Chapter 5: At The Gate

Awaiting by the gate, Riley and Edna stood in silence. It had been thirty minutes since Edna convinced Riley to let her join him. Currently, the two were waiting for the Royal escort to arrive as the appointed time was slowly approaching.

Edna waited, bored, across from Riley. In order to kill time, she pulled her hammer out and practiced with it. When it came right down to it, she was actually quite out of practice.

The last confirmed sighting of the Flame Empress taking a job was over half a year ago. However, this job was fairly simple. Defend a castle from intruders.

In fact, it was so simple that everyone who came to siege retreated as soon as they saw her. She didn’t get to play at all.

Nowadays, the only true practice she gets is when troublemakers decide to pop up at work. And when that happens, she has a tendency to end the spat in one strike.

So, she was testing to see if her skills had rusted.

Riley merely sat and looked out towards the Forest a ways from the main road out of the town. It was just ten days ago that he saved Rosa from that Forest.

When he was out there, he was in the middle of a mission. His job that day was to clear the monsters out of the nearby woods. The job itself was rather tough and not meant to be taken lightly, and definitely not alone.

In fact, in terms of difficulty, it was supposed to be among the hardest jobs the society currently had, mainly because of the rumors of special monsters having appeared.

If it weren’t Riley, most adventurers would have difficulty dealing with these monsters. In fact, it wouldn’t be uncommon for people to die on such a quest.

Anyways, Riley was lost in thought, curious about the day that Annika set a pair of Grendels after Rosa and Elijah. Sure, it wasn’t exactly unexpected that someone would be after the life of the royal family of the kingdom. As with any kingdom or any form of government, there will always be enemies and grudges. It comes with the territory.

However, Annika’s appearance was unsettling. Rather than her appearing, what was so incredibly odd was that she set the Grendels on them.

Monsters could certainly be tamed. It wasn’t uncommon for criminals or assassins or black market dealers to tame beasts like Lobos (wolf like monsters that hunt in packs) or similar such creatures and sell them off to the highest bidder whether as guard beasts or for entertainment.

However, that was only true for inferior monsters such as the previously stated Lobos. It is nearly impossible to tame superior creatures such as Grendels. Although these creatures might not be all that smart, they possess more individuality than lesser creatures.

That is why Annika’s ability to utilize creatures such as those was so confusing. How was this possible? Even for one who specialized in conjuring, the only form of mental manipulation possible can only be performed on humans.

Considering this, that left only one thing in Riley’s mind. Is it perhaps a Blessing?

A Blessing. Everyone in the world is born with one. Although, whether one can unlock it is never guaranteed.

Blessings are powers separate from conjuring. While Conjuring can be learned after years of training and expanding one’s knowledge, understanding the different natures of the world and understanding one’s own natural affinities, Blessings give certain individuals unique abilities that place them one step above the rest.

One example of this is the Caera Family’s Quality Seeking Eyes. Gregory and Rosa were born with this blessing. For them, this blessing awakens a certain instinct within them whenever they are faced with someone who is bound to have some kind of unprecedented or incredible skill, either presently or in the future. The stronger the reaction, the greater one’s potential.

There were of course other examples of people being born with their blessings. For example, Cadmus and Edna. The Summons who come to this world are also given blessings, so it wasn’t uncommon to see them with an incredible power considered supernatural, even for this world.

If this is this case with Annika, did that mean she had a blessing that allowed her to control strong monsters?

However, there was a more pressing matter than that. Well, whether it’s a blessing or not, I don’t understand her motives. Did she really attack the princess because she wanted to? Or was she hired? Plus, there’s also the fact that she stayed quiet for so long after cursing the queen…

Considering Annika was the one who cursed Isabelle long ago, then it didn’t make sense for her to remain dormant for so long. If she wanted to, there were various moments in time she easily could have killed or cursed the rest of the family.

After all, she managed to curse the queen under the nose of the king and the knights of the kingdom, and they couldn’t do a thing about it. If she could sneak in so easily and cause damage just like that, then she easily could’ve caused significant damage.

Not just that either, but now that they were aware of her ability to control large monsters like Grendels, she easily could have used this ability to wreak havoc on more than just the royal family, but also the Capital and soldiers. Untold disaster.

Yet, she stayed inactive for such a long time. Did that mean she wasn’t the one calling the shots? Why attack now? What’s the point in killing the prince and princess after such a long time?

The point was lost on him. Banishing the thought from his head, Riley sighed before standing up and looking once again towards the trees. As he fixed his glasses onto his face, he tried to push away the anxiety he felt within himself.

