Chapter 196 We have unknown visitors?
(POV: Lumiere)
Before Sangria and Lirien could escalate their conflict any further, I swiftly positioned myself in between them.
"Thanks Stellaria," I smiled at her.
Placing an index finger on her bottom lip, she replied, "Of course, after all, Serena couldn't do anything."
"Don't start this," Serena gritted her teeth as she let go off the basket in her grasp.
Serena wore overalls much like me, but ones that delicately displayed her pearly thighs and flashed a hint of eroticism. Her collarbones and spotless skin beamed in the sunlight. And the sweat that ran down her neck... that only made it better.
"Are you jealous, Serendipity?" Stellaria giggled before taking another bite of her sweet fruit.
"OF COURSE I'M NOT!!"
That's the highest I'd ever heard Serena raise her voice.
I sighed. "Not you guys too..."
There was no way I'd survive resolving two different fights.
"Hmph!" Serena folded her arms and shifted her gaze away. "I'm only stopping because Lord Lumiere said to."
"Whatever," said Stellaria, nonchalantly eating her fruit.
My attention went back to Sangria and Lirien.
"Now back to you guys..."
I looked at Sangria and then Lirien.
"There's no point in fighting."
Sangria's expression became melancholic. "She was the one who started it."
Sighing, my gaze remained on Lirien.
"...I didn't know she was the idiot who planted it..."
Of course, Lirien didn't mean it that way.
What she actually meant to say was: "I didn't know the person whom I called idiot was actually Sangria."
Honestly, we needed a thesaurus on Lirien?s sentences.
Because at this point I can't... I just can't...
I frowned disapprovingly, deciding to intervene in their bickering.
"Don't call her an idiot," I reprimanded firmly.
"...I apologize..." Lirien replied, her dull face ever present.
I smiled calmly. "It's fine."
My gaze went back to Sangria. "See? She apologized."
"I s—"
Sangria's anger shifted abruptly, replaced by a look of concern.
She interrupted the brewing conflict. "Someone's crossing into our territory, and they're getting closer by the second!"
There was some urgency in her otherwise dull voice.
"Take me there... immediately!" I told her.
Without wasting a moment, Sangria invoked a spell, and a cloak of darkness enveloped the both of us, concealing our presence.
Stellaria whistled, "Woah, cool." However, her voice lacked enthusiasm.
In an instant, we vanished from our previous location.
Sangria utilized her [Shadow Magic] in conjunction with [Magic Detect] to construct a remarkable creation known as the Shadow Network. By dispersing shadow particles throughout the entire Silva Citadel, she established a means to monitor every location in real-time. Through a conscious connection of her mana to each particle, Sangria could employ her [Magic Detect] to gain a comprehensive visual understanding of her surroundings, all without physically being present.
Also, it transmitted sound and light waves giving her better grasp of any scene she chose to monitor.
...
The shadowy energies dissipated.
We were at the outer reaches of the Silva Citadel. A tad close to what was once the Andarbani territory.
"Oh, that was quick." I looked around.
Sangria gently nodded. "Thank you."
"So, you said you sensed something...?"
"Yes."
"Soooooo..."
"Yes."
"This is the part where you tell me what you saw." I forced an awkward smile.
She bowed her head, her jaw nestling into her black scarf. "Okay."
Calmly, she pointed to the two figures desperately sprinting towards us.
One of them possessed flowing blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and was adorned with aristocratic attire, indicating her noble heritage.
The other, a muscular man, brandished a formidable spear as he tirelessly ran.
But they weren't the problem.
The problem was...
Three colossal creatures hot on their heels.
"Those are..."
"Terra Anticas," Sangria calmly interjected.
Standard Rank C monsters.
Massive ants with an insatiable appetite for rocks, growing exponentially with each meal.
[ Rank C — Above moderate danger and require experienced adventurers to defeat. ]
The figures continued to race for us.
Sangria and I exchanged a brief nod.
"Let's make it quick," I whispered to Sangria.
She nodded in agreement, her eyes focused. "Yes, my lord."
Without hesitation, Sangria unleashed her agile grace, utilizing [Shadow Craft].
She leaped high above the Terra Anticas.
From her right palm emanated a dark, shadowy orb that stretched and twisted into a complex network of black webs, ensnaring the monstrous ants with a tight grip.
It was [Black Web Incarceration].
A skill she used on Eris.
The durability was based solely on the elasticity. It didn't matter how strong you were. It wouldn't snap.
The Terra Anticas screeched, helpless and immobilized.
I raised an eyebrow at the two trembling humans.
"You guys are so owing me after this."
And hopefully, an explanation too.
With a quick gesture, I conjured a sphere of oxygen in my palm, followed by a small flame.
[Inferno Hall]
Tossing it gently into the air, the sphere landed on the ants, igniting a dazzling display of mana-oxygen enhanced fire.
The flames swirled into a dome.
Fueled by the oxygen particles, the Terra Anticas were engulfed in a consuming inferno.
The monstrous creatures were reduced to nothing but smoky remnants.
"Well that was pretty easy," I stretched.
With the danger eliminated, Sangria returned to my side.
"Nice one, Sangria," I complimented with a smile, extending my fist for a fist bump.
She tilted her head slightly, a look of confusion crossing her face.
Puzzled, I asked, "Don't you know what a fist bump is?"
In response, Sangria's head nestled back into her scarf, and she shook her head in a charmingly adorable manner.
"No."
Her innocence and uncertainty was charming.
"Alright, here's how it works."
I grabbed her right hand and formed it into a fist.
"A... fist...?" she said.
I formed my fist again. "Then I'll do mine like that."
Gently, my fist pushed against hers in the silent serenity of the Great Forest.
"Oh?" she remarked. "But, what's the purpose?"
I scratched my head prior to dragging my straw hat back to hang behind my neck.
"Well, it's a gesture between two people who are close... or maybe see eye to eye."
For some reason, Sangria?s pale cheeks turned a bit red as she touched the fist we'd bumped together.
"...close..." her dull voice uttered.
My focus then turned back to the two humans.
One an aristocrat.
The other, an adventurer most likely.
What were they doing within the territory of Silva.
Scratch that, what were they looking for in the Great Forest, of all places.
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