[Bral Kingdom]
As she was led through the camp the duke's army had built, lidra felt the soldier's constant stares on her back. After all, an unknown person that was accompanied by one of the most powerful mana users among them wasn't a regular sight.
Doing her best to just ignore it, she tried to distract herself by talking to her captor.
“I didn't even get your na, isn't that common courtesy?” She asked.
“Coralia, that is all you deserve to know.”
Laughing at the annoyed reaction, lidra smirked as she continued talking.
“Oh, a noble. Normally you are proud of your house's na so naturally I must wonder why you're trying to hide it.” She said in a playful tone that riled Coralia up even more.
“Just shut up.”
“So my guess was right.” lidra said with a grin, “Maybe you could just directly say why you won't tell your surna, I'm not knowledgeable enough about high-born society to understand your bunch.”
Giving her no reply, Coralia pushed lidra to force her to pick up the pace. Doing so, she tried to get as much out of Coralia as she could by switching between questions to annoy her and ones to gather information.
As the woman grew increasingly agitated, her body language slowly beca easier to read for lidra. Thus arriving at the commander's tent with a content smile on her lips, she spared Coralia not even a mont of pity.
Stepping into the tent with carefree steps, she wasn't surprised to see a young girl of seventeen or eighteen years old sitting in the commander's position. From Coralia she also knew her to be Helenia, the daughter of Duke Wallace.
Focusing on the table before her that had a map of the entire territory on it, she was engrossed in discussions with the army's high-ranking officers.
As soon as lidra stepped into the tent all eyes turned to her, with most looking at her either cautiously or confused. When Coralia stepped inside behind her, these looks wandered to her with a silent demand for answers.
“She was the one who had been trailing us.” She bluntly stated.
Taking this news with so surprise, the gathered officers all tried to gauge lidra's strength. Feeling no mana from her they couldn't help but furrow their brows.
“If that is so sort of joke then I am wholly disappointed. A mana-less girl managing to hide well enough that we can't pinpoint her position, laughable.” One of the n said to Corelia.
“It isn't. I personally saw her command two undead to capture one of the officers to interrogate about the army.” Corelia reported.
Eying lidra critically after hearing her claim, the gathered group shook their head in disappointnt at her when they felt no death energy from lidra. This made Corelia gnash her teeth, though she couldn't fault them for not believing her. She herself still had no idea how lidra had neither mana nor any visible life energy yet was capable of using the latter.
“Before you jump to conclusions, I don't think that she is the one to have created the two undead. Both seed to have intelligence, thus I believe they were following her out of their own volition instead of being under her control.” She said.
Her words caused a murmur to go through the tent as her words only grew rise to new questions.
“Then why did you bring her instead of the two undead?” Soone asked.
“Because they managed to escape.” Corelia answered through gritted teeth.
Closing her eyes to better ignore the mockery that ca as she did expect, she focused on her breath to remain calm. Though to her surprise their ridicule was quickly shut down by her superior, the captain of the duke's guard.
Standing next to Helenia who had stayed silent through all of this, he only needed to loudly tap the table in the middle of the room once to shut all of them up. Waiting for a mont until all eyes turned to him, he finally spoke.
“First, instead of laughing at her do better next ti. At least she capture the won here while you didn't even know we were trailed until I said so.
Secondly, whether or not she failed and if it is deserving of consequences is not your decision to make. She is my subordinate and a mber of the duke's guard so of those here only I and the young lady have that authority, did I make myself clear?” He asked in a harsh tone.
Letting his gaze pan across the officers, he pressured them until each one nodded in understanding. Only then did he retract his presence, one that stuck fear into most of the gathered considering that he was the second most powerful person in the duchy.
“Describe what happened.” He told Corelia afterward.
“Just the escape or everything?”
“Everything.”
Recounting how she gave down the order to send a soldier out to scout before stealthily following him, she described the entire scene between lidra and him. Making a short pause before reaching the point where Julius and Sable escaped, she allowed her words to sink in.