No matter what the case, I will not allow anyone to die. I cannot face such despair again…

He looked at Edna as she was swinging her hammer around before returning his gaze to his hand. He couldn’t allow people he felt were precious to him be taken away.

This left him wondering, though. It was one question that always lingered in the back of his unbreakable head.

Why didn’t they take away my emotions as well…? Is that the point of my curse? Do I have to suffer the emotions of losing everything around me without ever being able to feel their warmth? Without knowing their touch?

“Hey, Riley! We’re here!”

Riley clenched his fist tightly at the sound of the familiar voice behind him.

Turning to face those that he waited for, Riley smiled innocently at the waving Rosa.

I must not show my weakness. If I do, it will lead to demise once again. I will only show them my strong side. I will live up to the name Indestructible Murus…

~~~

Upon seeing Riley and Edna, Rosa ran forward (with the help of her crutches), away from her carriages, waving all the while. Seeing his warm smile and his familiar innocent expression, Rosa was beyond happy.

While she went to greet Riley, the others who sat within the first carriage looked outside. 

“So that is the man who saved my master’s sister…” one man said. This man was basically a butler. His outfit bore what appeared to be a crest of a noble family. In fact, the crest was its predominant feature. The large golden eagle encased in crystal was engraved on the back of his clothing.

Another unique feature of his was his hair. While the top was long, black, and silky smooth, the sides were short and white.

His youthful appearance, however, was just that. An appearance. His expression bore immense pride. It was though his eyes were looking down on everything as if it was all beneath him.

“I swear, Rosa has such weird tastes. Why would she ever show heart eyes for someone so wimpy?”

“That’s Princess Rosa to you! You forget your place! Swine!”

“Eat me!”

The object of his bickering tone was a maid who sat beside him. Her porcelain skin was complemented by her beautiful, golden hair which reflected the sun blissfully. 

Along with her dark blue maid’s attire, her flowing hair fluttered in the wind as she hung off the side of the carriage and watched from afar the events taking place.

“This is such a wonderful breeze! Such a wonderful and glorious day!”

“If you ask me, it’s a calm before the storm…” muttered another male attendant.

This young man, sitting opposite the other butler, couldn’t have been older than 15, barely of age, yet his expression displayed more maturity than either of the attendants before him.

Aside from being young, there wasn’t anything very striking about his appearance, with one exception of course. Unlike either of his compatriots, his eyes shined a rather unique color. Rather, they flickered from an almost light blue to a dark shade of blue and further into black, as if they were flowing rivers rather than eyes. 

And hidden behind those eyes seemed like an almost intense rage. A great storm. A hurricane so ferocious that those stared at feel like they are being crushed.

“Whether it’s a calm or not doesn’t matter!!! What matters is what it feels like at this very moment!!! And at this moment, it feels fantastic!!! This cool breeze underneath the shining sun!!!”

The girl remained carefree, despite the menacing tone of the child and the prideful voice of the youth. However, there was one presence within this carriage that simply couldn’t stand it. That feeling that there was no way to get out of this place.

Sitting in one of the corners of the carriage was Annika, no longer dressed in her previous uniform. Now, she was dressed in a similar manner to the other girl, the maid. Of course, between the two girls, that was their only shared characteristic.

Annika’s uniform was white and bore a longer skirt. Her long silver hair fell on her bare shoulders. Her mood was also an amazingly striking difference. While the golden haired girl displayed a wonderfully carefree attitude, Annika, in her silence, was in a significantly foul mood.

Due to the Slave Brand, she no longer had her freedom. Without permission, she couldn’t speak. Without permission, she couldn’t use her conjuring. She was forced to sit, and watch, and wait, and suffer until the day would come when she would be free.

“…”

 

~~~

 

In the carriage that followed, Isabelle, Elijah, and Elice sat directly across from Wyatt and Blanch.

The royal siblings, unlike how they would normally be dressed, each had on commoners’ clothes. In particular, Elijah merely wore a large baggy shirt, jeans, a belt, and work boots. Assuming one didn’t know him, he would look like just another commoner. Of course, the sword he kept sheathed in his hands would obviously prove otherwise as well.

Elice adorned a fluffy hoodie atop her rather short tank top. She also had on a pair of tight shorts. An odd combination that definitely looked further away from royalty.

Isabelle, while not in a royal garment, still wore a gorgeous and dazzling pink dress. One with what looked like a small assortment of flowers on her breast.

Her hair was tied in a beautiful knot atop her head, yet her bangs beautifully framed her face, befitting her royal visage.

