I got blood on my shirt from our fight with Leviathroc.
It's black and sticky for some reason...
Anyway, I changed into a different outfit after I rinsed all those sticky blood on me. It was hell...
Curse you Leviathroc!!
Frienna also seem to have the same thought as me, I guess.
I don't know what that girl is thinking sometimes but I can tell from the way she just shoved that blue dress into her item bag with a slight bulge of veins at her temple and wear her usual outfit; a white dress and a black scarf around the shoulders.
It's a good thing she can still do magic in her human form.
From what you can tell, I got my clothes from her as well; via teleportation.
She teleported my clothes from Nadia's castle to here.
When the sun rises, the sea appears stunning. It's similar to a delicious hamburger and fries combination that we have back in the day- Nah, I'm just talking nonsense, but you get my point.
"Look at the sunrise, Frienna. Isn't it pretty?" I'm sat at the shore enjoying the sunrise.
"It is indeed very pretty, Master." Frienna stand beside me.
After spending some time taking in the morning, we prepared to resume our adventure.
"Well, I guess it's time to leave this forest. Are you ready?" I stand up from the ground.
Frienna nodded in response with her usual default expression.
With that, the both of us enter the forest heading to the west.
"It's quiet here for some reason, don't you think?" It's never like this ever since we left the Illusion Forest.
"I'm guessing they are afraid of your powerful aura, Master."
Uhm...Is this girl lost in the head? What aura?
I'm powerless, you know?
Well, you can count the benefits from contracting with them as my powers, but I'm still below average, right?
This would not happen if that traitor Hero hadn't dampened my powers in the first place!
Haa, take a deep breath and relax...
Technically, I'm simply a powerless red hair lad with three insanely powerful sidekicks.
"Aura? Haha I'm gonna stop you right there, young lady. I have no actual powers on my own, let alone those freakishly strong auras and you know that." I'm just gonna brush off this idea of hers real quick.
But to my surprise, Frienna shakes her head.
"You got the benefits from contracting with us, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?" It's just the powers that I 'borrowed' from them with the help from the contracts.
"We may be strong on our own but try to combine all those powers into one single thing. What will it become, Master?"
I turn my head towards her as we're walking through the forest.
Combine their powers?
The three of them are frighteningly strong individually, there's no doubt about it. So, if I was to add them up together...
"Woahh! What a monster?!"
"A monster indeed, and that monster is inside you, Master."
Say whaaaaat??
"However, there are some requirements in order for you to utilize that power to the fullest."
"Requirements? Like what?"
"For your contract with Nito solely based on the presence of both of the parties, while me and Nadia's contracts are a bit different. Nadia's contract requires a medium as the core of the spell; in this case it's her necklace. Therefore, you can utilize her powers to the full extent. However, as I am a weapon, my Master need to equip me in my true form to muster my full potential."
Leave it to Professor Friennacopedia and she will answer everything in a single breath.
"It's cool and all but I still can't use Dumb-Dumb's powers outside of the barrier."
"Not only when outside of the barrier but now; with the absence of her necklace also restrict you from using even half of her magical powers inside you."
Why you gotta drop that bombshell after giving me such high hopes!!
"Ahh, it can't be helped then. I gotta do what I can with the power I have right now." It's sad to not be able to use my strongest weapon when I need it.
Wait-
There's a sudden movement in the air. It's my first time feeling it, but I can tell that something is moving towards us.
There's disruption of the wind around us making me aware of everything within my radius.
This must be Nito's technique to detect the changes in the air for better awareness.
"Master, something's coming our way." No doubt Frienna noticed it too.
It's getting closer but from where??
Huh? I hear a faint sound of a broken twig from being stepped on.
It's from BEHIND!!
Without any hesitations, Frienna turn around and unleash a single horizontal slash towards it; cutting down all the nearby trees in half.
Then, there it is; a huge figure with red eyes staring right at us with murderous gaze.
To be honest, I think I know what that figure is.
It has the head of a wolf and a furry humanoid body.
Yeah! You guessed it. It's a werewolf.
Wonder how a werewolf got here...?
Nahh~ This is the Death's Continent alright, so it makes sense that creatures like this exist here.
However, I've had enough of fighting already so I'm gonna let Frienna finish it off.
Plus, it doesn't give off any strong or powerful vibes like Leviathroc, but I can't really fault it for that. It's just a mere werewolf, while Leviathroc was...Well, an Ancient Death's pawn!
"Frienna, can you handle this by yourself?"
"My pleasure, Master." Frienna nodded in response.
As expected, she killed it off in just a blink of an eye.
With that, I approach the girl and pat her on the head.
"Good work, Frienna."
"Great to be of service, Master." She said with a hint of bashfulness, but very little to notice. I'm guessing her default expression is too strong for others to see her true emotions.
We continue our journey and reaches the end of the forest.
Finally, I'm out of that hell!!
Thank the gods!
What lies before us is a vast land with tiny hills and from what I can tell it looks like a bunch of cogon grasses.
Even though it's a vast land, the sky is still cloudy as always; usual weather in the Death's Continent.
"Let's keep walking."
