Side Story Chapter 12
“Your Highness, no.” Cain grabbed Kireua by the shoulder and shook his head. “You can’t do this.”
“…Don’t worry. I know I’m not you, but I am what they call a Master.”
“Do you even know who that witch is?” Cain asked.
“Who is it?”
“…She’s Anna bel Grace, the Wind Elemental Spirit Monarch and the Witch of the North.”
Kireua’s eyes widened. “She’s….”
“So stand back for now. I’ll take care of it.”
“…No, she wants me right now.” Kireua shook his head.
“Your Highness!”
“I have to go. You said it yourself: she’s the Wind Monarch. If I turn her offer down, a lot of people in the fortress will get hurt,” Kireua firmly answered.
The biggest difference between normal magic and elemental spirit magic was whether or not other people could see the magic spells being used. Elemental spirits were basically ghosts for the common soldiers because, without mana of their own, they couldn’t see the elemental spirit magic attacks pouring down on them. Elemental spirit magic was fear itself and disastrous whenever it appeared on the battlefield.
“Yes, Fortress Raymond is very good for keeping people out of its walls,” Kireua continued, “but it’s meaningless if she claws her way into the fortress from every direction with her winds.”
“We can evacuate into the fortress. Her wind might be strong enough in the valley to lift a human being away, but she won’t be able to do much to buildings.”
“What if our enemies use that moment to attack us? From what I know, an elemental spirit mage is capable of making the wind blow only within a certain area. Besides, Anna bel Grace is famous for controlling the highest-ranking wind elemental spirit, so she is the worst possible enemy the people in Fortress Raymond could face.”
“…Don’t worry. No one will be able to set a single foot into this fortress,” Cain determinedly said. He drew a sword from a nearby soldier’s sheath and released his energy. It raged as if to rip apart any gusts of wind blowing in his direction.
“…That’s still only a temporary measure,” Kireua muttered. “Sir Cain, please just trust me on this. Have you forgotten who taught me when I was in the Palace?”
Kireua smiled.
“Mmmm…”
“People called her Heaven’s Mind. She said it herself: she doesn’t know much about sword techniques, but I’m more quickwitted when it comes to tactics than Selim.”
Cain finally closed his mouth. Although he wanted to say a million things, he knew that there was no way to stop Kireua once he’d dug his heels in. It was understandable because…
“You really are your father’s son. You’re an exact replica of His Majesty when it comes to worrying other people to death.” Cain clicked his tongue.
“Hehe, that’s a yes, right?”
Cain turned serious. “…Your Highness, if you’re really going to go, promise me that you won’t use that power for now.”
“By ‘that power', you mean…?”
“I’m talking about the ebon flame.”
Kireua’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Sir Cain, do you know anything about this power?” he asked.
“I don’t know much, but the legendary ebon flame was also called hellfire, meaning it belonged to the Demon Realm, not the Human Realm.”
“The De-Demon Realm?”
Cain nodded. “Yes, there are already bad precedents and something about the powers from that place is always suspicious. Therefore, it’d be for the best that you refrain from using this power as much as possible until we can be certain it’s safe.”
“…I know what you’re worried about, but I can’t guarantee anything, considering whom I’m going up against.” Kireua shrugged.
“Just run if anything goes south. I’ll follow you quietly from a distance.”
-Heeeeyyy! Aren’t you going to take my offerrrrr?! I’m really disappointteeedd. You’re the Hero Kinggg’s sonnn! If you insist on having our troops fight each otherrrr, I’m fine with that tooooo. My White Wolf has recently been making a biggg fussss about how hungry it isssss! The soldiers over there will be good to fill up its bellyyyy!
The witch was truly wicked. She instantly made a big stir among the nearby soldiers. The name of Anna bel Grace held serious weight for the people of Igrant.
“How do I know it’s not a trap?” Kireua shouted back.
-Who do you think I am?! Don’t worryyy! I, Anna bel Grace, swear on my title of “Elemental Spirit King” that no one will meddle in our duelllll!
The air around undulated, and Kireua knew what had just happened. Breaking a promise made on one’s mana or their elemental spirit meant losing one’s power.
“…I’ll get going,” Kireua said.
Cain nodded quietly. Kireua spared him one last glance before he jumped off the ramparts.
* * *
Kireua walked across the quiet valley alone in the darkness, following the path dimly lit by the moonlight. After he reached the end of the moonlight, he was at least one kilometer away from the entrance to the valley. He saw a woman standing alone. Kireua wasn’t able to detect anyone else in the area.
“You’re here.” The woman grinned.
“…Are you Anna bel Grace, the Wind Monarch?” Kireua asked.
“Ahahaha, that title is a bit embarrassing. Anyhow, I am Anna bel Grace.”
“What do you want? You should have been in the northern region, so why are you here?”