The two summons, meanwhile, had on basically the same clothes as before. They even had their weapons on them as well. However, their expressions were basically the same. Utter annoyance and frustration.

This couldn’t be helped after the other day. After all, Blanch nearly had his skull crushed flat. His bones were broken quite badly as well.

The tape on his head was merely a bandage meant to hide the scar beneath. His hand was placed on that scar beneath, his headache having yet to subside. Even the most minuscule sound caused the pain to increase.

Wyatt, while not suffering anything nearly as badly, was frustrated because he picked a fight, yet he couldn’t follow through with his arrogant words of strength.

He was humiliated. Yet his humiliation was his own fault. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to admit that he underestimated his opponent. That he let himself become arrogant.

No. His mood was, in and of itself, arrogance. He still couldn’t admit it. Nor did he plan to. This was a humiliation that would scar him forever.

Having seen her daughter rush from the third carriage, Isabelle let off a great big grin. She saw her daughter happy, truly happy, for the first time in four years. It was truly a blessing that she was allowed to see her daughter in such an ecstatic mood.

“My, my. She’s been so lively lately. I’m so glad I got to live another day to see this side of her again,” she said. “Fighting through the pain of the curse was worth it to see my family happy again.”

Elice nodded at her mother’s words.

Compared to her sister, Elice was not quite so emotional. At least not when it came to anything other than anger. 

Even her brother never got to see Elice display any shred of emotion other than anger or frustration. Of course lately, she’s been showing a rather dangerous interest in curses, but that was an entirely different matter.

When her mother or father wasn’t involved, Elice only ever displayed a cold demeanor or a conniving smile. That said, her conniving smile was only ever shown when necessary. In front of those who intended to manipulate something out of her family.

However, today, her light hearted smile was genuine. Something that hadn’t been seen in years. At least, not in Elijah’s or Isabelle’s eyes.

“Hey, Elice. Why don’t you join Rosa? You missed him too, right?”

“No, I’m not so emotional that I’m going to jump him like her. Besides, the misplaced anger I had for him still hasn’t faded. I’d rather face him once it subsides completely.”

“You know it was dad’s fault, and you’re still mad at the guy?”

“I can’t help it! You try doing something with four years of misplaced anger!”

Elijah lightly chuckled at her statement. Even though he was teasing her, he knew what she meant.

For a year, he held nothing but disdain for Riley, despite his strength being a goal of his. However, this disdain eventually vanished after Riley’s unofficial banishment.

 

~~~

 

In the third and final carriage, Maria had just watched as Rosa ran out for Riley. Seeing her like this put her mind at ease.

“She’s like a different person now than she used to be…” said a familiar voice.

Across from Maria was Darius and Joy. Joy was asleep, leaning against the door of the carriage, completely without worry.

Darius meanwhile was perfectly calm and was in the middle of cleaning his own weapons: a pair of silver knuckles with chains as long as his body.

Ignoring the clangs of the chains, he spoke to Maria about Rosa, having just seen her jump out in excitement.

“That aside, though, I want to ask you a question, Ms Beauclair.”

Intrigued by his curiosity, she turned her head and faced the man whose gaze appeared to contradictorily display a lack of interest.

“What’s your opinion of Mr Murus?” he asked.

“My opinion?” Maria was very confused. It was obvious that the Summons would be curious about Riley and how trustworthy he could be.

However, what was the point of asking Maria? Surely her opinion of him shouldn’t matter. It was clear that she had a friendly relationship with him, so it was certain that there would be bias in her response. 

Is that perhaps what he wanted? But why?

Well, no matter the case, if he wanted an appropriate answer, she could talk without bias, even when talking about friends. Besides…

“I can’t say I’m surprised you’re confused why I’m asking you.”

“No, I can understand your curiosity. The first time I ever saw him, I have to admit, I couldn’t stand him.”

This was rather surprising to Darius. When he appeared in the Throne Room of the castle, Maria seemed to show genuine gladness. It was obvious that her relationship with Riley was easily one of friendship.

“You didn’t like him?”

“Yeah. At first, I found him very creepy.”

“Creepy?”

“Yeah. He was there, but it was like there was nobody there. Though I saw his form, it was as if I was staring straight at a ghost. His smiling face, void of hatred and purely innocent, made him seem emotionless. Cold logic, no emotions, an eerie smile, presenceless… his posture, the semblance of a noble. It was as if this unfathomable being entered my line of sight. And if that wasn’t enough, his speech. He spoke with kind yet confident words. He had no fear or nervousness when in the presence of such powerful National figures. I found it absolutely disgusting and arrogant!”

Darius was so shocked by her description that he stopped polishing his weapons. He even set them down and was awe stricken when he saw Maria’s expression gradually shift to anger and disgust. Almost as if she was remembering the thoughts and feelings she once harbored.

“But back then, weren’t you already settled as the head of the merchant’s company?”

“I was, but I was there when Riley first appeared in the castle.”

“First appeared?”

“He arrived alongside Cadmus Drake. Apparently, the old man was thankful for something and decided to help him have an audience with the king. Although, it was the queen he ended up meeting, and she was the one who ultimately gave him what he wanted.”

“I see.” This was quite a shock. Cadmus Drake was the strongest man in the country and was well renowned in several countries. Perhaps the world.

Yet, he held gratitude towards Riley? What possibly could have made him feel so strongly?

“Anyways, a few months after that, something happened that ultimately ended up earning favor with me.”

“What do you mean something happened?”

This question seemed to shock Maria. Her expression, which was beginning to brighten up again, suddenly shifted another direction. Her eyes became filled with darkness.

This sudden darkness almost seemed to fill Darius’s soul with fear. “I apologize. It seems I’ve touched on something sensitive…”

“…” Silence filled the carriage. Although the silence only lasted for a few moments, those seconds seemed to pass like hours in Maria’s eyes.

Seeing this, Darius called out to her, “Ms Beauclair?”

Snapped back to reality, Maria’s face shot up rapidly, the darkness in her eyes having vanished.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to space out…” she muttered, attempting to banish the echo of a single man’s creepy and ominous laughter and the sight of a great red number from her mind.

“No, it’s nothing to worry about. I take it that it’s a sensitive subject.”

“It is. But never mind that. What I was getting at was that my perceptions of him were grossly prejudiced. I thought that Riley was wearing a mask that hid some kind of malicious intent, but when I saw him panic for the first time, I was completely wrong.”

Having successfully managed to banish her previous thoughts, she smiled again.

Seeing her mood improve relieved the tension on Darius’s shoulders.

“So my opinion of him? He’s a good hearted man. He just happens to always be looked down on.”

With a small puff of laughter, Maria crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

