=== POV Athem

 

Woah! I thought we were going to die here! Who would have expected Eris to be immune to fire? How about you, are you okay?

I looked at Irono, who was still scared in my jacket, in the shape of a pebble owl.

--I-I-I'm not sure!--

She stuttered even in her telepathic thoughts.

We were still on the stake and could see how Eris was fighting Sim, but also how people's troops and shape-shifters were approaching. The combined forces were divided into three groups, with two large groups forming the left and right flanks, and a small one in the middle was heading straight to us.

 

===

 

"You are Lord Athem, am I right?"

A middle-aged woman climbed up the pile to me.

“I'm Athem, but I know nothing of a lord. And who are you?"

I replied to her.

"You are just like before!"

She laughed. She knew me, but I couldn't think of a name for her face. I also had to look confused because she answered my question.

“I am Sarna Bennas. My father is a knight under your father. About five years ago, I was at your house when your father invited his knights and their families for a banquet.”

“I remember that! It was the 10th anniversary of the formation of his knightly order.”

She laughed again.

"Correct!"

"But if you are the daughter of a knight of my father, why are you in Astel?"

She put her head to one side before answering.

“I'm now the guild leader of the Hunters Guild in Astel. I was already a Rank C adventurer back then and just happened to be by my parents, who took me with them to your house.”

A new group of shapeshifters approached our position.

"You have to get out of here quickly."

She cut the ropes and pulled out her weapon to stop a rushing shapeshifter.

"Go! We have a small camp at the west end of the crater.”

She pointed west and turned back to the shapeshifters.

"Thank you! Come, Irono, let's go.”

--Y-yes!--

There were fights everywhere to the left and right of us, but surprisingly nobody focused on us, and we could walk through the crowd. Before I noticed it, something shot out of the ground next to me.

I looked in the direction it was flying and found out that Eris was the target.

What was that!?

--A-a w-whirl w-wo-worm!?--

Oh! Do you think she can defeat it?

--I-I don't know.--

I watched Eris barely avoid the attack. She saw through what would happen next and stopped the target with her flames.

She did it!

I was too early relieved that the worm was moving again and hit Eris in the face if she had reacted only a few seconds later the whirl worm would have pierced her head. She burned the worm. Blood ran down her face, and her body swayed back and forth.

Come on, let's take her with you.

--YES!--

"Eris!"

I ran to her and looked at her. Her wounds were by no means life-threatening, which made it immensely more manageable for me.

"Everything's fine with you!?"

“What are you asking!? It was you who saved my life and Irono. If you hadn't started the fight, we would already be burned!”

"Thank you."

Why do you thank me, idiot!

"Can you walk?"

“My legs are a little weak, but it should work. My vision is impaired, that will be a bigger problem.”

"We can do it. Come, I'll support you."

I reached under her arm and supported her, together we dragged ourselves across the battlefield. It was a long time before we left the last fighters behind.

"Eris"

An older man called her name with concern and came running to us.

"She is exhausted. She has to rest!"

"Naturally!"

The man nodded understandingly, but at the same moment, he went behind Eris and lifted her into his arms.

He nodded once to me and trudged away in front of me with her in his arms. He whispered something incomprehensible to her. It seemed to calm them down, and I could calmly chase them.

--Help them!?--

Irono's voice was hysterical.

What's happening!?

She climbed out of my jacket and hopped on my shoulder. She pecked my cheek and pointed south.

--My grandpa.--

Your grandfather?

--Y-yes!--

She sounded concerned that I couldn't blame her.

Ok, let's go.

--I h-h-help t-to-too!--

She fluttered off my shoulder, and her body lit up. She turned into a 2 m long snake floating above the ground with flames as a mane.

--Let's go!--

Yes!

We ran toward two giant creatures that were fighting each other. One being was an earthbound dragon, and the other resembled a typical dragon, but I wasn't familiar with it.

The earthbound dragon had a stone skin and four legs, but no wings. The other creature looked more like the normal dragons, but their scale skin often reflected the element they belonged to, but this dragon was snow white and had four wings.

--Grandpa!--

Irono flew towards the snow-white creature.

Irono! Watch out!

A giant cat with bright green-brown fur jumped towards her. She reacted just quickly enough and formed a ring with her body, which the giant cat jumped through the middle.

I help you.

I tapped my tattoo on my right index finger.

"Blast Fire!"

The tattoo started to shimmer red. I stretched out my right arm and supported it with my left arm.

Fire!

I fired the first fireball from my index finger at the cat. It had an easy way to avoid my attack, but not that of Irono, which she crashed into the cat's side at full speed. At the same time, she bit the cat's right chest and bit herself. The cat twisted and writhed before the cat managed to bury Irono under its body.

--Ah!--

Her body was pressed under the weight of the cat, and I start firing fireballs at the cat continuously. The cat completely ignored the first fireballs until the first fireballs hit it because it noticed that the fireballs were causing damage. It started to fend off the fireballs with its paws.

