Chapter 52: Glare – Part 2

Chapter 52: Glare – Part 2

Today is the 24th, day of An.

Ciel wakes me up with the help of Lina, who holds back her hair and gives her encouraging words.

"My mouth is feeling oddly dry, you know. It's as if something is missing," Hana says and stares at Ciel. She manages to guilt Ciel into sharing.

My [Spirit Magic] and [Mana Control] increased by 1 (now 0+2 and 0+15). My [Sense Soul] increased by 2 (now 6). I can now see someone's "Endurance" and "Strength" stats.

But the best growth of this morning is that I can now see Aoi's HP.

Soul InfoName:AoiHP:200

Aoi stands on her hind legs, opens her wings wide, puffs out her chest, and smirks. Though, she looks more comical than imposing, due to being in her smaller size.

"Diamond dragon scales..." Klein mutters and her tail massages one of her temples.

"Hey, so my increased HP really is due to my dragon inheritance," Hana comments.

"I'm more interested in her MP and 'Magic Power,'" Roxanne says with a light shrug.

"Same," Ciels says.

"Gih."

That means "a lot."

"Well, that's not fair," Hana says with a frown. "Why are dragonkin so bad with magic, then?"

"Gih."

"That's bullshit. Why do the wereanimal and beastfolk races not have the same problem with magic, then? They also have a non-human inheritance. The demon race is even more talented with magic than the average human."

"But your race is the only one that inherits from monsters," Roxanne says.

Lina chimes in, "Think about it like this: If the dragonkin were as good with magic as they are with physical combat, they would be unstoppable."

The dragonkin are the Klingons or Krogans of Rupegia. Frightening stuff.

"As if that would be a bad thing," Hana says and snorts.

"You have more energy than, even real dragons," Aoi says.

"Hm..." Hana grabs her chin in thought. "But aren't the beastfolk good with both?"

Lina smiles and pats Hana's lower back since she doesn't reach Hana's shoulder. "You overestimate them. The beastfolk are mostly rebellious and independent. The dragonkin have more raw strength."

"You know a lot about the beastfolk," I say to Lina.

"There's a lot of them living in Wideberg."

"I see..."

We get up and I sadly store the beds back in my "Item Box." Then we go down to have our breakfast.

Ciel seems so happy that she almost hums as she eats.

"Happy to be traveling again?" Lina asks Ciel.

"You bet," Ciel answers, chipper.

Lina smiles adorably and Ciel doesn't resist, patting her head during the entire breakfast.

We head outside and breathe in the fresh air. The white wooden town looks quite picturesque as it stirs awake.

We make our way to the gate and see that it will be a repeat of Rabanara. We are likely to waste an hour or so just to get out due to the number of other caravans also going the same way as us.

Then we find Rande's caravan. The commoners we have been traveling with are all gone now and a new set of commoners going to Goldport are taking the ride with us. I see that the noble's carriage isn't here anymore.

Osaria sends us a warm wave when she sees us. Roxanne smiles back, but she seems a little sour after that for a while. Anton and Krysta also greet us warmly, though Anton seems to be still feeling a little awkward about our "agreement."

The elven sisters greet us with a smile and a wave; Julien also sends one to Ciel; the two brutes and the joker send a casual "yo" to Hana and Roxanne; the rest of the guards give the usual friendly nod.

Laertes merely sends a glance at us and gets on top of the (now fixed) carriage.

We get our horses but don't mount them just yet. There's no point when we are just going to stand here and wait in the line to get out of town.

"Hm..." Lina mutters, trying to start to talk but anxiety holds her back.

"What is it?" I ask.

"C-can I go to the carriage and talk with Oura?"

"Sure. You didn't have to ask."

I pat her head and she blushes, embarrassed at her own shyness.

Alissa and Klein stay together, talking about girl stuff. Hana and Ciel are talking about Hana's new armor and testing her mobility. Roxanne immediately pulls out an [Alchemy] book and starts to read about flammable compounds.

Feeling a little needy, I get Aoi and hold her in my arms. I caress her spine and she gives me a happy lick on the chin.

"So, how's your growth?" I ask her.

"Very good. Humanoids are tasty, they gave me lots of strength," she answers.

I cringe while smiling. "Yeah... we aren't going to kill a lot of humanoids again so soon."

She gives me a toothy grin. "I know, but it doesn't change that, they are very tasty."

I get an idea. "Do you think you could drink my blood?"

Her beautiful eyes gleam at the idea. "Yes! You have tons of mana; your blood would be very tasty."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Do you actually taste the mana? Blood by itself doesn't taste good."

She tilts her head cutely. "But it does?"

"If you say so..."

"Hehe. I wouldn't mind if you, used [Slavery Magic] on me, too."

"Would it even work? You're not fully part of the system yet."

"We'll know if we try."

"What about that part of you leaving me if I ignore you? If you're my slave then it'll be harder for you to leave."

"If I'm your slave, then you have more responsibility, to keep me happy." She smiles smugly as if she has everything thought out. "And even then, if Hana can escape slavery if she wants, then so can I."

I smirk. "Confident, aren't you?"

Her nostrils light up. "Dragons are proud."

"How do you know that?"

"It's knowledge I was born with. Dragons are proud."

That's actually very convenient.

I kiss the top of her head and steam comes out of her nostrils.

"Once we are nobles, I want you to grow to your normal size and walk beside us. No more hiding your abilities. You can talk freely, too."

She grins again and licks my chin. "I'll pray lots so that I, get the system faster!"

I hug her tighter in my arms and she rubs her head against my cheek.

After having our fill of snuggling, we stare at one another again. "I know that the Gods will listen. It's just a matter of time... Ah, now that we are talking about it, how have you been praying?"