~~~

Outside, the carriages had finally stopped. As Rosa conversed with Riley and Edna waited beside them, there were several people who decided to greet the group.

Out of the carriages came the attendants (minus Annika), Isabelle, Elijah, Elice, Maria, and Darius.

“Maybe later, I can show you some of my spells!” Rosa could be heard speaking with elation to Riley, who was simply listening to her with an innocent smile.

“Sure. I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

Hearing the group from the carriages exiting them, Rosa turned around and watched as each of them walked towards Riley and herself.

The first to reach them was Isabelle, who bore a wonderful and beautiful smile. “It’s wonderful to see you, Sir Riley.”

Edna, who had her hammer set back in its ‘sheath’ and left it hanging behind her, casually walked up to the queen. “Hey there, Mrs Queen.”

Taken aback by her lack of nervousness despite being in the presence of so many high ranking figures, Isabelle was slightly confused. 

However, she didn’t mind it. Still, it did leave her to wonder why she didn’t seem to be nervous despite being in the presence of the queen. After all, everyone who had an audience with the royal family before were clearly unnerved.

“Umm…”

“Have you two never met before? I’m surprised Cadmus hasn’t introduced her to you,” Riley asked.

“No, I don’t recall meeting her before.”

“Yeah, Gramps has never brought me to the castle. I was only there the other day because I was with you. That was the first time I’d even seen the king, let alone the queen.”

With a slight chuckle, Riley simply stated, “He really hasn’t changed in all this time, has he?”

These statements left Isabelle bewildered. Noticing this, Riley introduced her. “This is Edna Drake. She’s Cadmus’s granddaughter and my older adoptive sister. Although I was adamant that I didn’t want her to come, she decided that she wanted to come along and help.”

“Is that so?” Isabelle didn’t look surprised in the least. In fact, she even seemed amused. “So you’re the one he always brags about.”

“Brags about?! Wait, what?! When?!” Edna asked embarrassed.

“He seems to always be talking about his lovely grandchild and how she was just like him.”

“No way! I’m nothing like him! That old guy is a crazy battle nut and impulsive! And he tends to be very abrasive!”

As she basically shouted, Riley maintained his normal appearance while thinking of his own snarky remark. Edna, you’re exactly like him…

Finding her amusing, Isabelle simply laughed it off.

“It’s not funny!!!”

“So anyways Sir Riley, you said adoptive, correct?”

“That’s co-” Riley started. However, Edna placed her hand in his face with a very visible attitude.