"Yes, Master." Frienna nodded in response.
The both of us are walking on the small trail along the vast land.
"So where is our next destination?" I haven't had the chance to do my homework last time. It's not my fault that I was too busy handling the other two with their tasks for a whole two weeks.
I'm telling you I wasn't procrastinating!!
Remember how my bag was too heavy last time that I had to take out most of my stuffs?
The map and books are part of it, but it's settled now.
Because we have our own Google here; Professor Friennacopedia!
She spent almost all of her days in the Great Archive before our journey.
So she has been a great of a help all this time.
"It seems that the nearest route for us to reach G'ar Land is to go through the Snarl Forest." Frienna point her small index finger towards a forest not too far away from us.
"Tell me more about it." We've got to be careful not to underestimate any of the countries in the Death's Continent and its content.
Last time I did...Vadisia-
Nope, not gonna think about that!!
"From what I've read, there are evolved monsters scattered everywhere in the forest. I'm not in the know of how many, but I'm confident that it will not be anything like Leviathroc."
Hmm, I guess it's true 'cause Leviathroc was a rare occasion. We were not supposed to encounter it if Frienna hadn't filled the sea with her magical powers.
I get why Leviathroc suddenly wanna wake up from its slumber and decided to show us its jaws.
What? Need elaboration?
Okay, to make it simpler, Frienna's magical powers are part of the Dark Arts, but not like any other Dark Arts, she uses her own self-created Arts (By me). So, they have the Corrupt Attribute that brings discomfort and bad luck to the people around it.
Huh? What about me?
It seems that you underestimated me big time~
Have you forgotten who's the master of this cute little girl?
Me~!
So because of that, I have the benefits of Corrupt Attribute Resistance from our contract.
Huahahaha!! Aren't I cool??
"If anything we will face it together, right?" I smiled at her.
"Yes, Master."
Now...I know that I said that the forest wasn't far from us, but why does it seem like our distance is stagnant?!
This is stressing me out!!
The sun is setting and we're still a long way from the Snarl Forest.
We kept walking, but I've come to realized that the closer we are to the forest, the more boulders and rubbles laying around the vast land.
We decided to take a short break, shielded by the boulders and rubbles.
I made a campfire in the middle from the small amount of magical powers in me, but I feel restricted when I'm using Nadia's magic as my own. It's like what Frienna said, without equipping the necklace, I won't be able to use most of her magical powers in me.
I will only be a vessel brimmed with a tremendous amount of power, but with no finish.
Frienna is sitting in front of me, taking out the velvetfang leporid meat from her item bag for our dinner tonight.
We caught the velvetfang leporid when we first got out of the Illusion Forest.
It's a very vicious hare with poisonous fangs and terrifying speed.
They got me by surprise last time, but once you know their attack flow it should be a piece of cake.
Those hares are just monsters with no brains.
They attack without any second thoughts like their lives don't matter.
"I will cook for you, Master." She seemed determined...
"Uhm...Sure give it a try, but do you know how to cook, though?" I'm kind of scared, to be honest.
"Don't worry, Master. I've read a whole bunch of cooking books from the Great Archive, so I should be able to execute this flawlessly." Her eyes lit up with passion, but I'm still concerned.
You know what, never mind. I'm just gonna give her a shot.
Besides, how hard can it be to grill a meat?
GUHH!!!
What's this?? A skypork dung??
No no no it's not...
How can perfectly sliced meat get turned into this very unique 'thing'?
I don't wanna eat it, but I don't wanna hurt her feelings too...
How could I?? Look at her face right now; she's too cute to let her down!!
Fine.
Guess I have to eat it for her sake.
It's not like it will be poisonous, though.
This must be the type of meat that doesn't look good, but taste delectable.
Yeah, that is definitely the case.
I'm nodding my head in denial as Frienna's staring at me whether I will eat her food or not. Still in her default expression, but I got the gist!
"Thank you for your cooking, Frienna." I show my gratitude to her as I bite into the 'meat'.
GUHH!!
What's this??
It taste-
HORRIBLE!!!
I feel like I'm about to have a diarrhea if I swallow this right now.
But I can't spit it out!
She's looking at me attentively with that cute face, even though it lacks any expression, but still-!
But if I swallow this, it will be bad for me.
Aghh I don't know what to do!!
"What's wrong, Master? Is it not to your liking?" Frienna tilt her head slightly to the left.
KYAHH!!
Don't look at me like that, Lil Frienna!!
I tried to disagree in silence.
I have no choice, but to swallow this 'meat'.
Stay strong, Kevin!!
You're going to take revenge on the Hero, right?? So this is nothing for you!!
You can do it! Let's goooo!!!
*Gulp*
Bleghh-
i-I give up...
Take me to the underworld, Lord Grimnir.
Oh, wait.
Shouldn't I pray to Lady Astraea to be reborn in a happy new life?
Even so, I can feel my stomach's grumbling hard, rejecting the 'meat' just now.
Thank the gods Frienna doesn't know how to read the room without anyone addressing it.
*Cough*
*Cough*
"Uhm, Frienna. How about you let me cook for our dinner tonight?"
