Although Luke was full of uncertainty about how Oukiwa would be during his absence, the consent of Ayumi Yamazaki was the primary point for him actually to make a decision.
He knew that there was a possibility that the First Servant was very angry after the terrorist attack had failed, and that when he became Champion of the Tournament of Legends, the Big Demon also knew where the half-wolf might be, but it would be too risky a move to attack the Strogueher.
What is the largest Noble Family present in Oukiwa is not only very influential but also very strong, not to mention their powerful guards, who are very experienced and come from many parts of the Empire. Not to mention that the Strogueher property is, after the Central Palace, the best-guarded area in the entire city.
Knowing all these factors precisely because he had lived in this place for almost three weeks, Luke was somewhat reassured.
On the morning of the next day that Luke Lange met Lescar, someone knocked on Ayumi's door.
"I'm coming!" Nathalia shouted as she went downstairs to answer the door.
When the young Strogueher opened the door, she saw a woman with brown skin and grayish hair. She had armor on both arms, but on the rest of her body, she wore only a blue and long dress.
"That is the home of Luke Lange, the 'Half-Wolf', right?" The woman asked.
Nathalia tilted her head to the side and saw at least ten young, white-haired elves behind her. "And who might you be?"
A hand touched the brown woman's shoulder, and an Elf girl stepped out from behind her back. Looking down at the ground and moving the fingers of her hand frantically, this Elf girl spoke:
"We apologize for my partner's rudeness... She is Stella Hoka, the champion of last year's Tournament of Legends and I am Laís Strogueher."
This Elf had white hair as long as Nathalia's, and her eyes were gray. For a few minutes, she introduced all of Nathalia's other cousins, who were on a trip together.
"So, Luke Lange went on a journey right after winning the Tournament? I thought he was your private bodyguard." After talking with Nathalia for a bit, Stella spoke up, seated on the couch.
"Yes... he needed to visit the Family, and there was no more opportune time than this." Nathalia spoke without trembling; after all, this was only a half-truth.
"Sigh..." Stella sighed, disappointed. "I think our rematch will be for later."
*
<strong>— Two kilometers north of Oukiwa, an hour after the Grand Final of the Tournament of Legends ended. —</strong>
A few rays of sunlight illuminated the treetops of an ordinary forest, waking the birds in their nests and indicating that in a few minutes, it would be dawn. A two-horse wagon was crossing quickly through the small jungle.
"Huh? Hmm..." The half-dragon sleepily awoke to the noise of the galloping.
A hole in the road suddenly lifted one of the two wheels of the wagon, causing it to bounce. When it came back to the ground, Alexis hit her head hard on the wagon's wood, waking her up for real.
"Ouch! Ouch!" Unconsciously, Alexis tried to stroke her right fifer because of the pain, but suddenly realized that she had both hands cuffed and that, for some reason, she was in the back of an old wagon.
In the driving seat of the carriage were Matthew and the black woman with braids in her hair. The half-dragon was about to jump on Yoelona's neck again, but Matthew exclaimed:
"Calm down, calm down! She's on our side!" He shouted, trying to prevent a fight between the two from happening.
"What did you say?"
Then the black woman, who was guiding the two horses, pulled the rope to slow the vehicle down and pulled over at a point parallel to the road. The three of them jumped down to get off the carriage and talk.
Matthew's legs were shaking with nervousness. He had already heard Yoelona's explanations, but he was apprehensive about what the half-dragon's response would be.
"This is Yoelona, she is... an old friend." The man introduced the white-eyed woman.
The two women were staring at each other with clenched gazes, and an intense pressure formed in a few seconds, which intensified Matthew's fear even more.
"I know that name. You are Luke's Master, aren't you?" Alexis asked to confirm. Luke had told her a little about how he learned some techniques.
"That's right... First of all, let me help you with the obsidian handcuffs. You must still be weak from the gas."
At that moment, a retching startled Matthew, and when he opened his eyes after the fright, he saw the black cuffs, which held the half-dragon's hands, fall to the ground in pieces.
"I think you guys better start explaining yourselves. There's nothing around us, so I won't hesitate to burn this entire forest if I judge you to be a threat."
"That's fair enough." Yoelona spoke, sketching no expression. "What do you want to know?"
"Why did you attack him and me before if you are so peaceful now?"
"The answer is simple. I didn't know you; I didn't trust you. I heard about Matthew looking for Meredith and when I saw that he had an unknown person with him, of course I was on alert, after all he had been missing for some time. Before he told me a little about you on the way here, I thought you were a demon."
The half-dragon was surprised to hear about this type of monster class. "So, you know about demons too?"
"I had the opportunity to meet one in person a few months ago near Suzano. Since then, I've been trying to rescue the people I like from the big centers..."
"She was the person who got Meredith, Zack, John and Ynosuke out of Oukiwa!" Matthew revealed excitedly, complementing Yoelona's response.
Finally, Alexis Dmitry let her guard down because she felt truthfulness in both of their words. In addition, it didn't look like Yoelona had been injury-free from the fight against the S-Class.
"Luke is in Oukiwa to look for his friends. Where are they now?"
"Wait, he's not in Vasconcelos? Why didn't you tell me about that?" Yoelona turned last to ask Matthew, finally showing a human expression of surprise.
"Eh... I thought you knew. You even knew that we were prowling around in the Lower City." He replied, scratching his head with one finger, confused as well.
"I knew that because you went to an old friend." The woman huffed and leaned on the deteriorating wagon. "But that's okay, confusions of information are normal. For now, he's sure to be safe if he's still with the Strogueher..."
"I'm sorry I didn't say that earlier. We had time to talk, and I was too excited by the good news..." Matthew was disappointed in himself.
"Just answer me, do you really want to go to the Fort now? I didn't take you before because you had a girlfriend and everyone thought you wouldn't agree to go..."
Matthew was disappointed in his friends; however, he knew deep down they were right, he would never leave Jess behind. "Yes, I want to see how my friends are doing. I bet they'll want to come back when they hear about Luke..."
"If they want to, I won't be able to stop them." Yoelona spoke and approached the horses. "Now let's go, the journey will be long. Are you coming?" she asked the half-dragon.
Alexis had the option to go back to Oukiwa and warn Luke or accompany Matthew and find out if Yoelona is telling the truth or just a very well-done bluff. Also, Alexis was interested in learning about Yoelona's encounter with a demon, and why it was so scary to the point of making her want everyone she knows from the big cities.
"Yes, I'll come with you."
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