“Riley, please don’t talk about it…”

Riley immediately understood why Edna didn’t like this topic. Riley wasn’t the one who was adopted. Edna was. And she had issues with the family.

However, the issues weren’t ones that most would think. Riley understood what she meant and his smile vanished. 

In the back of his mind, he remembered Edna smiling a great big grin, and he also remembered himself sitting in the middle of an open field. It was a vague memory, but it was one that stuck with him greatly.

Deciding to respect Edna’s request, Riley merely fixed his glasses and said, “Alright.

“Well, Queen Isabelle, I guess that takes care of introductions on my side.”

“Yes indeed.” The queen took note of his gaze turning to face the others who were joining on this journey.

He accepted the request with the pretense he would be traversing with nine people. However, there were several unfamiliar faces. Not to mention, he could also see Annika in the corner of the first carriage, donning her new outfit.

Aware that she was inside of his field of view, Annika sneered and turned away, backing further into the carriage.

Rosa and Elijah stood behind Isabelle and directed their attention to the attendants. Deciding it appropriate that he be the one to introduce them all, Elijah was the one to do so.

“I’ll introduce everyone. These are the attendants of the royal family. The tall one is my attendant. His name is Stefan DuCoph. The girl is Marietta Borveaugh, and she’s Rosa’s attendant. And the kid is Elice’s attendant. Rain Walsten.”

Each of them bowed gracefully in Riley’s presence while maintaining their silence.

Silence amongst the attendants was a common courtesy when they were around the Royal Family and their friends or associates. Aside from the one they are bound to assist, they hardly ever speak while in the presence of the rest of the family.

“Don’t mind their silence, though. It’s not easy for them to speak when the rest of us are here.”

“I certainly don’t mind. I might not be of a high class family, but I could easily understand the position they’re in.”

“I’m glad you get the picture. Most people don’t seem to understand since they don’t have the same status.”

“Status or not, I would imagine it’s common courtesy to maintain silence in the presence of one higher than yourself.”

“Funny coming from someone whose strength is superior to everyone here. When it comes right down to it, I might as well be a peasant in the presence of an unbending emperor!”

As Elijah laughed and Stefan sneered, Riley scratched his cheek and turned his eyes away. “To be perfectly honest, my strength might seem impressive, but I’m not invincible. Not really.”

The rest of the group seemed to be intrigued by his words. Especially Rosa.

“During my travels, I’ve come across several people able to damage my body. While I might limit myself in the use of conjuring so as to avoid unnecessary collateral damage, there are plenty of other people in this world who surpass even Cadmus’s strength.

“In particular, there’s one man from the Edinburgh Kingdom who I’ve fought to a draw with once before. He was the first person to have ever wounded me.”

Having never heard this before, Edna’s eyes shot wide open and she shot her head at Riley. “Are you serious?! Why haven’t I heard about this?!”

“It happened about three months after I left Caera, so I honestly never remembered to bring it up. But either way, this guy was one of the mid level guys in a special unit of their military. To say he left an impression on me is putting it mildly.”

“No way…” Rosa muttered.

For someone who had seen his strength up close and personal, it seemed utterly impossible. 

After all, he had enough defensive power alone to destroy a stone club without so much as flinching.

Wait a minute… Rosa thought. “Wait, when you were fighting the Grendels, I’m certain you said something like ‘let’s see if you can injure me’. It was like you had never been injured before! You even neglected to pay attention to it and left yourself open!”

“Oh that? Yeah, I taunt my opponents like that to force them to lose their means of fighting. It works on almost everything. That said, there aren’t many times where I actually experiment to see if something can hurt me. I only do so when I activate my Chaos Dominion since I can mitigate anything with the potential to harm me.”

“Hey, by the way! You’ve never mentioned any kind of Chaos thing to me before! When did you learn that stuff!?” Edna jumped in. Her sudden interruption left Rosa annoyed as she hadn’t finished what she wanted to say.

“I knew about it before you were adopted, but nobody else knew. Not even my parents. It’s not a power I wanted people to know about. There was enough going on at the time as it was.”

“But you could have at least told me about it!”

“Well I only recently got comfortable with using it. I’d probably have kept it secret otherwise.”

“Rrrrrrrr!!!” Edna growled with her cheeks puffed out. “I deserve special treatment! I’ve been in your life longer than anyone!!!”

“I know. I know. I hear you. I hear you.”

“Anyways, Riley!” Rosa yelled. She had clearly heard enough of their bickering. It was easy to see that she was becoming annoyed by how close the two were.