"If you say so, Master." Frienna nodded in response without any objections.
She then take out another velvetfang leporid meat from her item bag.
I grill it on the fire for a certain amount of time and it tastes sooo good!!
The meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
I can't get enough of it.
Even though I don't put any seasoning on it, the taste of the meat is still remarkable.
"Eh, Frienna. Why haven't you started eating?"
Come to think of it, she also didn't eat anything when we were in Nadia's castle.
When the three of us eat at the dining table, Frienna is the only one who looks at us intently and doesn't touch her meal.
"I'm not in need of food, Master. I'm a weapon after all." She said with her default expression.
"I know that, but at least try and eat a bit- For Master's sake~? uwu"
Don't laugh! I was just trynna persuade her to eat my cooking, ya know?!
Anyways, it looks like it worked after all.
"As you wish, Master." She is now chewing on the food intently.
"How's the taste? Good?" I know it's good, but have you heard the terms of different people-different taste buds??
"It tastes delightful, Master."
Wait, did she just smile at me??
Or was I hallucinating??
She definitely smiled at me, even just a bit.
"Thank goodness you like it."
"I enjoy everything that you do, Master."
Uhm...
Ahem!
"Yeah, of course you do." I just smile at her.
"Speaking of which, why haven't you contacted Nadia and Nito in the past couple of days, Master?"
Well, I don't wanna bother them with their work, you know.
It's not like I completely forgot about them-
I wasn't!!
"Oh, aren't they busy with their things? I don't wanna bother them as much as I can, but what made you ask this?"
I can't concentrate; the velvetfang leporid meat tastes soooo gooood!!
"As you already know, the three of us are still contacting with each other after we left Nadia's forest."
Of course you do.
"Then, what did they say?" I bite into the velvetfang leporid meat as I sigh.
"Nadia was super vocal about it, while Nito stayed the same, I suppose."
Ahh, why is Dumb-Dumb being so loud about this??
Egh, I can already see how she's blabbering about it while tossing her dark purple hair countless times.
Just so you know, neither of them dares to telepathically contact me if I don't reach out first.
Including our proud Queen of the Illusion Forest aka Nadia Dragonheart.
I don't know the exact reason, but I'm glad they didn't contact me.
Hey, it's not like I want to cast them aside!
I'm just being really considerate of them.
Because ever since I've contracted with those three, I've been relying on them nonstop.
It's best if I do most of the things myself instead of relying on others.
I'm their Master after all...
"Hmm, I will contact them later so for now ask them to chill out."
"Yes, Master." Frienna nodded in response.
After we finished eating our delicious dinner, I lie down on the field as Frienna is sitting right next to me.
Talk about the Death's Continent, there are no stars in the sky at all!
Kinda boring for lying on the field, staring at the blank sky of the night.
The three moons also cannot be seen in this continent.
What a total joke.
Haa, there's nothing I can do about that so I'm gonna leave it as it is.
I wonder how the world's condition before the war started...
By war I mean between the humans and demons, of course.
Based on my knowledge from the Hero's Kingdom, about a few hundreds of years ago, the world was a peaceful place until the gods decided to punish us humans for our ungratefulness.
What? Nito told a different version of the story?
Well, of course he did. There are lots of versions of stories in every country, you know?
Like I said, this version of the story is from the Hero's Kingdom so no doubt that they will make the gods look fair and just.
IF that version of the story is true, that is...
To be honest, I couldn't care less about any of the stories.
ME. ONLY. WANT. REVENGE.
Speaking about the past, I remembered something related to time.
"Hey, Frienna. I was wondering if you can contact with the other weapons crafted by me?"
The girl in white is sitting back on her heels, hands resting lightly on her lap.
Her silky black hair really compliments the dark night atmosphere well.
"No I can't, Master..." She looked a bit depressed or is it just me??
"I see. So there's no way to contact the ones stuck between realities and time, huh?"
I know I said I don't wanna find them all, but after going on this journey with Frienna, I've come to realize something.
She's lonely as a caged bird.
How, in all the heavens, could she not??
That little girl was isolated in a foreign land, sealed away from her very existence.
This is all happening when she hasn't acquired her human body, of course, but still-
Perhaps, even before she got her senses heightened and her human body she has been that way.
"Not that I'm aware of..." Frienna shakes her head slowly.
"However, I've only been able to feel the presence of both Orion and Chrono after I got my human body."
"I see..."
"But we cannot contact with each other even if we try."
So that means weapons are still weapons regardless of the amount of powers they have in them.
"Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure in the future we might be able to find them all."
Frienna shift her gaze from me towards the blank sky.
"Let's take it slow then shall we, Master?" I can see that she's relieved right now.
I yawn as I'm nodding at Frienna's question.
"I'm tired so I'm going to sleep first, kay? Goodnight."
"Have a goodnight, Master."
I can hear Frienna's magic is circling us, forming a protective barrier.
Well, time to bounce off to the land of dreams~!
Byee!
——— ——— ———
"How's the preparation going?" Said a huge dark man with crimson red eyes, sitting on a throne with a rested chin on his palm and crossing legs.
