Volume 10 : Chapter 14 – BAD LIARS (2)

“Where are we? Where did that portal bring us?”

“That old man was not lying when he said we could escape. We are finally saved.”

The demi-humans riding in the carriages who successfully passed through the portal cheered.

Their bodies were bruised and lacked energy but their faces were beaming with smiles.

At least seven carriages followed behind as they tried to make the monsters pull the carriage at full speed.

Right now, all they could tell was that they were crossing through a forest. Since the vegetation was not familiar to them, they knew they were still far from home.

They had no choice but to keep moving on while taking each step carefully.

Whizzzz…..

Suddenly, an arrow shot from the sky and hit one of the carriages.

Fire caught on top of it and in a second, the demi-humans and the coachman of the carriage were burnt to a crisp.

“What happened?”

“Hey, why isn’t the portal not closing.”

“Run. The soldiers are coming through the portal.”

“Those bastards are still chasing us.” The demihuman pulling Lucia’s carriage yelled as he tightened the reins.

“Hold on tight girl. We are moving at full speed.”

“No, take me back. My grandparents are there. Bring them back to me. Don’t leave them behind.” Lucia shrieked in agony.

“Can’t do. I promised him I will keep you safe. And I plan to keep that promise for all he has done for us. And besides, there’s nothing you can do to bring them back.”

A horrid expression overshadowed Lucia’s face as she fell to the ground. The haunting memory of her grandparents' murder flashed before her eyes once more.

The other prisoners tried to soothe her by saying something but her ears felt deaf to her own cries.

“The soldiers are coming keep moving faster.”

Another carriage became a victim of the soldiers who caught up with the carriages or either slowed down their carts by breaking their wheels using magic.

The number of demi-humans kept on decreasing as they met their deaths one by one.

“Hold on tight. We will be going faster.” The demihuman said.

Luck, it seemed, was not on their side. Only four carriages remained, and as if mocking their hope, another was consumed by flames the moment the count was finished.

The red soldiers were still able to keep the tail of the escaping carriages using tracking magic and took them out one by one.

Arrows poured down from above and fire spells burned them all along with the land.

One of the arrows finally came towards Lucia’s carriage. The demihuman handling the cart noticed the arrow. Tying the reins to the cart, he quickly jumped upward to the roof and caught the arrow with his bare hands.

His hands caught fire. The unstable carriage jumped over the rocky path and the demihuman fell on the ground losing his balance.

Before he could turn back to get back on the carriage. The red soldiers caught up to him. Lacking strength, he could only raise his arm to block and push the red soldiers from getting any closer to the fleeting carriage.

“Mr.…” Lucia looked back at the demihuman who protected her from the small opening in the cart’s wall.

Despite his fighting back, the spears and swords of the enemy impaled his belly as he fell to the ground and got run over by the soldiers.

His eyes gazed at the endless sky, his body torn apart and his neck crushed beneath someone’s foot. The light in his eyes dimmed, fading slowly.

He struggled to move his lips, desperate to say something—but those words never came—not even spared to speak his final wish.

Lucia’s mind which was already in a trance, lost all reason.

She let out a large shriek, her piercing scream sweeping through the entire forest. And in response, the entire forest trembled in response to her cry.

As if awakened by her scream, the trees began to shake, and a wave of wild, frenzied monsters erupted from the depths of the forest. The monsters blocked the path between the carts and the soldiers.

And instead of going after the carriages, the red soldiers on foot became their first targets.

Back in the cart, Lucia collapsed, her strength failing. One by one, the other demi-humans who heard her cry also fell unconscious.

The monsters pulling the remaining three carts surged forward, quickening their pace as they fled further into the distance.

***

Back in the mansion, Alicia teleported back to Regis’s room, along with Regis, and Hana.

And with her also came two new guests, Caige and Maya.

Alicia wanted to show them her new domain and discuss how to proceed with their big plans for the business.

But as soon as Alicia returned, she sensed something off, as Al alerted her.

“―They used it… but why?” Alicia whispered to herself, her face growing confused and dull, her breathing shaky.

“Alicia, is everything alright?” Regis noticed the slight change in her.

Alicia was still spaced out, working through different possibilities.

‘I gave them the cubes only to protect themselves from danger. So... is Lucia in danger? And why didn’t the portal bring her directly here? Just what could have gone wrong?’ Alicia thought to herself.

For the first time after coming on the surface, Alicia had felt scared, and something changed in her.