Besides that, she wanted to keep asking her own questions. Like what he did after he left, what kind of abilities he was capable of, what kinds of jobs he had completed, what kinds of people he had met, what kinds of connections he had, what kinds of places he had gone.

After all, four years had passed, and she wanted to know everything the one she adored had done. What his adventures were.

“I want to know something!”

And after that, she had one more question she wanted to ask. And that was…

 

Boom!

 

At the echoing sound of the explosion, everyone present turned their heads towards the castle.

“What the hell was that?!” someone called from the carriages. Similarly to the rest, everyone who was in the carriages was alerted and jumped out of their transports.

Even Joy was awakened and jumped out of her carriage with freshly disheveled hair. “What was that loud noise?! It shook me awake!!!”

Looking at the castle, smoke was rising as the eastern tower collapsed.

Rather distraught, Elice shook in terror as she watched the scene.

“That’s where my room is!!! What’s happening?! Why!”

The rest of the Royal family’s expressions were rather grim.

Despite the confusion, everyone else immediately armed themselves aside from Riley. Even Elijah unsheathed his own sword and readied himself.

Riley maintained his expression of calm, his smile gone, of course, but his eyes clearly focused.

An attack? The way Gregory was acting the other day certainly made it sound like something like this was bound to happen. But even so…

“Riley, do you have any idea what’s going on?” Elijah calmly asked despite his grim expression.

“No, but I have a feeling that this is what the king was worried about.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three more explosions echoed in the same direction as the castle. The massive sounds were accompanied by the screams of the many citizens that were bustling through the town, and smoke rose in the various districts around the castle.

As the people began to panic, there was immediately a large number of people who began either rushing inside to hide or standing in the streets to witness whatever it was that was going on. There were even some running in the direction of the gate.

With a mass of concern in his voice, Riley spoke up. “I’m going to investigate this! Prince Elijah, Ms Joy, Annika, follow me! Everyone else! Get into the carriages and get to the edge of the forest! I’ll meet you there when I come back!”

Everyone reacted with shock. Why was he going to go do this? Was he going to stop the attack?

No, that wasn’t likely if he still planned to come back and leave with all of them.

Angrily, Annika left the carriage in silence and stood by Riley’s side, confusing the other attendants.

“Oh, the newbie listens to the senseless freak?” Stefan questioned, garnering the sneers of Rosa and Edna.

“I’d suggest you keep your mouth shut right now. Ordinarily I’d let it slide, but right now is not the time for a pointless argument. You others get into your carriages and get going, now!” Riley said in a quick response.

It actually surprised Rosa to hear him say this, and with such force in his voice. Was this what it was like when he felt a sense of danger?

“You are not my boss! Whether the royals respect you or not doesn’t matter to nobility like me! What good a-”

“Silence, Stefan! Listen to him now! Our biggest concern is not status!”

At Elijah’s words, Stefan shut his mouth and turned back around.

“Edna, while I’m gone, you’re in charge. Keep them safe until we come back!”

“Got it!”

With a nod, Edna began loading up the carriages with the others. The attendants quickly returned to their seats. As did Elice.

However, Isabelle, Rosa, Maria, and Darius remained outside. It was clear that they still had things to say.

As Riley turned to head to the town, Rosa grabbed his shirt and said, “Wait!”

“I can’t wait right now. I need you to listen to me and get in the carriage and go!”

“But!”

“Sir Riley!” The queen stood beside her daughter. “I have one request of you.”

Riley turned and faced the royals. What possible request could the queen have at a time like this? It must be important for her to have stopped him.

With a fierce determination, the queen’s eyes displayed an intense fury. A fury towards those who have attacked their kingdom. To those foolish enough to arrogantly start an act of war without warning.

“Kill all who oppose y-”

 

Crash!

 

The sound of her voice was drowned out by the sound of an extremely loud explosion. One much louder and seemingly much closer than the previous ones.

As she spoke, a burst of crimson specks dotted her face, causing her to jump. Not only that, but everyone else nearby also jumped in surprise as well.

Riley’s eyes widened dramatically when he realized what just happened. But what did just happen?

It was so sudden… 

Riley looked down at himself, and what he saw was nothing short of surprising. His entire right arm was missing, torn off from the shoulder.

However, Riley felt no pain. No warmth. If anything, it was as if his body suddenly became lighter. Not just that, it continued to lighten on his right side. Of course, this was also obvious. He was bleeding tremendously.

My arm… is on the ground? 

Rather than a sense of pain, what Riley felt was a sense of caution and wariness. As if to face his foe, Riley turned around at practically Godspeed to look for his enemy. Yet, nobody could be seen.