A tall woman with a figure of an hourglass and a pair of glasses appeared out of nowhere beside the dark man.
"It's not too long till the miasma reach its full state, Milord."
"Good." The dark man grin sinisterly.
"We will meet again, Hero Llyris Eagor."
——— ——— ———
Good morning, world!
I had a wonderful sleep thanks to Frienna's magical barrier.
Let me stretch a biiit.
Ahh~
Now, I'm ready to embark this journey again!
Grrr...
Ugh, I'm starving right now.
I am but a wretch without my morning feast!
You may call me spoiled, but eating breakfast is important for your daily routines, you know.
It replenishes your body's energy stores and provides essential nutrients to help improve your body metabolism.
Tis the unshakable truth, my friends.
Unless you're someone like Frienna, then you can fast for eternity, I suppose.
Now that I've mentioned it, where in the world is Frienna?
I stand up to look around, but she's still not in sight.
Knowing her, she couldn't have left me alone. Like, NEVER.
So I guess she has something better to do.
Like what, though?
She should've told me or anything before she left.
"Master, you have finally awakened from your slumber." Frienna's voice is heard from above me.
I tilt my head to the back, spotting Frienna who's diving from the sky with terrifying speed.
If she's in the sky, how come I can hear her soft voice clearly?
I knew it would be futile trying to understand her.
Frienna landed in front of me gracefully.
"What are you doing up there, lil Frienna?" She's scaring me at this point.
Seriously, is there anything she can't do?
"I was simply viewing our track from the bird's-eye view, and looks like we are almost there to reach the G'ar Land." She replied with her usual expression as always. No surprise!
From aerial view, eh?
Kinda OP if you ask me.
"That's great! Thanks, Frienna." I continue to pat the girl on the head.
For anyone who's curious, she doesn't sleep. Like at all.
I believe the only time she did was when Nadia put the sleeping spell/curse on her.
Huh? What's that? Why won't Frienna just fly us to the G'ar Land?
Simply because she can't fly with someone else.
Still don't get it?
Basically, she doesn't have the power or skill to lift other people and soar through the sky.
Her ability to fly is only applicable for herself despite being the Legendary class weapon.
I know it's dumb, but even I can't figure out why.
Remember the time when we fought with Leviathroc?
We kept falling down because of this issue.
But it all worked out anyway.
Frienna then pulls out a grilled velvetfang leporid meat from her item box and hands it to me.
It's still steaming hot even though it has been overnight.
Her item bag is really something.
"Ahh, I'm saved! My stomach couldn't keep up anymore."
I devour the meat in seconds.
After that, the both of us continue our walk to the Snarl Forest.
We have arrived in front of the haze-filled forest.
This is scary.
I can't even see anything from here, but I know damn well that we will be totally blinded by the haze once we're inside.
"We have to keep our guard up, Frienna. Who knows when and where they're gonna start attacking us?"
The girl in white nodded in response.
I'm scared and there's no doubt about it, but I can't let this fear get to me or we're all dead.
"Let's proceed." I instruct.
Frienna just nodded in response.
As soon as I set my foot in the forest, I immediately lose my eyesight.
It's all hazy that I can barely see the trees around me.
"Frienna, hold my hand."
Damn it! I can't see anything.
It's best to hold each other so we won't get separated.
"Yes, Master." With that, Frienna grab my hand with both of her hands.
Ahh, I forgot something.
"Frienna, conceal your presence so that no monsters will be attracted to us."
...
"Frienna?"
This is the first time she doesn't respond in a flash.
"What's wrong?"
I turn to look at Frienna.
She's GONE!
I look at my hand that Frienna was holding just a while ago, filled with mud.
What the hell is going on?!
Relax.
Relax.
She's not stupid to let her guard down.
Yeah, she's not that kind of person.
Something out of the ordinary must've happened.
Shit! I wanna shout her name, but that would be the worst idea ever.
I can't risk of attracting other unknown monsters in this forest.
This is super weird.
They didn't trigger my Tempest Eye at all, so I'm guessing they're either powerful or intelligent enough to avoid this skill.
^Hello there. This is Teacher Nito's S&S class once again.
As you all may know, Master Kevin has the ability to detect motions in the air from my contract benefits. It is also called as Tempest Eye, allowing one's to feel the changes in the air around them like another vision.
This skill works best in an area that has a stable mana present in the air. Hence, the denser the area, the more difficult it is to detect motions from the surrounding.
I assume that some of you may be confused by the differences between mana and magical powers. Both of them may be considered as the same thing in a different circumstances.
Mana is the form of energy that is present in all living creatures regardless of race, ability and disability. Meanwhile, magical powers on the other hand is the very essence of one's power to use the Arts in this world.
With mana, you can do just about anything except casting spells and pretty much anything related to magic. This is because all of the living creatures have mana, but only some of them have magical powers. Take it as an energy that you have since birth to use different kinds of Techniques.
Oh, one more thing. Master Kevin gain tons of Mana Amplifier from his contract with me since I have less magical powers. In fact, I don't have any magical powers when I was a human because it is considered rare to have it in this world, but after my transformation into a species of magical beetle aka "Atlas Beetle" named by Master Kevin, I gained some of magical powers. Although it's indeed lesser than Miss Nadia and Miss Frienna.