She turned towards Regis, and everyone there looked at Alicia’s face. Her expression was now blank.

And before anyone could make sure what they had just seen was true, Alicia disappeared again, teleporting herself away.

…

Back in the forest, Izek and his knights found themselves surrounded by soldiers in red armor.

They had been fighting for a while now, and although Izek’s group hadn’t suffered any fatalities, there was no sign of the number of red soldiers decreasing.

The knights were growing tired and had sustained a few injuries. Now, as they regrouped, they realized they were cornered, surrounded on all sides by the red soldiers.

“Captain, who are they?” one knight asked.

“They keep on coming at us no matter how many we kill.”

“How did they get here? And what’s in that carriage?”

“First, we need to work together to deal with enemies coming at us from all sides. You know your roles—get to it.” Izek replied and his knights focused on his words.

Despite the demanding situation, the knights quickly formed a tight formation, since they had trained for moments like this, refusing to back down.

‘If we don’t act soon, we’ll be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers.’ Izek thought grimly.

His last resort was to order a retreat of his men to evacuate the villagers further and fight alone relying on his aural arts. But even then, his abilities were primarily defensive—capable of holding the enemy back, but he would be unable to defeat them outright.

Izek knew that if they didn’t stop the enemy here, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t reach the village and harm the people.

Izek’s mind raced.

He needed to prove himself to Lady Alicia, but he couldn’t risk his men’s lives without a solid plan and push them straight into fire.

The growing chaos and noises around him made it harder to focus, while the red enemy forces grew in numbers.

Izek for a moment, hesitated unable to decide.

And in that fleeting moment, Izek's eyes widened in disbelief, his breath catching in his throat as he witnessed the impossible unfold before him.

The knights around him froze, their faces contorted in horror, unable to comprehend the scene unraveling before them.

Without warning, the bodies of the enemy soldiers began to burst violently, from inside out. Popping up like balloons filled with blood.

Blood and human flesh sprayed out in every direction, staining the earth in dark crimson.

And those who managed to turn and flee were mercilessly sliced into pieces and fell at their feet as if cut down by the fabric of air itself.

The knights, still locked in formation, could only stare in silent shock, their weapons trembling in their hands.

The enemy force that had seemed so overwhelming just moments ago had been wiped out in the blink of an eye. Torn to pieces, before anyone could even scream.

“Izek.” A voice cut through.

Izek, along with his remaining knights, spun around on instinct, swords raised in unison. Their bodies moved before their minds could process that —whoever stood behind them was a force they could not avoid no matter what.

"Lower your swords and calm down, Izek." the voice spoke again, with an eerie calm as if unaffected by the gruesome scene behind them.

Izek's heart pounded in his chest, but then, the voice calling out his name once more pulled him from the edge of panic.

As he turned back around to face the battlefield, his breath caught in his throat once again.

The bodies of more than fifty soldiers, the blood, the remains of their enemies—it was all gone, vanished without a trace.

In their place, only a thin layer of brown, earthly dust remained, gently swirling in the breeze.

The voice of the running away monsters, the clinking armors of half a century of soldiers, and the striking sound of swords had all disappeared from the forest like magic with her appearance.

Izek could not explain what he saw but slowly, as if emerging from a daze, he blinked and forced his senses to return.

“Lady Alicia.” Izek looked back and finally lifted his head to respond.

His eyes directly met Alicia’s who was wearing her mask again but only this time, unlike her red ruby eyes. Her eyes were sky blue. Except they did not have any light in them.

Izek noticed his knights were still in confusion.

“Stop it. You are now standing in front of the baroness of Oakhart. She is lady Alicia.” Izek announced.

It was obvious from the faces, that the knights had too many questions.

Who was the girl dressed in a white suit, wearing a white mask?

Who killed all the red soldiers?

And where did all the corpses go?

***

I felt a small jolt in my head the moment I panicked, worrying about Lucia.

Suddenly, a sense of calm washed over me —so peaceful that I almost felt free, like I could do anything.

Not wanting to waste time explaining, without telling Regis or the others where I was going. I quickly left for the spot where the teleportation portal had opened.

I had secretly given two cubes to Lucia’s grandfather, explaining their powers.

It was a small way to help them escape dangerous situations without putting them in further danger. The red cube had the ability to neutralize all magic within a wide area.

And the blue cube opened a safe teleportation spell directly to my location.

While the teleportation spell worked, I could tell there was clearly an unwanted interference.

