Side Story Chapter 286
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Kireua yelled.
He couldn’t believe that Arcadia had fallen, so he pulled out the crystal ball which was used exclusively to contact the Imperial Family of Avalon and infused his mana into it.
“Iruca! Answer me!”
Kireua didn’t get any response back. The ominous feeling grew stronger.
-I’m sorry.
She felt guilty because Kireua would have returned to Avalon long ago if that hadn’t been for Ulabis’s execution.
“…I’ll find a way back to my country on my own,” Kireua said.
-Take the golems with you!
Anna’s interruption caught Arash by surprise.
-Your Majesty, although I’m aware that it’s an emergency, the Vaikals are Swallow’s treasures, so he should return—
-They’re mine, and I’m saying that I won’t accept them back! Hey, you stone blocks! You can hear me, can’t you?! Protect him! If I see so much as a scratch on him, I’ll dismantle you guys and build walls out of you!
Kireua could hear humming sounds from his subspace as if the golems were responding to Anna.
-Why are you doing this…? It will make our plan very difficult, you know.
Of course, Arash’s attempt to dissuade Anna didn’t work.
-You don’t have to be that stiff about it. People should help out each other in times of need—and there are five Vaikals, so we can spare two of them. Besides, I’m an elemental spirit mage—one of the strongest around
Arash ended up caving to Anna’s stubborness.
-Phew. Prince Kireua, I pray for your safe return. Ah, I contacted the Magic Tower to help you.
“Thank you.”
Kireua had no reason to linger any longer, so he tried to end the conversation there.
-Don’t get hurt! Don’t overwork yourself! Don’t cry because I’m not there with you! You’d better come back no matter what! That’s a promise, okay?!
Anna’s shouting brought a weak smile to Kireua’s face. “…Yeah, I promise.”
Arash’s reflection in the crystal ball disappeared.
Right after that, a huge light flashed near Kireua. Not only Kireua but also Voltaire and his knights, who had yet to leave the site, were startled by the fluctuations in the local flow of mana.
“Wh-What is with this mana…?” Voltaire mumbled, his painful injury momentarily forgotten.
The man who walked out of the fading light made Voltaire’s jaw drop.
“I received the call. I’m sorry for mismanaging my mage…” the man with light green hair quietly said.
It was obvious even in Voltaire’s eyes that the man possessed an incredible amount of mana—a truly one of a kind amount of mana.
“T-Tower Master…?” Voltaire stammered.
This man must be Thetapirion Whitesox, the only Eighth Circle mage alive.
“I-Is the woman beside him his guard? I didn’t know that Prince Kireua knew the Tower Master personally, though…”
Even if it was a mage from the Magic Tower who had started this incident, Voltaire had never heard of the Tower Master himself personally coming to make an apology and make amends.
However, Kireua’s attention was elsewhere.
“Isaac…?”
“Ah, I met her when I arrived in Swallow. You know her, don’t you? Anna… Ahem. The new empress of Swallow told me to take her with me, so here we are.”
“Have you been following me?” Kireua asked Isaac.
She nodded. Although Kireua was aware that Isaac had been following him, he hadn’t expected her to show up right now.
“What in the world are you trying to pull?” Kireua unleashed his murderous energy.
Isaac was the Martial Emperor’s daughter, meaning that she held tremendous status both within Hubalt and without. It would be considered self-defense if Kireua crushed Isaac’s head there and then.
Isaac noted the bloodlust in Kireua’s eyes and shrugged. “The empress of Swallow is head over heels for you and yet she still allowed me to join you. I’m sure that counts for something.”
“I’ll ask you again. What scheme are you trying to start this time?”
“I want to meet Bel.”
Kireua scowled. “Do you seriously think I’d help you?”
“Did you forget that Bel is my fiance?”
In contrast to Kireua, who already knew the fact, Theta’s eyes widened into little moons.
“Bel? Are we talking about Bel, the Battle God?”
“If it’s true that Arcadia has fallen, it would be a good idea to bring me in case you need to make a hostage exchange.”
Kireua had a feeling that this was why Anna had given Iruca permission. Since he knew that he was taking out his anger on someone who didn’t deserve it, Kireua quickly quelled his murderous energy.
“If you need something to trust me, I’ll make a Mana Ple—”
“Forget it.” Kireua turned to look at Theta. “Will it take long to install a teleportation gate?”
Isaac was perplexed by the sudden shift, but Kireua didn’t even glance at her again.
“Who do you think I am?” Theta confidently answered—but a bitter smile spread across his face. This was not a good time for him to be pompous. “One of my mages is responsible for this incident, so although the Magic Tower will officially compensate you, this teleportation is on the Magic Tower. I’m not sure this will be enough, but…”
“It’s okay. It’s not like you can personally manage all your mages.”
