Crackle!
A chilling wind sweeps the battlefield, carrying the cold that the gigantic ice shards which decimated the army has. Everything is perfectly frozen, so no one can see flowing blood. The battlefield, which is the empty plain before the mine, is quiet for a few seconds. Only after the Warriors recover from their shock do they cheer.
It is quite off-putting for me to produce that kind of attack considering what I have been doing. I believe the Warriors also shared the same sentiment; hence, they remained quiet for a few seconds. Ice Magic is not that rare for people to get excited when they see one. Still, seeing humongous ice shards in the middle of a dusty plain during the day evokes curiosity.
Returning Rexorem to our Bond Seal, I watch as Neroel the son of the late Alivert Storm and Decima the Commander of the Human-Lamia Army come to me. Their eyes shine as if they belong to children starstruck by their idol.
As Neroel kneels before me, Decima bows. They thank me for my immaculate timing to appear before apologizing for their incompetence.
"You brought two thousand men with you and you only lost seven hundred men in the fight against a fifteen thousand men army. I will say that an impressive achievement already," I return, waving off their apology. "I expected you to lose more considering the unexpected backup the human army got."
"Ah, it was only possible with your help, Commander," Decima responds.
Indeed, it was the case--I am not planning to deny it. I still gave them the praise because Teanosvera quite disappointed me. Regardless of the backup that the human army got, he should have been able to help Decima and her troop defeat it quickly. He might be holding back to prevent revealing himself, but it is still disappointing nonetheless.
The said Forest Spirit flies at me in his crow form and perches on my shoulder. From his aura, I can tell he is sorry for his rather lacking performance. I am not going to chastise him, of course. Regardless of my command to aid Decima and her troop, he is not responsible for the lives of the Warriors.
"Thank you for your work." I make sure to appreciate his performance.
"I shall do better next time," Teanosvera replies surely, sounding regretful.
Pointing my thumb at the mine behind me, I tell to Decima, "There are some Celestines to mine there. Since the threat is already taken care of, you better have some of your able men build a Teleportation Gate. I bet the miners are giddy to do their job."
The miners left the mine two days ago. Although they can use Magic, they are by no means capable of fending for themselves. I ordered them to rest temporarily because of the upcoming fight. Of course, I had to make up an excuse for ordering them to rest since I couldn't afford to let Decima know what was going to transpire.
To fool your enemy, you need to fool your ally.
Now that the Spell that Azhdaha cast to isolate the space around the mine has gone, it is time to build a Teleportation Gate nearby. Its nonexistence was the only reason the Luxibrae Army decided to risk it.
Having a Teleportation Gate nearby will shoo away many people. Those lunatics will also think twice before thinking about doing something to it. Its existence conveys that the mine is being watched by us. Though, it doesn't completely negate the chance that some parties like the alliance of Luxibrae won't lay their hand on it again in the future.
Still, that chance is very slim. After all, they will have to sacrifice a lot of their people to seize it from us, which I am sure they are reluctant to do.
"Forgive me for being presumptuous, Master, but what did you find inside the cave?" Neroel asks as I tell him to stand up.
I glance at Millonia for a while before smirking softly. "A lovely friend."
"Yes...?"
Neroel blinks his eyes, puzzled by my answer. He is smart enough to know his boundary, though, so he doesn't pry on the matter any further.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind from above causes us to look up. Genelos has finally decided to land after hovering in the air while looking at me cautiously. Wyvern is of the Dragon family, so I believe the Dragon blood in me scares him a little bit. No matter how smart and exceptional he is, he is not a Dragon.
Nodding my head to both Neroel and Decima, I bid them farewell and circle my hand around Millonia's waist before jumping onto Genelos' back. Millonia yelps like an innocent maiden and I would have teased her for that if not for the strong connection I feel with Genelos.
We have never established a Contract. It is not necessary since a higher-class Wild Beast like a Wyvern can pledge their loyalty to their Master without it. With that said, feeling a connection with them is impossible. Although I understand Genelos so well that we can talk just by looking at each other, this is the first time I feel one with him.