The portal opened farther from me than it should have, and I could still feel it lingering open when it should have closed the moment they crossed over.

That meant someone could have been after them right now, and their lives were still in danger.

As I reached the teleportation grounds, a giant red whirlpool twisted through the air, rippling like a tear in space.

Floods of soldiers dressed in red armor poured out from it. The moment they saw me, they attacked, and I could feel someone blocking my teleportation gate from closing.

Without wasting my breath, I used my dismantle skill to get rid of them in an instant as their bodies blasted into a flower of red.

And my gluttony skill like a swirling black hole took care of their corpses as usual.

After Al confirmed that some beastmen had crossed, I wanted to go through the gate and take care of the situation myself. But I knew it was best to close it, and stop the soldiers from coming.

And follow after Lucia, who might be in imminent danger.

“I’ll make you regret this for trying to interfere with my magic. Hope you enjoy my little gift.” I muttered, thrusting a beam of purple light straight toward the teleportation whirlpool.

The moment the ray struck the portal, it contorted, shrinking into a small, luminous bubble. With a blip, the bubble burst, releasing a ripple of shimmering light finally fading into the air.

I then noticed a familiar presence in the forest. Its Izek.

So, he was already at the scene and he was also accompanied by his knights.

I quickly teleported again to the same place but found them engaging with a small army of the same red soldiers I had encountered.

“I can’t waste my time on them.”

I again used my dismantle skill to get rid of the soldiers who were in range. And for those who tried to escape, including the monsters in the vicinity.

I had already spread my webs to not let any of them escape for creating such havoc in my domain.

“Izek.”

Izek was too preoccupied trying to protect this place, staying true to his words. I was glad I allowed him to stay here.

When he finally looked at me, he had a strange expression on his face and the other knights with whom I was meeting for the first time had horrified looks.

To the point, they could not let go of their swords until Izek told.

How did I really look to them? Was the camouflage of the mask not working?

“There.” I pointed towards the cart wanting to know what was that.

“We stopped the carriages and it looked like the red soldiers were after them.”

Listening to Izek’s words, I got nearer to the three carriages and chopped off the prison-like cart with wind magic to reveal what was inside.

The reason I could not directly trace Lucia was because these carts had multiple interference magic circles carved on them.

But when the top of the carriage was gone. Inside were lying demi-humans on the floor.

And in no time, I spotted a small body curled up, the area under her eyes darkened as if she had been crying all this time. Her clothes were worn out and around her arms and ankles were marks as if she had been tied down for a long time.

Without paying any mind to the gasps of the people present, I quickly got hold of Lucia.

She was still unconscious.

Izek was quick to act as he asked his knights to open the other carriages and see what was inside.

They too found demi-humans inside and in the same unconscious state. As if they had been forcefully put under a deep sleep.

“But why do they all have slave collars on them?”

“And why did those soldiers chase them and how did they get here?”

The knights had too many questions, and I wanted to learn their answers too. But rather than trying to find those answers I wanted to look after Lucia first.

“We should quickly get back to the mansion. But what should we do with these demi-humans? They have…” Izek stopped speaking.

I knew what all of the knights were looking at. It was the slave collars around their neck.

If they still had those slave collars on them, whoever the master was could locate them and make a claim. If we took them with us like this, we could be even accused of stealing these slaves.

Only the master of the slave collar or an expert in dark magic with curses could remove this slave collar.

The slave collar demanded complete obedience and allegiance from the wearer to their master. Making it in itself a curse in the form of a pact.

“Lucia is not a slave.”  I murmured.

I activated my gluttony skill. And to everyone’s surprise, a black swirling whirlwind of threads started feeding on the very magic constitution of all the slave collars worn by the demi-humans and devoured them till not even a single piece of that metal was left.

“Lady Alicia, do you know her?” Izek asked.

It’s as if seeing me hold Lucia like that in my arms, he reached that assumption. But my focus was elsewhere as I stared at one of the other demi-humans.

“She will do.” I pursed my lips at the thought.

I stood up holding Lucia and cast healing magic on all the demi humans, including the knights who were shocked again by my light magic.

“Izek we will be going back.” I said as I teleported all of us together in the garden of the Oakhart mansion.

There I met with Regis and Caige who had already heard some parts of what was going on back in the mansion from the people.

Seeing me holding a demihuman and waking inside the mansion everyone was surprised.