“I appreciate that.” Theta’s face brightened slightly. “It’s quite a distance, but only two of you are going to teleport, which means I don’t need to make a gate to teleport you guys. I can do it on my own—but the problem is the jamming barrier around Avalon..”
Theta pulled out a finger-sized golden artifact. “This is an ancient treasure that lessens a barrier’s effect. I recently found it while exploring a ruin; I never thought I’d use it like this.”
“It sounds valuable. Are you sure about using it right now?”
“I’m more scared of getting on your father’s bad side than using this thing. Just put in a good word for me later.”
“…Of course. Does this mean we can get to Avalon right away?” Kireua asked, clinging to the thread of hope that Theta had offered to him.
Knowing how Kireua felt, Theta nodded with a smile. “Come over here and hold on to me. We’re heading to Avalon right away.”
* * *
In a corner of Avalon, a light flared into being. Just as Theta had said, he and his two passengers had arrived at Avalon in no time. However, there were some side effects. Theta’s legs gave out and Kireua had to jump to prop him up.
“A-Are you okay?”
“...Teleportation certainly consumes a lot of mana, even for me,” Theta said in a weak voice.
Not only was group teleportation a Eighth Circle spell, one of the highest, but the trio had traveled a great distance, from the border all the way to the capital. On top of that, he had breached a jamming barrier too—a feat of magical power even if Theta had an artifact to help him. However, all his hard work bore fruit.
“This is…” Kireua almost choked up. In fact, he might have wept if he was alone.
They stood on a familiar mountain located behind Arcadia.
“Judging from the look on your face, I take it we’re at the right spot… I set the coordinates at the central plaza, but the jamming seems to have affected the teleportation a little more than I expected,” Theta commented.
“Uh, what? If the teleportation had been affected more than this…” Kireua trailed off.
“Well, it can’t get worse than dying together,” Theta cheerfully answered.
Kireua was grateful. Not many people would risk their lives just to take responsibility for someone else’s transgressions.
“It looks like we aren’t far from the peak. Shall we examine the situation in the palace from above? ”
“…Okay.”
“And I’m sorry to tell you this… but I won’t be much of a help anymore,” Theta informed Kireua with genuine regret. “This group teleportation exhausted my mana. Phew. It’s embarrassing to say this as a Eighth Circle mage, but I’m about to pass out here.”
“You’ve done more than I could ask for. I’m truly grateful to you,” Kireua said before striding toward the peak, quickly followed by Theta and Isaac.
Before long, they arrived at the peak. Even Isaac, who usually remained expressionless, gasped slightly when she saw the beauty of Arcadia arrayed before her.
In contrast, Kireua’s lip was quivering.
“Huff, huff. What’s wrong?” Theta panted.
Kireua pointed to the top of the palace without turning to look at Theta. “Over there…”
Ordinary people couldn’t possibly see anything at such a distance, but that wasn’t a problem for Kireua.
“…Hubalt’s flag is flying on the top of the Palace,” Kireua whispered.
“What?!” Theta yelled.
“You’re right…” Isaac nodded in agreement.
More worryingly, not a single person could be seen on the ramparts or near the gates. Avalon was at war, so guards should have been patrolling the area at all times. In addition, not a scratch could be seen on the buildings that had been rebuilt after the Four Paladins’ attack.
“Whew… Maybe you’re mistaken because it’s too far away,” Theta speculated. “If Arcadia has fallen like we heard, the whole city should be ablaze…”
Kireua also thought that it was odd that they couldn’t find any traces of battle in Arcadia.
“Bel wouldn’t do that,” Isaac announced.
“What?”
“He doesn’t care about land or trophies. He’s only interested in fighting.” Isaac could see Arcadia in detail, as she was also over the level of a Superhuman.
“Hey, lady. Not all people agree with their leader’s principles. Think about why I’m here right now,” Theta said.
Isaac shook her head. “Even if Bel didn’t care, his Martial Knights would have given strict orders not to harm civilians under any circumstances since it would be more harm than benefit.”
“Hah… You really don’t hesitate to get the facts straight even if it’s our first time meeting each other, huh?” Theta narrowed his eyes.
Kireua had an idea of what Isaac was talking about. Hubalt was already considered a rogue state for starting the Second Continental War, so if their knights also engaged in typical war crimes like plunder, arson, and rape, the empire’s reputation would end up in the gutter. Since Hubalt wished to unify the continent, it should avoid any damage to its reputation at all costs.
“But it’s still strange. Casualties and damages are inevitable side effects of battle… It’s like everyone ran away even before the enemy got through the gates…” Isaac stroked her chin.
“Hey, hey. Even ignoring all of that, it’s strange that Bel wouldn’t think about plundering the palace. That Palace used to be an impregnable fortress and it’s never been breached since the Martial God became the emperor of Avalon. Have you ever thought how much treasure there is in that palace?”
Kireua turned to leave.
“…We’ll find out when we get there.”
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