The cat's inattention allowed Irono to free herself and initiate a counter strike. She whirled her body around and meandered around the cat's neck. Her entire body started to burn, and the cat tried to free itself with its front paws. The cat was on fire and slumped to the floor.

After sustaining several violent blows, Irono let go and flew to me. There were traces of scratches on her body, but none was intense.

My body lit up again, and a moment later, I was facing her human form. She had azure-colored eyes and shoulder-length blond hair. She was wearing her typical white dress, which began to turn red in a few places.

"Irono!"

I took a step towards her and supported her.

--I… I…--

"Bah!"

She leaned away from me and vomited onto the ground.

Oh, Irono...

I supported her as best as I could.

"Oh! Irono and her human toy!”

--F-Father!?--

I looked at the figure that spoke to Irono and me. It was a man in his early forties, with short brown hair and blue eyes. His clothes would go with a priest or something like that.

"Irono! You betrayed me and ran to these bastards.”

He wasn't pleased to see her again.

“Let's end it! Here and now! I can no longer stand this disgrace.”

He pulled out two swords from under the robe. One hurled over to us.

“Let's end it, human! For taking my daughter from me.”

My first assessment was wrong because he wasn't upset to see her again, but he was shocked to see her together with me. I wanted to pick up the sword when Irono picked it before me.

"Irono, what are you doing?"

She looked at me and shook her head.

--This is a family matter, Athem.--

"But... What if something happens to you?"

--Father may have become a monster, but he's still my father.--

Tears ran down her face, I knew she didn't want to do it, but she had to do it out of her pride.

“Please come back safely. I will keep approaching enemies from disturbing you.”

She smiled and hopped at me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. She immediately ran off without looking at me again.

--Thank you, Athem.--

Her thought came when I turned away and held my bright red face.

You... you... Ah!

I didn't have time to think about it. I didn't have to stop their fight, but I should keep an eye on them before anything worse happened.

 

=== POV Irono

 

I... I... I did it!

My face was bright red, and I didn't want to look back at Athem because I was too worried about how Athem would react.

"Irono... you stand in my way?"

I nodded, hesitantly at Father's question.

I don't think humans are evil, and Athem is the best proof!

"Ahh! The tongue... Sim's doing... Well, I won't mourn him."

"Hm!"

Idiot! Father, you are an idiot!

He didn't understand how I felt then and now.

"Come over!"

He indicated that I should attack him.

You don't leave Athem and me alone, so I have no choice.

I pulled the sword out of its sheath. I held both arms right and left. My father has always been convinced of his strength. His fighting style with the sword has always been rustical.

I started and jumped into the air forward and twirling my sword and scabbard through the air.

He dodged to the side, and only the holder hit his upper arm. I landed on the ground with a roll and turned around. I saw something flashing racing towards me.

I pushed myself off and did a roll backward to build distance.

*clirr*

I looked up to see Father's sword hit the ground.

“You never stopped training. I still remember how your mother started teaching you her sword style.”

And I never wanted to use it on people close to my heart...

He ran towards me and waved his sword from the side. I tried to block the blow with the scabbard, but even if it worked, the force knocked me over, and I fell to the ground.

"Kuhhh!"

Raw power!

"Please, give up."

He pointed at me with the tip of his sword.

"I know what your mother taught you!"

I will not!

I sheathed his sword aside and twirled the sword in my hand. I cut into his thigh and increased the distance again.

"Lousy of you!"

"Nah!"

A-As if you were better!

He wielded his sword, again and again, I parried the attack, and this time his attack was so violent that it threw me back.

“Can we end it here and now? I'm going to get rid of this nuisance, and it's all over.”

And this nuisance is... NEVER!

"DARWAS!"

A scream came from the sky. I looked up immediately and saw like Grandfather in the shape of the firmament dragon. Grandfather's body started to glow, and a moment later, my grandfather stood in front of me in his default form.

“Father, you join us too? Rohon was probably not an opponent for you.”

Father turned to grandfather.

“Darwas, it's enough! Can't you even see what you're doing!? Do you want to save our breed? You split our race!”

Father ignored his father's attempts to convince him and remained stubborn.

“...Ah, why am I still trying? You have turned away from us since Lenary's death.”

Grandfather looked depressed.

"You mean after humans killed her!?"

"Enough! Humans aren't and were not to blame for Lenary's death, and you know that! Because if you should blame someone, you should blame yourself!”

Grandfather got mad.

*Tch*

Father clicked his tongue.

"I have enough of you!"

Father blocked everything from himself and started to turn into something. I couldn't see what he was turning into a cloud of dust was forming around him and covered everything around us.

Grandfather also transformed, and a moment later, he blew the cloud of dust away. There was no trace of my father.

*Bzzt*

A red beam came unexpectedly from the side and hit grandfather. His figure instantly disintegrated, and he fell to the ground.

"Aah!"

Grandpa!