“Can you please look after all the demi-humans here? I am sure they will wake soon after taking some rest.” I asked one of the maids who usually reported to me about the mansion.

“Yes mam.”

“Izek you and your knights can go and rest now.”

“Alicia, who is this girl?” Regis asked before I left.

“She…” I looked at Lucia recalling the time we met. “Her name is Lucia. She was the first person I met outside in this world.”

…

While carrying Lucia to one of the empty rooms in the mansion. Once no one was around me I stopped after a turn.

“You are here right.” I said as if talking to empty air.

A bulge appeared in the shadow of the walls, and a woman robed in black clothes silently stood there now.

“You do know who those people are?”

“Yes. According to our intel. They are a special battalion force that works under the first prince of the Lativan Kingdom which is right north of here.”

“I see. So, they are not too far. Then you must have also relayed the same information to Alice right.”

“Yes.”

There was a brief silence.

“That should be enough time. You can leave now. I don’t want anyone close by me from here on.” I said in a plain tone.

“…Yes.” The shadow did not refuse and vanished. It’s as if she knew instantly, that if she stayed a second longer she could have lost her life in an instant.

***

I did not find them in any of the carriages.

What could have happened to Lucia’s grandparents? Did they get left behind? Or, were they just not able to come with Lucia and are somewhere else?

All I knew is that they used the cube and there was someone powerful enough to interfere with my magic.

And who was the one who did this to the demi-humans, capturing and turning them into slaves? I also recognized maybe a few from the same village as Lucia.

I pondered as I sat beside Lucia who was resting on the bed. I had already used my healing magic on all the demi-humans who were captured so they would speedily recover once they woke up and rested properly.

Suddenly Lucia’s eyes squinted, and her face twisted in confusion as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

“Lucia.” I called out.

“…Big sister...” To Lucia, my white hair reminded her of her real big sister.

And as if suddenly realizing her reality. Lucia woke up and started crying and yelling out.

“―Grandpa. ―Grandma. Bring them back.”

I held Lucia by the shoulder, and she briefly calmed down after feeling weak again but the helplessness she felt did not stop her tears.

“It’s alright Lucia. You remember me, right.”

“―You came.” Lucia cried more and I could not do anything to calm her.

―Except.

“Big sister….” Lucia looked up as she felt a white furry tail wrapping around her while I softly hugged her.

She looked up and found two fox ears growing on my head as well just like hers.

“Yes. It’s alright, I am here now. Remember I promised.”

“Big sister. Alicia.” Lucia finally drank some water and was now somewhat able to speak properly.

“Tell me what happened from the start.” I asked. Hoping maybe I could still do something to rescue them.

“Grandpa and Grandma. They said I will be able to meet you. But they lied.” Lucia said.

“It’s okay if you are too scared.” I thought Lucia was still scared from the events that led her to here.

“Grandpa and grandma..., they were murdered.”

Lucia’s words stung me, as I remembered their warm faces. They were one of the first few people who welcomed me with kindness.

It was because of them I was hopeful I would be able to find Athena one day in this vast world.

Realizing my mistake. I shouldn’t have left Lucia and them on their own at that time. Maybe if I could have stuck with them longer I could have stopped this from happening.

Lucia had already lost her family once. But unlike me, she was able to find new meaning in her life and found a new family.

So why, did this have to end like this? Lucia again had to watch her family die and everything was taken away from her at the hands of humans again. They were plundered, then turned into slaves, and worse even tortured.

I don’t want her to hate me too because of that.

“Why am I the only one to live again while my family is no more with me? They all lie to me that they will come back. But they never.” Lucia cried in agony with hopeless eyes.

Why does it feel like everything is repeating? Something similar back happened then too. Maybe in the labyrinth but I don’t properly remember.

“Grandpa did not lie Lucia. He wanted you to be safe so he sent you to me. And I promise that I will keep you safe. You can always be with me as long as you want.”

Lucia tightly hugged me. I know what a strong girl she was when she tried to sacrifice herself that time too to save the village.

“I won’t cry. But big sister you won’t leave me too now.” Lucia stopped wailing.

So, even if Lucia pretended, I could still feel her heart throbbing and her crying, she is such a bad liar.

“I will not.” I promised again.

Am I lying to her too? If only I would have stayed with them.

After Lucia cried to her heart she fell asleep again.

While all I could do was sit and watch and wait.

Until now I was happy with how things were going till this moment. In my past life, I did not have much to remember nor so many people to be with.

But now I have so many important things. So, I don’t want to lose what I have now.