“Riley!!!”

Edna immediately ran to her brother. Just like everyone else, she was in a state of immeasurable confusion. Her indestructible brother was injured? No, dismembered! Whoever did this is incredibly powerful. It takes an amazing amount of force just to cut his skin, yet his arm was torn clean off.

No way!!! This is bad!!!

Rosa and Annika were completely shocked as well. After having watched his fight against the Grendels and against the summons, they were more than aware of how powerful he was.

“That’s impossible!”

What the hell? How did his arm get lopped off of his body?

Annika slowly reached up to her face and wiped off a speck of blood. Rather than a sense of joy from seeing the wound and his blood, like she expected she would, she found herself more worried.

However, this worry was certainly not for Riley. It was for herself. If there was someone capable of hurting this man, then that means the level of danger they were actually in had skyrocketed manyfold. 

Her true feelings? This is not what I signed up for… I might be a slave, but I felt safer working as these bastards’ attendant than I do right now! I… We need to get out of here! I don’t want to die!

Riley immediately took action to tend to his wound. He raised his remaining hand and muttered, “Fire Healing: Phoenix Light,” and then he placed it on his injury, causing the blood to stop pouring and the wound to close.

Seeing his calm action also took them by surprise.

Ordinarily, a fire spell like this shouldn’t be so effective. His body was so tough against damage, a minor spell like shouldn’t have any kind of negative influence on the way his body would react. 

However, this spell was different. Phoenix Light is a flame spell that lingers on the wound, immediately stopping any external bleeding and filtering it back into the blood vessels. Furthermore and simultaneously, it stimulates the cells of the wound into near overdrive. The wound begins healing itself at a speed reminiscent of ordinary healing conjuring.

Edna was completely surprised by his quick action, but she was also relieved that he was so quick. She didn’t want to see him like this ever.

“Chaos Creation: Chaos Dominion!” 

At his call, a barrier, large enough to expand across several neighborhoods, grew from his position. The effects he might have within it would certainly be drastically reduced, but in this situation, that wasn’t what mattered. That was not the reason he created his barrier.

Whoever hit me is an incredibly powerful long range precision shooter. I didn’t know that there was a spell that could be discharged from such a massive distance away. However, if they try again, I can interfere as soon as it passes through the barrier and determine the direction of the caster!

In urgency, Riley began to raise his voice to those around him. “Everyone, lis-”

“No, no, no, NO!!!!”

“Why is this happening?!”

But what he heard behind him stopped him. It was odd. Why were they freaking out? Sure, his arm was torn off. That is probably a big deal. But it was nothing to scream over?

There may certainly be an overwhelming enemy awaiting as well, but the likes of the people within this escort are more than well aware not to freak out over something like that. Sure, calmness wasn’t absolutely necessary, but neither was shouting over it.

Wanting to know what the fuss was about, Riley turned around and faced everyone. Why was it that they were panicking? But that answer suddenly became clear…

As soon as Riley’s eyes made contact with everyone behind him, they widened dramatically. What lay before him was a spectacle one dared not imagine.

Isabelle was laying on the ground… with a large hole in her abdomen.

She laid bleeding on the ground. Her children to her left and right. After overcoming the shock of Riley’s arm, Rosa’s gaze also landed upon her mother’s body. She couldn’t bring out any words, though. She merely dropped her crutches and fell to her bottom beside Isabelle.

“M-Mother…”

Isabelle laid in a pool of her own blood with everyone around her pale as a ghost at the sight. Her cheeks were smeared with her and Riley’s blood. She gasped for air. Her eyes were gazing into the sky.

But when did this happen? Was it the same shot that took Riley’s arm? But… I don’t… understand…

Riley took a step forth towards the queen.

“Aaaaaahhhhhh!!! Mother!!!” Elice wailed, holding her mother’s hand. It was still warm, but that warmth was waning fast.

Elijah couldn’t move his eyes. His legs were frozen in place. But his arms… His arms stretched out, as if reaching out to her.

The attendants and the Summons, all of who had stepped out of their carriages, were all left aghast, speechless. Nobody could say a single word. Maria had also stood in awe and terror, unable to speak up.

But while they were all shocked, Riley’s mind was a mess. Why did this have to happen? Again, someone in his care was not protected. Yet another person had to fall. And the journey hadn’t even begun this time.

Again… Again… Again!!!

Riley gritted his teeth tightly. They were practically grinding like metal. His shock, his confusion. They were slowly transforming into intense sadness and hatred. Rage, boiling rage!

