Chapter 378: Sant's Paranoia(1)

Point-of-View: Sylvar Miirphys

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Today's the 10th of July, and we were just a few hours away from the ritual for the next Fire Sage to be completed. And...things had gotten pretty tense lately. More and more members of the Laus Domain were starting to show concern and unease regarding Sant's questionable decision-making lately. 

The eight scouts that he sent to Abyss were nearly all wiped out, and for what? They didn't find out a damn thing except for how a couple of the protective barriers work, but other than that, absolutely nothing of value. 

I was currently with Esta, the sole survivor of that suicide mission, and ever since she got back, she'd been pretty downcast. Primarily out of guilt for being the only one to come back, but another big part of it was that Sant had commanded only her to retreat. 

And he only did so after the other seven had all been either captured or killed. Had he sent out a warning to all of them the moment even one of them was compromised, upto six or seven of them might have been able to retreat in time. 

But he didn't...and the only reason he ordered Esta to return at all was because he didn't want to lose one of his strongest subjects, nothing more. After Sant and us Elemental Sages, she's the most powerful person in the Laus Domain...there are two others who also gained Demonic powers, but neither are as strong as she is right now. 

"Hey, are you feeling better?" I inquired, as she let out a tired sigh.

"Yes, as I already told you, I am perfectly fine," She replied with a forced smile. 

Normally, she wouldn't put on an act like this, but if I'm right, then she's denying her emotions because accepting them would be like admitting that she disagreed with Sant's commands. 

"Come on, I know that is not true...you can trust me," I responded gently, patting her head. 

"N-no, I-...as I said, I am fine, there is nothing more to it," She stated firmly, after wavering a little bit. 

It's no use, she isn't going to open up about this. Well, not yet anyway. I'll wait till she's ready... 

"Well, if you say so," I sighed, dropping it. 

I was really dreading the end of the Fire Sage ritual, because once it's complete, it won't be long before Sant makes us go attack Abyss...I doubt he has a proper plan for it or anything, and even if he does, I bet he hasn't taken minimizing our casualties into account. 

But like I said, I doubt he has any plan to begin with...if I had to guess, he'll first try to undo Abyss's protective barriers, like he did with the Rustlands, and then have us charge in while he looks for Kuro. I'm not confident he can actually defeat Kuro though. 

First off, Sant is now a fraction weaker than he was when we attacked the Rustlands, not only did he lose two of his reindeer and his Clone Magic, but Kuro now likely has the latter ability. Clone Magic is ridiculously overpowered, it lets you create upto a dozen clones, all as equally powerful as the user and even if taken out, can be replaced indefinitely. 

I'd asked Sant about whether that divine spell has any weaknesses, but he said no. I suggested that maybe the clones could gain free will and turn on Kuro or something like that, but apparently, that's not how it works. Copies created using Clone Magic are loyal to the original and carry out his will unconditionally. 

If they encounter a situation where they aren't sure what the original would do, they contact him via telepathy, which can be used freely between the original and all clones. In other words, we could potentially be facing upto thirteen Kuros if and when we attack Abyss. 

When that thought occurred to me, I then asked Sant why he didn't use Clone Magic a lot more than he actually did. He was silent for a moment, before angrily telling me to get lost. 

He had a weapon as powerful as Clone Magic at his disposal and he severely underutilized it, only to then lose it to an enemy that already brutally kicked his ass emphatically. He isn't used to combat, and it shows, he could stand to use his powers so much more effectively and efficiently, but because of his lack of experience, he can't. 

I mean, he spent centuries upon centuries just sitting on his ass and doing jack shit, so it's hardly surprising when you think about it. It's like he suddenly jumped into a gunfight with expert marksmen when he doesn't even know how to turn the safety off. 

It's like he entered the Tour de France despite still not being able to ride a bicycle without training wheels. It's like he tried to join in an orgy as a virgin who's never even masturbated before. It's like all those things put together, and then he gets mad and takes it out on everyone around him when, surprise, he sucks at it. 

It feels like, with each and every passing day, I'm starting to dislike him more and more. The more he sends us to our deaths, the less I see him as a leader, and more as just a scummy piece of trash. But I definitely can't share those thoughts with anyone, I'd most likely be considered a traitor. And so, I keep my thoughts to myself... 

... 

... 

The next morning, Sant contacted me, just minutes after I woke up, much to my chagrin. 

"I require your presence, come immediately, understood?" 

"+Huh? Oh, uh...yes, my lord, I shall make my way there right away.

His tone gave me a bad feeling, but I wasn't quite sure why...there was something venomous in his voice, and it felt like it was directed at me. Maybe it's just my imagination, I am still half-asleep, and besides, he's always sounding on edge and irritable these days, so I'm probably just overthinking it. 

I quickly freshened up and got dressed, before making my way over to Sant at top speed...this might be a meeting between him and us Elemental Sages, which means that the Fire Sage ritual was likely completed not too long ago, probably within the last few hours. 

And if that's the case, since I'm the only one who can't teleport, I really need to hurry. As I rushed there at top speed, it wasn't long before it came into sight, the center of the Laus Domain, where Sant stays. And despite my rush to get here, it looks like I'm the last one here. 

"You are late, Sylvar," Remarked Sant with a frown. 

Not really, it's not like he gave me a specific time to be here by or something. 

"My apologies, my lord, it will not happen again," I replied with a bow, as I stepped up next to Bell with a quiet sigh. 

"Hmph, see that it does not. Now that all of you are here, I shall make my declaration...on the 18th of July, one week from now, we will attack Abyss. Our primary target is Kuro Black, however, we will not spare even a single soul in that nation, every last human and monster in Abyss will die, at any cost whatsoever!" He declared, stomping his foot on the ground. 

Both Bell and Vokkeg looked upset by this, especially the last part of what he said. But earlier, when I said that things had gotten pretty tense lately and that more and more members of the Laus Domain were starting to show concern regarding Sant's questionable decision-making, that excluded the Fairies. 

As always, they were blindly loyal to him, despite the fact that over six hundred thousand of them had died on his commands, and not only did he not show any signs of remorse for that, but he was disgusted that they died before they could be more useful to his cause. 

But none of the Fairies showed any signs of disapproval or anything regarding Sant's current attitude. And of course, that also went for the new Fire Sage, Evie Lavender. 

"Understood, my lord, we shall faithfully follow your orders to the end," She stated with a bow. 

She had bright orange hair tied up in fluffy twintails, sparkly golden eyes, big boobs and a really nice ass. What? Don't judge me! Those are her most noticeable features, so of course I noticed them. 

"Excellent, that is exactly what I want to hear!" Responded Sant with a nod of approval. 

"I am unworthy of such praise, my lord, it is only natural that I serve you unconditionally, is it not?" She replied with a wide smile. 

Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick... 

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