Until now I thought if I hide and could pretend to live a normal quiet life here. That way I wouldn’t have to lose anything.

But in the end, I was only lying to myself.

The biggest liar of all is me.

This world was never normal to begin with nor my life here.

I did not know those people for long. But Lucia is different.

The person who did all of this and took away Lucia’s grandparents is still lying somewhere carefree.

So, if he does come back to hurt her again. I won’t let him get away with it.

By any means necessary I will find him…

I will find him… and I will definitely slaughter him.

***

Near the borders of the Lativan Kingdom.

A young boy suddenly awakens, drenched in sweat, as if torn from the grip of a nightmare.

"Prince, you’re awake!"

"What happened?" the boy mutters, struggling to piece together his scattered thoughts.

…

Back then he remembered trying to control the magic circle of the teleportation gate with his unique skill and make it his own magic and succeeded as well.

Just when his soldiers started going through the teleportation portal to catch the escapees.

But then, the teleportation circle abruptly shifted to a deep purple. Before he could regain control, the magic surged out of balance, overloading and unleashing a blast that obliterated everything in the vicinity.

…

“I am fine now. Tell me what is the status.” The prince asked.

“Most of our soldiers who were near the teleportation circle got caught up in the blast. And you were injured too.”

“Any news about the girl I asked to capture?” The prince felt little to no remorse on hearing the loss of his soldiers.

“No soldiers have returned or been heard from since they passed through the teleportation gate. The same goes for the captured slaves.” The servant continued with his report.

“Damnit. And I had her this close. I don’t know what she was. But the power that girl used even I could tell with a glance that it was not normal. It had the same energy as those devils, maybe even darker.” The prince thought out loud.

‘If I have her back. I can trade her for my goddess and get her back.’ The prince thought.

“The slaves we still hold captive —prepare them. It's time I put them to some good real use. We’ll need more soldiers, stronger ones. It’s time to ready ourselves for war. I can still sense the bond with one of my little birds. They'll come flying back, eager for my affection once again.” The prince ordered.

“Yes, prince. I will send out an order, to gather as many soldiers as we can.” The servant left to get the job done.

…

The following day, just outside the mansion on the desolate grounds, more than five hundred soldiers— including commoners, knights, and mercenaries—gathered at the prince’s behest. They had all gathered in hordes, bereft of any idea of what was to come.

Perched upon the high walls, the prince made his entrance, as people quietly watched him without any enthusiasm from below.

“I, Keith Lativan, first prince of the Lativan Kingdom, have been betrayed!” he declared. “What was mine —decided to join hands and turned against me. They dared to flee, but I will not let them go unpunished. I will hunt them down, and this time, they will not escape my grasp.” Keith clenched his fist in fury, yet the crowd remained cold, their expressions blank.

His words stirred no emotion and the audience was unmoved. They did not understand a thing.

The prince smiled as if he expected this. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again they had turned into a deep shade of bright glittery red as if exuding warmth. He had activated his unique skill that allowed him to control anything he desired.

―Siren’s Weave. The unique skill which allowed the prince to take control over any living being, from tangible to non-tangible things. That’s how he was able to make the teleportation gate into his magic and control it

“From this day on you pledge your life to me alone.” The prince Keith Lativan declared.

An eerie silence spread swiftly through the soldiers like wildfire.

“Wear your helmets. Hold your swords and follow my every command.”

All the soldiers followed suit, as though they had lost their own will, like marionettes. They seemed to take pleasure in it, as if they sought the prince's favor, having fallen into a maddening infatuation with him.

“It’s time I declare war against the person who has dared to steal my possessions.”

The prince beckoned, and some of his men lifted the barricade beneath where he stood.

“I’ve prepared a small feast for you all. Enjoy.”

From behind the barricade emerged demi-humans, frail and emaciated, wearing slave collars. Their eyes were filled with fear, their bodies weak and trembling.

“Let the party begin.” the prince declared.

Without hesitation, the soldiers charged mindlessly toward the demi-humans, who desperately tried to flee.

Keith watched with a smile as he wanted to punish those ingrates who tried to defy him.

Among them were men, the elderly, women, and even children. But the soldiers, without a shred of mercy, swung their swords relentlessly.

Their own body was not in their control. Swords penetrated the flesh, and blood splattered across the ground in a gruesome display of violence. As cold bodies quickly piled up on the ground, and a steady precise stream of blood flowed from them.

***

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