It is not unpleasant, but it is still off-putting. It shouldn't be possible without anything binding our souls.
"Do Dragons naturally have a right to enslave Wyverns?" I muse out loud.
I don't think I can control every one of Genelos' actions, but I still said that because I want to confirm something. Genelos remains silent, confirming my suspicion that he is hiding something from me.
Deciding to leave the matter as is, I put my hand on Genelos' back. I experience the same feeling of connection and I revel in it as I tell him to take off. He flies faster than he usually does. It is as if he is trying to run away from the problem that he carries on his back. it makes me even more curious, but I remain silent.
Five hours passed and we are back at Antares. Genelos has calmed down, but he still doesn't want to say anything. Millonia and I get down from him as soon as he lands. Millonia immediately excuses herself, already figuring out that we need some space. Genelos looks at her disappearing figure forlornly, hoping for her to stay instead.
"I didn't know you were that fond of Millonia," I comment, earning a surprised look from him.
As he turns to me, although his throat doesn't move up and down, I am sure he gulps his saliva nervously. "Are you suggesting me to hate Millonia, Master? That will be presumptuous of me to hate one of my Master's wives, no?"
Genelos grins but fails as his smile falters quickly. He looks anywhere but at me and his eyes light up when Maxine approaches me. The light soon dies out when I raise my hand, stopping Maxine in her tracks. She doesn't immediately, though, so I promise to talk to her later.
"We will have a private talk later, Maxine."
"Ah, y-yes, Commander."
I fail to understand why Maxine sounds nervous and excited, but I don't dwell on it too much as I focus my gaze on the Wyvern before me. A minute is spent in silence until the said Wyvern sighs fierily.
"Spill the beans, bastard."
"I-I will.... Let's just...get somewhere quiet."
Nodding my head lightly at the request, I put my hand on Genelos' muzzle. I cast [Teleportation] and we appear at the peak of a snow-covered mountain in Antares after a blinding light briefly envelops us.
Whoosh!
The strong and chilly wind sweeps over us and Genelos is not amused by that. I chose this place instinctively and I guess Azhdaha's blood affects me more than I thought. I feel slightly bad for Genelos because he loves a warm place more than anything. As an apology, I hold myself from snickering.
"I hope you won't also behave like that ice bastard, Master."
"Hoh? You know Azhdaha?"
Genelos nods his head reluctantly. "He doesn't know me, though. None of them knows me."
"Care to explain?"
Genelos sighs, letting out warm steam from his mouth. He looks at me with his steely eyes before muttering something under his breath. Golden light envelops him as his body shrinks. I wonder why he feels the need to assume his pet lizard form until I realize he is morphing into something else.
Before me, I can see a blonde-haired woman standing at 6'5" tall. While she doesn't have notable muscles, her stature still makes her sturdy. She has the figure that will put any models on Earth to shame and the beauty that rivals Valeria's. The way she gazes at me and her luscious lips would have got a reaction out of me if hadn't devoted myself to Valeria.
The woman before me can drive men crazy by blinking her eyes at them. She is not more beautiful than Valeria, but her seductive aura makes her look like she is.
"I thought you were a dude," I comment.
"Have you seen what is between my crotch?" the woman before me retorts, prompting me to take a look at the said body part, which she quickly covers.
"What kind of perverted bastard will be so thrilled to see what is between his Wyvern's crotch?" I shrug.
The woman wants to retort, but can't find anything to say in the end. She then shudders because of the cold, which is to be expected since she has no clothes on. I take off my coat and wrap it around her. It is too big for her, but it warms her nonetheless.
"Now, why don't you tell me what you have been hiding from me, Genelos."
"Before that, call me Aurelia first."
I nod my head. "Fine, tell me who you are, Aurelia."
With a blush on her cheeks, she tells me the story will be long. Of course, my curiosity doesn't deter me in the slightest.
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