And as if to anger him further than his mind could bear, another explosion echoed in the distance, followed by the sound of a collapsing building. He dared not turn around, however. He couldn’t bring himself to do so.

That explosion reminded him of what he needed to do. Of what he was entrusted. This place isn’t safe! “Everybody! Get the queen onto a carriage and get the hell out of here!!! Reach the Forest!!! Await for me by the edge!!!”

Snapped to by his sudden shout, Elijah turned and faced Riley, a tear running down his cheek and his brow scrunched. “Riley! What the hell are you spouting!!! She can’t be moved!!! She needs medical attention!!!”

“She’s beyond saving, but we won’t leave her body behind, Prince. Get out of here now!”

“You heal her! You know how to heal wounds, surely! Heal her!”

“I can’t! Healing is far too slow! She won’t make it at this rate!”

“Damn you!” Elijah grabbed Riley by his collar. Riley didn’t react to this and simply let him do so. “Why won’t you save my mother?! You did before!”

“That wasn’t the same! We don’t have time to be discussing this!”

“Big Brother, can you really not save her…?” Elice mumbled quietly.

Riley’s face twisted in rage and frustration as well as sadness. “No… I can’t…”

“Let him go, now!”

Stepping up from beside him, Edna pulled Elijah away from Riley. Suddenly thrown aside, Elijah pulled out his sword and held it up to Riley and Edna. He would get him to heal his mother, one way or the other.

However, Edna stepped in front of him and drew her hammer. Everyone around them, except for Rosa, Elice, and Annika, drew their weapons as well, pointing them at any one of the three.

Edna, with a fierce look, began to scream at Elijah. “Look around you! Can you not see what is happening?!”

Smoke was rising from the town. Explosions and flames were consuming everything. Even as they spoke, they could hear the screams of the people. Everyone ran around them in a panic to escape.

“Right now, we can’t worry about healing the queen! We are all in danger! If we don’t leave now, we might not get a chance to at all!”

“Shut up! Stay out of this!”

“Look at Riley, will ya?!” Edna shouted while slightly moving. Elijah took note of Riley’s expression, but it was nothing special. He was seething with rage, but anyone would in this situation. But that wasn’t what mattered. He should be perfectly capable of keeping his mother alive.

And just as he was about to say something, Elijah noticed something else. Something different that he should have noticed before. Riley’s arm was missing, the stump was coated in flame, and his clothes were soaked in his own blood. What?! His arm!

“You need to listen, now! The city is under attack! The threat is so incredible that Riley’s hurt, and he’s hurt badly! He couldn’t even heal his own arm! He’s having to burn it shut! What do you expect him to do for someone who’s missing their entire gut!”

“You wouldn’t understand!”

“Don’t act like you’re the only one in the world who is having or has faced a crisis like this! Look around you! It’s happening here!”

“We need to save her!”

“Shut up! Do you want to lose your sisters, too?!”

At her shout, Elijah turned and faced her sisters. Both of them were still beside their mother as she lay dying. Both were in a shocked state. Rosa wasn’t moving, her eyes staring downward. 

She was practically broken. Elice was bawling her eyes out as she held her mother’s hand. She was desperate, but she was unable to properly do anything. Unlike her sister who was good with conjuring and her brother who was good with the sword, Elice didn’t have any kind of skills. Much less a way to help her mother. To save someone with this kind of wound to begin with was…

Elijah stood there and looked, his fist clenched but his eyes having softened greatly.

“Your mother can’t be saved, but if you listen and get the hell out of here, then your sisters can be saved!”

“But we-”

Crash!

As if on cue, another explosion echoed, and a bright flash of light pierced through the Chaos Dominion. However, unlike before, it flew upward and crashed into the barrier’s dome like roof.

The suddenness caught everyone by surprise, but Riley instead looked back and drew his gun with his left hand. Southeast!

“Prince Elijah Caera!” Elijah jumped at Riley’s sudden call. “You understand the situation! If you don’t want to watch your family or friends or attendants die in front of you, then get everyone back onto those carriages, and leave!”

This time, his words seemed to reach Elijah. However, he was still reluctant to move his mother. But, she can’t be…

“Kah… My… ch-children… Kah!” Elijah turned and faced his mother. When his eyes made contact with her, he could clearly see the light fading quickly in her eyes.

“Mother! Please, don’t go!” Elice cried.

“…” Rosa was entranced. She couldn’t move. She just stared at her mother, fear and shock and sadness overtaking her. Tears falling from her eyes.

With the last of her strength, Isabelle raised her head slightly. It was all she had just to do that. She still coughed up blood, but if she could do one last thing, she would say one last thing.

“Live.”