“Don’t you think you’re asking the wrong question?” Anna blurted out. “The south and north rebel armies both have one goal, which is to take over this Empire.
“But you know, you’re more handsome in person.” Anna grinned. “You said your name is Kireua Sanders, right? Kireua, do you want to become mine?”
“...What?”
“I’ll make you the Emperor of this country,” Anna offered.
Kireua blinked. It was a proposal that he had definitely not expected.
“In other words… you’re going to become my ally?” he surmised.
“If you date me.” Anna smiled coquettishly.
“Excuse me, but how old are you?”
“…Hmph.” Anna’s eyes narrowed. “It seems I have a lot of things to teach you. You don’t ask a lady how old she is.”
“A woman around my mother’s age isn’t really my type.” Kireua shrugged.
“…Focus now. Your preference doesn’t matter since this is business. With my help, you’ll be able to put an end to this civil war quicker, so it’s not a bad deal for you.”
“There is one thing you didn’t mention.” Kireua raised his finger with a smile on his face.
“Huh?”
“After you make me the emperor, you will, of course, become the empress, won’t you?”
Once again, Anna grinned. “Just call me Sister Anna; you sound too formal.”
“So you want this country too?”
“Of course~ I like power, but if you want, I can settle for the position of your concubine. The seat of an empress doesn’t really matter to me.”
“In return, I’ll have to let your people live in the palace, won’t I?” Kireua asked.
Anna just looked at Kireua without saying anything. After a moment, she shrugged.
“Well, if you don’t want…”
“It’s obvious. You want me to become your puppet on the throne and control this country behind the scenes—but it won’t happen.”
Kireua immediately fired a mana-infused attack, eviscerating the air with his sword without any warning.
The air heated up due to the collision between their mana, making the sky tremble. Kireua’s attack was so sudden that Anna had to cover her face with her robe.
“No!” she grunted.
However, Kireua’s attack failed to strike Anna. A faint white blur appeared before Anna and ripped Kireua’s attack apart with a loud howl—but it wasn’t able to extinguish Kireua’s flame completely.
“White Wolf, it’s fine.” Anna stroked the air, and the growling quieted.
The end of Anna’s robe was caught in the sparks from the fire that the wolf had failed to extinguish and burned until it went from ankle-length to right around her thighs.
“My, my, I’m in trouble if it burns any further.” After extinguishing the sparks with difficulty, Anna smiled awkwardly. “This sister isn’t wearing anything underneath this robe, so can you be careful?”
“What…?!” Kireua stepped backward in surprise even though it was him who attacked her just now.
Anna looked at him and giggled. “I don’t have a hobby of walking around naked, but this is a great way to feel the wind. Stop being a baby and embrace it. This sister will treat you well.”
Kireua’s face darkened. The air around Kireua changed suddenly as highly concentrated gusts of wind ripped through it. When he focused his mana in his eyes, he could see a glimpse of an enormous wolf around him. From the attack he had launched, he realized that the best he could do in his current state was to leave a scratch on her sleeves.
‘…Coal, are you there?’?Kireua said in his mind.
-Yup!
A black cotton ball instantly popped up. Although Cain had warned him against it, Kireua couldn’t afford the luxury of being careful right now.
‘I’m asking this just in case, but you aren’t an elemental spirit, are you?’
-Elemental spirit? What’s that?
‘Something like that wolf over there.’
-Urgh, it doesn’t look tasty.
‘…Is everything food for you? Anyhow, can you help me?’
-Help you?
‘Yes, I’ll get you something good enough for you to eat after this battle.’
Although Kireua didn’t quite understand Coal, he could be sure of one thing: no matter how much havoc Coal wreaked, Kireua wasn’t negatively affected at all. In fact, he could feel Coal more clearly.
‘What can you do?’?Kireua asked Coal.
-Umm… Dunno!
The conversation between Kireua and Coal ended quickly.
“Why are you standing there like a fool? Anyway, quid pro quo right? This sister always gets her paybacks.” Anna smiled crookedly and a very powerful gust of wind blew against Kireua.
“…Ugh!” Kireua immediately raised his sword. Just as expected from the Wind Monarch, the wind was so strong that he couldn’t even open his eyes. He needed to focus intently to get a glimpse of the elemental spirit, but the wind blowing from every direction made it impossible now. Kireua was in danger.
‘Coal! Tell me your ability. I need?your help right now!’?Kireua yelled.
-I’m good at eating!
‘No, for god’s sake! Stop talking about food. Or you can use that ebon flame—!’
Gulp!
Kireua didn’t finish that thought.
-Like this!
The gale surrounding him in all directions disappeared—in fact, all the wind in the area seemed to have disappeared, turning the valley wind-free.
“Wh-What was that?” Anna blankly mumbled as her mini-skirt length robe settled. Her jaw hit the ground.
Kireua’s eyes lost focus. “…Oh my god. You can swallow everyone else’s mana, too?”
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