“So it could fly, that explains it.” This and other similar murmurs filled the room in this pause.
Despite Sable already being accepted by the officers as an excuse for why she let her and Julius escape, Corelia kept to the entire truth no matter how impossible it may seem.
“Before I tell you what happened next I want to ask you to not dismiss it no matter how impossible it sounds. I will even swear to the gods that what I will tell you is the truth.” Corelia said.
Recounting how lidra used life energy, sothing she initially assud to just be to destroy the undead and which she had no chance to stop, Corelia soon stared back at expressions of disbelief. But before another commotion could start, Leon, her superior, spoke.
“Your existence just beca far more interesting.” He told lidra.
Ignoring the confused looks the other officers gave him for believing such an outrageous story, she spoke for the first ti in this eting.
“At least to you. And exactly that was the plan.” She answered him.
“Then co to the point, what do you want here?”
“Originally to learn what your purpose here is without being found out, though it is a bit late for that. But considering that the duke's daughter is here it may not even be bad as I can directly negotiate.”
Stepping protectively before the young woman in question when he heard lidra ntioning her, Leon kept his sword ready to strike any mont.
“Oh, don't misunderstand. I just want soone whose promises hold weight, I don't intend to lay a hand on her.” lidra promised.
This made Leon relax only superficially. But before he could speak again, Helenia opened her mouth first.
“Then tell , what do you want from ?” She asked lidra.
“Safe passage for and my people, if possible even the right to have a place of our own sowhere in the south.”
Hearing her request, the rest of the tent grew confused, though they kept from asking for confirmation. Instead, they waited for Helenia to do so as with her present they only needed to make their own decisions if she asked them for advice while they also didn't want to interrupt her conversation, making their understanding, or lack thereof, of the topic unimportant.
“It is already my father's policy to allow refugees from the north to settle in his lands. After we make sure that a group isn't sent by others to exploit it we even help them rebuild by providing so funds.”
“While that is good to know and noble of your family, it wasn't what I was asking for.”
Now Helenia was entirely puzzled by lidra. Turning to Leon for advice, he also needed a mont and answered just as lidra was about to explain.
“My lady, I think she wants to have a place that is independent of the duchy.” He said and lidra nodded.
What followed was an outcry from the gathered officers. Hurling insults at her for the disrespect she showed, they were just shy of storming at her.
“Silence!” Leon shouted just a few seconds into this.
Waiting for a second until they complied, Helenia continued.
“And what makes you think we would grant you this? As far as I can tell your own power is lacking and I doubt that it is any different for the rest of your people.” She asked, intrigued instead of angry like the officers.
“Power isn't the only thing of value in this world so why don't you take a guess.” lidra answered.
Smiling, Helenia said, “Show .”
Lifting her hands in front of her, lidra let life energy form an armored gauntlet around her left while death energy did the sa with her right arm. Smiling at the gasps of shock from the gathered officers, she looked back at Helenia who was grinning in content.
“From raising armies that can conquer the entire peninsula over granting eternal lifespans to transforming soone into a perfect mix of living and dead, depending on the deal I am available for it all. Imagine it, the entire territory of the kingdom united under your family's rule.”
Helenia, despite being aware that these promises were like the devil's whisper, couldn't help but smile at the prospect. Though compared to her father who would surely imagine scenes of an eternally prosperous kingdom, she saw herself as a conqueror that would go down in history.
“Now we're speaking the sa language and I can't say I am not interested. But right now the best I can offer is for you and your people to travel with us back to my family's seat and to relay your proposition to my father.” Helenia said.
“Traveling won't be a problem for us. And considering that you don't seem to be heading there directly I have to politely decline, my people are already tired from being on the move this long.”
Despite reacting sowhat disappointed to this, Helenia was quite understanding of her reasoning. Thinking for a mont, she beckoned lidra closer to the map and pointed at a place a few kiloters from the capital.