I guess that's all for today. You all have been a very good student until the end of this class. Let's continue with Master Kevin's mission on finding Miss Frienna in the Snarl Forest.
See you all in the near future. Bye!^
Tch-
I don't believe that they're smart enough to avoid my Tempest Eye.
In fact, I think there's something wrong with the surroundings.
The haze.
It seems like this is not an ordinary haze.
I feel like it's blocking my senses, and not in a usual way.
I can barely hear anything, let alone see what's in front of me.
There's no choice, but to use magic right now.
"Locate."
I muttered the spell, but nothing happened.
Does this mean I have to use a higher level spell?
I don't quite remember the incantations, and I'm not creative like Nadia either.
She may seem like a glutton with nothing but appetite in her...
But she's actually a super reliable ally. Plus, a Ruler at that.
She can create her own spells anytime she wants, without failing at all.
A true prodigy in magic, if I may say.
Though, creating spells from scratch does require only a small amount of mana than the existing Arts, but it requires a total mastery for magic to use it.
I would like to try that, but I don't have time right now!
Who knows what they're gonna do to Frienna in the meantime.
I'm pretty sure that she can handle things by herself, but if those monsters are capable of capturing her, that can only mean two things; they are either hellishly strong or Frienna's unconscious.
Aghh!!
I need to remember the spell quick!
I think the incantation goes like this...
"By shadow's whisper, by echo's grace,
Footsteps linger, time erase.
Winds that wander, earth that knows,
Vestigia Revela—let their path be shown!"
I muttered the incantation with Frienna on my mind.
With a slight burst of dark little stars on my chest, the haze is separated into two; revealing the path towards the unknown.
I don't wanna put all of my trust into this spell since it's my first time using it, but my heart tells me that this path will lead me to Frienna's whereabout.
Without any hesitations, I run through the forest on the path.
Is it just me or the haze is getting thinner?
I keep on running through the haze and to my surprise, the haze is completely gone; revealing a wide open area of the forest with goblins in the middle.
Goblins.
I despise goblins.
The stories from the Hero's Kingdom tells us that goblins are wretched monsters that steals from humans and other monsters as well.
They might look dumb, but no words can describe how sly they can be.
I hide behind one of the trees nearby with my presence concealed using magic, aka Nadia's Concealment Spell.
This is bad.
If it was just the goblins, I believe I can take them down with no sweat.
But my true worry is the other species present there.
I think it's the Mage Goblins and Tank Goblins.
Both are bad news.
Based on the adventurers' from the Hero's Kingdom, they classified these kind of goblins as C rank monsters.
In the guild charts, monsters can be classified in different ranks; from the most dangerous S rank monsters to the least dangerous E rank monsters.
The basic goblins are the lowest of their kind.
There are at least 10 mage goblins and 5 tank goblins, surrounded by the basic goblins.
I don't see Frienna anywhere.
It's okay. I guess I just have to beat the crap out of them first.
I then speed off towards the group of goblins, fast enough to be unseen to the eye.
Though I am invisible from the Concealment Spell for precautions, of course.
I bet I can finish them off without ringing their alarm-
Huh??
Ack-!
I was hit by something hot, causing me to fall on my right rib to the ground.
What was that??
I peep to where that attack was and there's a mage goblin conjuring 2 fireballs from its magic circles.
How did they notice me??
Never mind that! I have to move now!!
I bring myself up from the ground and speed off towards the 3 goblins on the right, grabbing a stick from the ground on my way there.
"By steel and spell, by fire and force,
Fortify, magnify, amplify,
Ferrum Fortis!"
Using Dumb-Dumb's Amplifying Spell, I strengthen the wooden stick with magic making it sturdier and lighter.
However, it's not too strong since I'm restricted by my current magical powers output, but this is more than enough.
I slash the goblins one after the other, knocking them down in a flash.
3 down, 7 to go!
And, by the way, these are just basic goblins. From where that originated, we have another 15. So I can't afford to waste any more time!
My plan is to finish the basic goblins first, then the mage.
But those damn tanks are on my way!
My magical powers are now limited with the absence of Nadia's necklace, so I hope I can beat them all and find Frienna before I'm drained out.
I rush to the other 7 goblins who's cowering in fear.
To my surprise, one of the tanks just teleported in front of me, blocking my way with its shield.
On the verge of panic, I swing the wooden stick at its shield.
Huh?
My attacks got reflected by the shield.
Thanks to that I'm now stumbling a few steps to the back.
Shit!
I messed up-
Now there are dozens of fireballs coming flying right at me.
Aghh!!
I correct my posture and jump to the back, dodging almost all of the fireballs.
Some of the attacks managed to graze me, but not a heavy injury.
I've got to counterattack fast!
"Come forth, Ignis—Fireball!"
I blast the group of goblins with a heavy fireball, disintegrate them all without fail.
However, I am now almost drained out.
I was too rash just now and ended up blasting a huge fireball in one go despite my current magical powers being limited.
I have to rest...
