and in groups of five so it wasn’t difficult to keep them at bay.

Then an immense pressure emanated from the town.

“What!” Morgan exclaimed wide-eyed as her face became a bit pale and she subconsciously took a step back.

“Killing Intent,” Duran muttered as he stared towards the direction of the village. Duran had experienced Killing Intent before so he recognized it immediately. However, what he felt was far greater than the Killing Intent in his memory. Both Morgan and Duran instantly knew that it had come from Martel as the Killing Intent transmitted through his Ki which they were familiar with. However, both of them subconsciously refused the notion, especially Duran.

Killing Intent was something that was developed by killing many enemies. It was thought that the Intent to kill someone, which had a negative relationship to hesitation, created it while the Ki transmitted it. As such, Killing Intent was stronger, the less someone hesitated, the more they wanted to kill the target, and the more they had killed. Martel had told Duran that he had never killed anyone before. If Duran weren’t sure of Martel’s character, he would have called Martel a colossal liar. The only explanation was that Martel was able to separate his ‘will’ to kill with his’ desire to. Martel had yet to kill, and no want too, but he had the will not to hesitate when it mattered. That was Martel’s Killing Intent, but it was still abnormal to Duran. It was high enough to believe that the person who emitted it had killed hundreds, if not thousands, and that was at a considerable distance.

On top of this, it also carried Martel’s anger. Unlike most, Martel’s anger was different. The typical person’s anger felt hot, like the King of Roxburghshire and was typical of fury and was wild. It would come from those who would take their anger out on anyone. Martel’s was like ice; controlled and calm. However, this aspect was probably the only thing that had let Morgan keep her wits. Because it wasn’t directed at her, she was only startled by it. If she had been the target, she might not have the willpower to fight, which would negatively affect her ability to cast Magic.

Shiro, who was next to Martel, stood there frozen. She wasn’t scared; she was surprised as she had never seen Martel in the state he was in. When Martel’s arm reached around, grasped, and pulled her close, she did not resist. The torrential amount of Ki Martel released served no purpose other than to give him the means to vent. 

Martel glared at the Dark Troopers. “I won’t forgive you. I won’t forgive anyone who even tries to take what I hold dear,” Martel said coldly. The amount of Ki he focused on his right hand began to exceed what was safe. He slowly lifted his right hand toward the group of spirits. The Ki in his hand expanded into the shape of a crescent moon with his hand in the center. He compressed it down to give it solid form and sharpness and continued as the veins on his hand bulged from the pressure.

The blade silently launched from Martel’s hand at a blinding speed. It intersected with the midsection of several spirits before it made a slight curve and carved through more of them as Martel had a minimal amount of control over it. The spirits took one or two more steps before their bodies split in half, and they dispersed into black smoke. He repeated his attack twice more until all the spirits were vanquished.

Martel looked at Shiro, who he held. She was still paralyzed from his outburst and stared at him without a word.  

“Let’s go,” He said with a serious expression as he released her and turned to head toward the others. Shiro said nothing and followed. Cali, who had returned on her own after she had turned to black dust, took human form and followed along as well.

...

“What… What happened?” Duran asked Martel with worry as the two groups met. Morgan also had a complicated expression on her face.

“Sorry,” Martel said with a slight smile when he realized they had felt his outburst. “We encountered some of the spirits, and I lost control. Speaking of losing control.” He continued before he turned to Shiro.

“Hiii!” Shiro flinched as he reached out toward her and flicked her forehead lightly.

“What were you thinking, charging in like that?” Martel asked.

“I… I want to be strong like you.” She said as she looked up at him with her hesitance turned to enthusiasm. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

Martel made a small sigh. “Shiro, do you think that being strong means you aren’t afraid of anything?”

She nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, because Martel isn’t scared of anything. You told me that we shouldn’t let fear control us.”

“You idiot!” Martel intentionally raised his voice to scold her. Shiro shrunk back and closed, startled. Martel dropped to his knees, hugged her gently, and began to whisper into her ear.

“I never told you to eliminate fear. We can use fear to let us know when to fight or run; block or dodge. I said not to let fear control us.” He gently pulled himself from her and looked her in the eyes. Both of her eyes had slightly watered. “You should not think that I do not feel fear. I was so scared.; so scared I was going to lose you.”

At his words, Shiro started to cry. At that moment, everything crashed down on her. The fear she had held down, the relief that she was still alive and the joy that Martel cared so much for her overwhelmed her in an instant. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She repeated

Martel hugged her again. “So long as you promise not to do something so reckless again, I will forgive you 100 times over.”

“I promise.”

They hugged for about ten seconds until Morgan came up and forcibly separated them.

“That’s enough, you pervert.” She said with a very displeased expression.

“Goldie, if you are jealous, you need to let me know. I’ll hug you anytime.” Martel replied with a grin as he approached her.

“Like hell!” She exclaimed as she punched him in the face before she turned and hugged Shiro.

Martel took a second to collect himself. “At any rate, there is no need for us to stay here any longer. They did not seem to be under the direct control as only a small group of them came over here. The rest are staying put, and there are too many for our small group to deal with. Ultimately, I think the best move now is to head back to the siege.”

“Understood, then we should make haste. I would rather not be here any longer.” Duran agreed unsettled by the unnatural beings relatively close by. “I don’t like fighting things that don’t bleed.”

As they began to leave the village, Martel noted several small craters. “How many did you take out?” He asked Duran.

“Just two. I had no desire to enter the fray when Morgan started using that fire magic. You taught her something scary. I’ve never heard of fire magic like that before. It took out a bunch at once and stalled the ones nearby. That would be terrifying to see on the battlefield.”

“Yes, Grandma also said it should be used with care,” Morgan added.

“How are you holding up?” Martel asked Morgan.

“I’m fine. I could take out that many again.”

“You are a genius in magic, huh?”

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

As they began to walk back to the horses, Martel turned to Cali. “Cali, what was that?”

“What?” She asked back with an innocent expression.

“You were nowhere near me and then appeared out of that bright light. How did you do that?”

Cali put her index finger to her mouth and tilted her head. “Connect space? Special Magic?”

“... I see,” Martel replied while he patted her head. Cali was short on words, but he still found himself understanding more than just what she said. However, he really couldn’t understand what she had done as she didn’t seem to understand it completely herself.

“That feels good.” She said while she pushed into his palm.

“So how did you know to come to me? And how did you know to become a chakram?”

“Let you control.”

“I see,” Martel replied. It seemed as though his desire for chakrams had been understood by Cali who acted promptly.

“You seemed to have no problem in that fight,” Duran noted. “I could feel your… resolve from across the village.”

Martel shrugged. “I didn’t have the time for complex thought, and it helped that they aren’t human. I would have probably done the same even if they were, but I don’t want to think about that.”

As they walked back to the horses, Martel turned to look at the spirits that remained. [I have a feeling that there is more to this world than meets the eye.]

End of Day -181