“Then I would suggest making your camp here. It's still close enough to be defended by the mana users while not being so close that it stands out. New towns get built every few months and even though ones this close to the city are rare, there are others.”
“I'm thankful for your help.” lidra said.
“And may I also get a tent for the duration of my stay?” She asked directly after.
“Oh, I had expected you to return directly.” Helenia said.
Having changed her plan after getting a grasp of Helenia's personality, lidra shook her head and declined.
“My army is already keeping them safe and I can command them even from here. Instead, it would be far more efficient to help you with clearing out monsters and beasts from the surroundings while also giving a demonstration of what I am capable of.” lidra said.
Seeing the faint smile of excitent on Helenia's lips, she instantly knew that she had made the right choice. The opportunity to impress her this easily would likely never co again, with the potential additions to her army being another great chance.
“Coralia, can you organize a good tent for our guest?” Helenia asked.
“Consider it already done.” Coralia said, turning around and making her way out of the tent.
Thinking for a mont whether she should follow her, lidra ultimately decided against it much to the dismay of the officers. But as Helenia didn't say anything against it none of them dared to voice this.
Listening to the long list of reports about everything from goblins to even so third-rank beasts causing trouble, she took note of which would present the best opportunities for her. Among these one beast and two monster nests stood out.
The first was due to it being a peak second rank that would make a great addition to her army. The other two on the other hand were opportunities to show off her power, with one being a goblin den that would be too small for large groups of soldiers. The other was a small group of mutated beasts that devolved into monsters where her death energy could show off its advantages in comparison to mana as the distorted mana they emitted wouldn't weaken it.
Just as she was about to leave the tent after the eting had ended, with Corelia having given her the location of her tent in the anti, Helenia asked her to stay. Doing as asked, she sat down on a chair near her and the two waited for the tent to clear out.
“What do you know of noble society?” Helenia asked once the last officer left the room.
Despite being slightly confused by the sudden question, lidra answered her a mont later.
“Rather little and that bit isn't exactly positive.”
Nodding in understanding at the expected answer, Helen continued, “Then we have a similar opinion of it. My whole life I've been part of it no matter how much I hated it. And believe when I say that I did. Because for most of it, I was just a tool to elevate their own status by forging a connection with my father.
And I can still say that I was lucky as my parents didn't just sell off to another noble for more power. But even they couldn't do much more and I had to endure not just all those noble sons fawning for my attention, but also the constant ridicule of my aspirations.
If I had the talent to beco a mage it wouldn't have been the case, but sadly I lacked both the mana quantity for it as well as the talent necessary, be it my affinity for mana or my control over it. And compared to mages where every single one has value, aura users are in such an abundance that keeping won from climbing high enough as one doesn't matter much. Even my parents do it even if often unintentionally and out of worry for my safety.
This leads to my interest in you, specifically in your ntion of an entirely new kind of being.”
Finally getting to the point, Helenia looked at lidra with hopeful eyes.
Sighing helplessly, lidra answered, “If you hope that it would help you beco a mage then honestly, I have no idea. I don't even know what exactly differs in the requirents between becoming an aura user and a mage.”
“Oh, that's easy. Mages need a better connection with mana and greater control over it, sothing that may seem similar but in truth isn't as many lack in just one of the two. And while it is practically never that soone has not even had the talent to reach early rank one, it determines the ease of their path and the likelihood of getting the resources one needs. Because that's the second difference, with mages being far more resource intense to train.
But getting that isn't necessary, I just want the opportunity to gain power no matter what kind.”
This brought a smile to lidra's lips, one that gave Helenia hope.
“That I can offer, and not just small amounts. And when we reach the monster lairs I can gladly demonstrate this power.” She said.