No, if I have healing potion, I can at least heal all these injuries before continue to search for Frienna.
Nadia normally has it saved up in her necklace, so we're always prepared for any circumstances.
"Human?"
A voice??
I turn to look for the source of the voice, and spotted a huge green humanoid monster coming out of a cave while holding...FRIENNA!!
"Frienna!!" I call out her name as loud as I could, but she doesn't respond.
She's in her true form in the monster's grasp, but she has a strand of green thorny vine wrapping around her.
That must be the thing that's controlling her.
I've come to realized how powerful he must be to overwrite our contract in just a couple of seconds.
I tighten the wooden stick in my grip, thinking of any ways to retrieve Frienna back from the ogre.
In the meantime, the ogre instruct a mage goblin behind him in the cave.
We have another mage goblin??
Ughhh!!
I'm annoyed, and tired!
"Human...Kill...Prepare."
However, he only able to produce a certain words trying to make a sentence.
But without any objections, the so-called mage goblin produce a freakishly huge magic circle from inside the big cave.
Shit! I don't know what spell that is!
If only Dumb-Dumb was here...
In panic, I didn't notice the ogre disappeared from my sight.
"AGHH!!"
I look towards the source of the growl above me and notice that the ogre is currently swinging Frienna at me with incredible power.
Crap! If I got hit by this attack I will for sure die!!
I jump backwards so hard that it make a huge distance between us.
But he doesn't stop there, in fact he keep on slashing me with Frienna at a stupidly high speed.
I'm barely alive thanks to Nito's shared techniques with me.
Tch-
Damn you, ogre...
Take this!
I rush towards the ogre with an incredible speed, slashing the hell out of him using the enhanced wooden stick.
Not surprising how the ogre defend himself from my attacks with ease.
I'm starting to think that he's underestimating me...
I take a glance at the so-called mage goblin in the cave; still reciting its spell to make a bigger magic circle.
What in the world are you doing, sister??
I can't seem to focus on analyzing the runes from the circle because this big guy is raining his heavy attacks on me!
One swing from him requires me to use both of my hands to block it.
That's how heavy his attacks are.
How can he be so good at using Battle Techniques??
He's a freaking monster!
He's fighting style can be compared with the Sword Master in the Hero's Kingdom.
This is bad-
I'm very low on mana right now!!
I'm getting tired, but I can't slack off or I will get hit by Frienna's Curse of Withering.
i-I...
Ack-!!
I was propelled far on my back when he slashed me in the stomach as my wooden stick broke in half.
Blood splattering everywhere.
How did he-?
It didn't trigger my Tempest Eye at all...
This is bad!
At this rate I'm gonna-
"AGGHHHH!!!"
The curse is taking effect now!
It hurts all over my body, especially on my stomach.
I can feel my bowel is disintegrating further.
It was a heavy slash at that-
Shit, I messed up.
Somebody...Help-
"{Don't you dare die on me, human~!}"
This voice sounds familiar...
I force my eyes open wide enough to see what's going on in front of me.
"Come forth, Draco Ignis—Flamethrower~"
A huge wave of fire burns the ogre and the cave as well as the so-called mage goblin in it.
"Wear this and stay here~" The woman said as she put a necklace on me.
It's definitely Nadia's voice.
All of a sudden, I can open my eyes as my wound starts to heal at an alarming rate.
"What are you guys doing here..?" I sit up, looking at both Nadia and Nito in disbelief.
"Miss Nadia teleported us here from the castle as soon as we heard your call, Master." Nito explained to me as he looked so worried.
"I don't blame you for being injured 'cause this is not an ordinary monster." Nadia's looking at the ogre with a mischievous gaze.
"Huh?"
"This is one of the Ancient Death's pawns and one of the top pawns on the chart as well~" Nadia is grinning devilishly.
"An Ancient Death's pawn?"
"Mm, he's the Battle Ogre, alright~" Nadia flicks her hair over her shoulder elegantly, as always.
No wonder...
Tch-
I'm still so weak without them...
I'm disgusted by myself.
"Don't look so down, Master. I'm sure you did your best!" Nito tried to console me, but I couldn't care less.
I'm still relying on the three of them.
What kind of master is weaker than their servants??
I hold Nadia's necklace that's hanging around my neck.
She gazed at me with her dark purple eyes.
"If you wanna fight them yourself, do tell me right now, sugar~"
What should I do...?
Suddenly, the massive forest fire extinguishes itself; revealing an unscathed Battle Ogre and the so-called mage goblin.
"Oh, what do we have here~? A Battle Ogre partners up with a Priestess Goblin? How fascinating~" Nadia's grin is wider than usual.
"Dumb-Dumb!"
Nadia turn to look at me with a grin.
"Kill them all." I feel pathetic having them to handle things for me again...
But at this rate, I can't move further if I don't.
"Gladly, sugar~ Nito, handle the Priestess for me, will ya~?" Nadia is now flying towards the Battle Ogre at a terrifying speed.
"It will be my honor, Miss Nadia." Nito bow down to her before speeding off towards the Priestess Goblin.
I can only wish the best for them...
(Nadia's POV)
My first fight since forever~!!
And on top of that, it's an Ancient Death's pawn?? How exciting!!
I can avenge Kevin as well as kill off my boredom; it's killing two dragons with one stone, am I right?
My magical powers are indeed restricted for now, but it doesn't stop me from winning. Besides, I can finally have a rematch with lil Frienna to regain my pride~
Nito is now speeding off towards the Priestess. That would've been better since he's so good at assassination.
It's not like I want this ogre for myself.
Not in the slightest.
But I think it will be a bit too much for him.
It is what it is~
I fly towards Mr. Ogre, punching him with my magic bound fist.
As expected, he blocked it easily. If I have my Ruler powers right now I can at least blow him away with one punch.
Haa, like I said it is what it is~
I throw all of my attacks, punches over punches trying to let his guard down.
When he does~
Gotcha!
"Summoning, Hellfire!"
A surge of black-purple fire blasts his body, making him propelled far away back to the ground.
Although he is an Ancient Death's pawn, he still cannot get out from my hellfire unscathed~
The Battle Ogre roared loudly, which shook the entire forest.
"Oh my, would you look at that~" I flick my hair over my shoulder while analyzing his movements.
Looks like the Priestess is healing our Mr. Ogre here while fending off Nito's attacks.
Talk about slick~
"Nito, take better care of your prey, will ya~?" I believe he felt my murderous aura from my smile the way he responded instantly.
"My apologies, Ma'am!" With that, Nito swings his golden axe at the Priestess propelling her away to the back; leaving her unconscious.
That's more I like it~
With the Priestess gone for a while, Mr. Ogre will be defenseless, but that doesn't mean it will be easy to defeat him.
"GRRAAHHH!!"
Mr. Ogre let out a guttural, earth-shaking roar that sent chills down everyone's spines.
Turns out it was not a simple roar but one of the Battle Techniques to amplify one's attack power and defense all together.
Slick~
Slick indeed.
He leap at me in a blink of an eye, swinging lil Frienna on top of my head.
I fend it off by creating a magical barrier strong enough to stop his attack, but lil Frienna's curse is disintegrating my barrier.
"Miss Nadia!" Nito speed off from behind Mr. Ogre, slashing his shoulder blade with his golden axe.
"It won't go through!" Shout Nito in a stressful manner.
"Looks like we have to do something different~"
"Sorry?"
"Buy me sometime, will ya~?" I can't control my grin...Oopsie
"What-?"
"Locum Verto~" I switch places with Nito.
He's now fending off Mr. Ogre with everything he got.
I'm counting on ya, lil Beetle~
I close my eyes, begin chanting my incantation.
(Nito's POV)
I need to avenge my Master at all cost! That's why I'm blocking ogre's attacks with all my might.
It seems like this ogre is too much for me to handle all by myself.
As expected from one of the top Ancient Death's pawn.
I'm blocking all of his attacks using Orion carefully not to get hit by Miss Frienna.
He didn't give me a chance to counter back.
The most effective thing that I did was propel him a few feet to the back.
Using my hand to make a praying pose, I blow him off all the way to the back, intentionally landing him at the boulder from the blown up cave.
Without taking time to rest, I speed off towards him, attempting to slice him off, but a barrier appears in between us, causing me to stumble backwards.
The Priestess-??
She's struggling to make her stand, but her scepter-holding hand is now holding out towards us.
She's summoning a shield and a few healing spells at the ogre.
How do I know this?
It's because the ogre is slowly healing his injuries from Miss Nadia's attacks just now.
Oh gods-!
"Nito! Focus on the ogre, let me handle the Priestess!" Shout Master while running towards the injured Priestess.
"Yes, Master!" Now that my Master has entrust me with this, I will not let him down!
Me and the ogre both exchange our attacks for quite sometime.
"By the hunter's aim, let the stars strike true—Orion's Cleave!"
Orion glows with starlight, increasing its weight and cutting power.
I jump above the ogre, attempting to overstrike him from the sky.
The ogre stands still, looking unfazed.
But with a sound of a loud thud, the Priestess drop lifelessly on the ground from Master's attacks.
As expected from my Master!
I slice the ogre off when he's focusing on the dead Priestess.
"Ahhh!!"
The impact of my attack sends shockwave forward, cleaving the ogre in a straight line.
"GRRAAAHH!!" The ogre roared in pain.
Master then rush towards the ogre, stealing Miss Frienna from his grasp.
I kind of wish that my attacks would finish him off, but as expected from the Ancient Death's pawn, he recovers his stance immediately.
Suddenly, the air feels cold, as the sky darkens with heavy clouds.
A swirling vortex of shadow and purple energy is gathering in Miss Nadia's chest, building with each heartbeat. By the looks of it, her body is turning into the conduit for this dark force.
"By the ashes of the fallen and the echoes of time,
I call upon the abyss to heed my rhyme.
Blackened skies and shattered fate,
Let all who stand defiant meet their weight.
From void to dust, from flesh to shade,
Oblivion takes what none evade!"
Miss Nadia unleashes the wave of dark energy outward, watching as the very fabric of reality fractures in its wake. The air grows cold, and the ground cracks beneath the ogre's feet as the forces of oblivion are unleashed.