Readily agreeing with her offer, the two continued their talk. Over the next few days, Helenia would regularly talk with her, sothing that lidra actually quite enjoyed as she found the young woman's drive endearing even if it ant having an hour or two less to absorb the surrounding energy and grow her core.
This resulted in the army making a halt about a kiloter away from the spotted goblin den they had finally reached nine days later. Instead, they left its destruction to lidra and her new undead after she asked for it. The rest of them would just surround the area and prevent any goblins from escaping.
Standing atop of her favorite undead among her new acquisitions, a forr peak second-rank beast in the form of a spider. But compared to normal mbers of the species, this one had far larger and wider legs, wide enough in fact that they could form a full cocoon around the beast when fully retracted towards its body.
Together with its earth elent that it retained upon being raised as an undead, it made a formidable walking fortress.
Using only the four middle and two hind legs to slowly walk towards the den, the beast kept its two forward-facing legs lifted near its body to form a quarter do that acted as a shield. Ending around seven or eight ters above its body, this do offered full protection against everything coming from the front.
From ti to ti it would retaliate against the constant stones striking the natural armor plates at the lower part of its legs. Flinging rocks of its own or deforming the earth beneath its enemy's feet, it slowly thinned them out.
Arriving directly before the entrance to the underground lair in a few minutes, lidra took a mont to verify that there were no more goblins outside before ordering her beast to attack.
Lifting one of its front legs into the air, it fully displayed the impressive limb. A nearly eight-ter-long upper part that was normally angled upwards, followed by the around twelve-ter-long, armored lower part. At the end of this was a hook of sorts, with an extendable claw-like protrusion of up to four ters that was angled at just over ninety degrees.
Thanks to the slight curvature in the lower part of the leg this part of the limb could complete the defensive cocoon by creating a dense and stable protection downwards. While this required the beast to also pull the lower parts of the legs fully towards its body, making this stance prone to being knocked over, it also offered great protection from all directions.
But instead of using this part of its leg defensively, the spider swung it down at the ground a few ters behind the goblin tunnels entrance. Easily sinking deep into the earth, the spider pulled its leg back up, leaving a gaping hole in the ground.
Instantly lidra jumped from its back and into this hole, not content with showcasing her new beast's power as she wanted to demonstrate her own. Conjuring two death energy swords, she pointed the one in her right hand down the tunnel before unleashing a beam of black energy.
Feeling tens of lives directly being snuffed out, she knew that the goblins had only started approaching her. Using the ti until they reached her to let death energy flow through her legs into the ground, she first felt the life inside it dying before soon the entire soil around her started to dry out before forming cracks.
Taking care to keep it from breaking in before it spread far enough, she pushed it the last bit while simultaneously jumping into the air. Looking down from about ten ters, she saw a large portion of the cave system the goblins had created falling in on itself.
Calmly ordering the spider to create platforms for her to periodically land on to slow the fall, she quickly descended the slightly under a hundred-ter-deep hole. Landing at the bottom, she searched her surroundings for any remaining life forms. Finding about a thousand goblins to be remaining, she just waited for the little pests to charge at her.
Sending bolts, beams, waves, and all other forms of ranged attacks flying toward them as they approached, she quickly thinned out their numbers. Goblins may be annoying vermin that posed a grave danger to mana-less people and first ranks, especially in their caves, in the second rank they were little more than flies to be swatted away. From the third rank onwards they could basically be disregarded as long as no mana using hobgoblin was among them.
And while her power wasn't as easy to categorize as magic and aura ranks, goblins were for her as easy to dispatch as for peak second ranks.
Using her sword to deal with the handful of them that managed to co close to her, she practically ran circles around them with her physique whose strength and speed rivaled that of peak second rank aura users physical strength. Combined with her resilience and healing capabilities this ant that the fight was already decided from the mont where she started it.
Taking one last look to make sure she missed none, lidra ordered the spider to create a stairway back up the hole. Arriving there, she directly saw Helenia staring at her in fascination.
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