It's consuming the ogre menacingly into the void beneath.
Miss Nadia is watching him with a proud look on her face as she flicks her hair over her shoulder.
The roar of the ogre went silent as the crack closed on him.
With that, the victory from this battle goes to us.
(Kevin's POV)
Nadia managed to end the Battle Ogre with a finishing spell.
"Thank you for rescuing me. I really appreciate it." I'm holding Frienna in my arms.
"Hmph, you better~!" Nadia flips her hair with a sarcastic look, but I don't blame her; she saved my life once again.
"I hope you're doing better, Master. You were injured so badly just now..." Nito is worrying about me like always.
"I'm fine now, Nito." I pat him on the head.
"Hold her out for me, will ya?" Nadia instructed.
I hold Frienna out in front of Nadia.
She then swipe one hand over the vines, making it wither and fall off.
Suddenly, Frienna change into her human form and hug me tightly.
"My apologies, Master! I have failed you once again..." She sounded like a human, but lesser than one obviously.
I pat the back of her head gently.
"It's alright, Frienna. I'm the one who should apologize."
She take a few steps to the back from me and shakes her head in disagreement.
"You did well, Master. I was not on my best self, so forgive me for my mistake." She's kneeling on the ground with her head bow down to me.
"It's fine, really! Get up, Frienna." I lift her gently by the arms.
"Well, you should've brought me with you so none of this would've happened, sugar~" Nadia transform into her Dumb Form at that statement.
I know I should've...
"Why are you looking at me like you're agreeing with me?"
"Because I am..."
"STOOOOP!! I'M DISGUSTED, THAT'S ENOUGH!" She flies off to sit on Nito's head.
"Either way, thank you so so so much for helping me." I thank them while holding her necklace around my neck.
"It's been our pleasure, Master. However, will you allow us to accompany you until the end of the barrier?" Nito's asking a valid question.
I'm sure he wants to accompany me so bad since he can't stop worrying about me.
"Let's all go together~!" I smile at the three of them, creating three tomatoes in front of me.
We keep on walking without rest until we reach the end of the forest.
It was a smooth walk since Nadia's presence scare away all those monsters.
To our surprise, what awaits us is the new continent of the world!
Let's goooo!!
"Dumb-Dumb, fly us over there." I instruct Nadia who's eating berries on Nito's head.
"Mm, Zirac~"
Nadia mutters the spell while munching a mouthful of berries, lifting our feet off of the ground and cutting through the wind with a sharp and fast movement in the air.
She uses the spell without effort, but the effect is impeccable!
Within a few seconds, we've arrived at our destination; in front of the barrier.
What separates the Death's Continent and any other continents are the strange red flowers bloom horizontally across the land.
The flowers emit red sparkly pollens that disappear in the air.
"So this is what the barrier looks like~" Nadia stare at the flowers and its pollens from close.
Wait...
I think I've seen this before.
Ahh! The village where I bought Nadia's necklace had this kind of flowers!
These flowers surround the village when I enter it for the first time.
Come to think of it, no wonder the 'people' there looked different.
I guess they weren't evil from the way they treated me like a mere customer, and once I bought the necklace, they chased me out of the village.
I was a bit sad from that, but moving on!
I take it that they just want the money and not blood.
"So this is it. We will be separated for a while, but I will be back as soon as I can." I don't wanna cry!!
I give the necklace to Nadia for safekeeping again, but she refuse to accept it.
"You're the Master, you hold it." She makes a sign as if she's 'shoo-shoo' me away with her head turning to the left.
I know she wanted to cry now.
"Have a safe trip, Master." Nito wave me goodbye with a bright smile.
Now that's the face I wanna look at as our farewell gift.
"Don't do anything stupid, yeah!" I purposely gaze at Nadia with a firm look.
"I know, I know. Now hurry up and go, human!" She flicks her hair over her shoulder as she flies to sit on Nito's head.
"Nito, Nadia. Do take a very good care of yourselves." Frienna bow down to Nadia and Nito.
"You too, Miss Frienna."
"Mm, of course~"
"Well then, see you guys soon!"
Me and Frienna wave to both of them as we step our feet over the flowers, leaving the barrier and entering the other side.
I can feel my connection with Nadia is being blocked. I look at her necklace that's turning from purple to black.
We turn to look at them both but we can only see the vast land on the other side of the barrier.
"{Nito, are you guys still there?}"
"{Yes we are, Master.}"
I knew it.
The barrier blocks off every living and nonliving creature in the continent from the outsiders.
"{Can you see us still?}"
"{We can, Master.}"
So it only works on the outside on the barrier.
I wave them farewell as we continue our journey to the City of Technossia.
Everything seems normal as we walk across the vast land, but once we're about 3km away from the barrier, we're surprised by the flying ships and the view of Technossia from far, far away.
"Well, Frienna this is it. Let's find a way to break Nadia free from that shitty barrier and get my revenge!"
Frienna look at me with her default expression.
"As you wish, Master."
This is it.
The G'ar Land.
I'm hoping we'll find something helpful and return home quickly!