"Every night before I sleep, I ask to get another piece of, the system. I also ask to get included in, your 'Followers' Gift."Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates

"How much do you know about the Gods?"

Her non-existent eyebrows try to knit together. "Well, I know their names."

"Right, we need to teach you more about the Gods, then."

She gives me a toothy smile. "Okay!"

The caravan starts to move and we finally get out of Goloria when the day has fully started.

We mount our horses and go down the spiral of the Pillar.

"Sounds perfect." I pat her head and she smiles.

We drain all the arrows and fill up half a barrel with each liquid. That's not a lot, but Roxanne will focus on identifying the liquids before we actually try to experiment with it.

After that, we pull out the enchanted Ghillie suit and observe it. The first enchantment we recognize as being [Ignorance]; the second one we have no idea what it is, we only know that it blocks [Sense Presence] after doing some testing; the third enchantment absorbs scents below it.

"I've never seen this second enchantment before, even in the books," Lina says.

"Keep it with you and study it. It would be good to know if there's a countermeasure to it because we do rely a lot on Alissa's [Sense Presence]," I say.

"So, a countermeasure to a countermeasure?" Roxanne asks and chuckles.

"That's warfare in a nutshell," I say and give her a smirk.

Roxanne chuckles again and rolls her eyes. "Oh, another of your weird references?" She asks.

I pout at her and narrow my eyes. "Ei, your idioms are also weird: 'Dwarven beard'; 'diamond dragon scales'; 'let a Glutton eat your words'; and the obsession with goblin semen."

She puts her hands on her hips in a sassy way. "Ours are more literal. What in the hell does 'in a nutshell' even mean?"

"I... have no idea..." I awkwardly scratch my head. "You use it when you are explaining something with only a few words, so maybe its origin comes from reducing something so much that it fits inside a nutshell?"

She scoffs and says, "Not only are Earthlings weird, but they are also boring."

I shrug. "Well, that's not our fault. Earth doesn't have dwarves, dragons, or goblins to reference."

"But you know what they are. You said we exist in tales and 'fantasy,'" Lina says.

"See? Earthlings are so boring," Roxanne says. She pokes me on the chest with her pale finger and Lina nods along.

"Oof, Lina, you traitor," I say and the little imp dares to smile.

We return to the caravan and spend our time leisurely. Lina returns to the carriage and Roxanne starts studying the dark liquid with her special lens that lets her see mana "signatures."

I continue my practice of [Soul Manipulation]. I can now keep my soul out with barely any mental effort, so I feel that I'm almost finishing creating the skill. There's one vector I haven't fully explored yet, which is the "soul-changing" that I can do with [Redirect Mana]. I can "change" my soul so that I can more easily attract "attuned" mana, or in other words, free-flowing mana with a "signature."

"Roxanne, can you lend me this lens for a minute?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Excuse me, I need this too." I grab her black tail and she looks at me curiously.

Since her tail is solidified mana, (aka, "fake matter"), it means that her mana has a signature. If I can change my soul to that "signature" by using [Redirect Mana], then I can use my special [Materialization] on it and gain an appendage!

I fucking cracked the code!

Gih!

"Use some magic, please," I say.

She casts a [Fireball] and throws it upwards. Some mana leaves through her tail and floats in the air.

Gimme!

I extend my soul over it and use [Redirect Mana] to "change" my soul to the same "signature" of the mana.

It's as hard as I remember, like flexing a muscle that you never used before. You know it's there, it's just difficult to use it the way you want.

But that's the last stretch for [Soul Manipulation]!

The road is a little busy. Just like on the way to Goldcross, the number of caravans and hunters roaming about makes the way completely clear of monsters for us. This side of the High Forest isn't having the same problems as Lord Mavel's territory.

Lunch comes and we savor Krysta's home-cooked meal.

"You're still the best cook out there, Mom," Klein says and Krysta returns a lovely smile.

Krysta sits beside her to eat and their tails entwine, making me envious and even more fired up to finish my [Soul Manipulation].

I turn to Aoi and say, "I think I should start teaching you what I know about the soul, too. If I can become a dragon, then you can become a humanoid."

Aoi stops mid-chew and stares at me like a statue. Her galaxy-like eyes bore holes through my soul as I feel the gears in her head turning from the mumbling escaping through [Bind].

"KWEH! YES! THAT'S AMAZING! I WANT TO BE A HUMANO~~-...!"

I cut the screaming inside my head with my mind.

I wait a minute before I say through [Bind]. "You done?"

"Hehehe. Sorry, sorry. Yes, I'm done! No, wait, I'm just starting! Teach me [Soul Manipulation]!"

"As you wish."

Gih.

He offered to help teach her.

"Thanks, Gify."

Gih!

We continue on our way after filling our bellies with roasted Dragolite and a cheesy casserole.

Holly suddenly sees a worrying sight. Thirty horsemen are coming towards us, all of them wearing red cloaks and a tabard with the yellow imperial sun on the chest. They are equipped with a mix of leather and metal armor. Most of them are soldiers, with only a few archers and mages, but there's also a lone temple priest among them.

I warn Rande and the guards tense up a little. I summon two earth and two fire elementals and position them in front of the caravan as a deterrent.

The imperials pass by a few caravans and ignore them. When they approach ours, they slow down, making us even warier.

The group of imperials stops in front of our caravan, blocking our way.

The leader, who's wearing a white cloak with yellow stripes, comes out from the middle of the group and stops a few meters in front of the others.

"Is this the Este Escort Company caravan?" The leader asks.

Rande growls and walks forward, stopping right between the two earth elementals. "Yes. I am Rande, the owner of the company," he says.

The leader's face is obscured by his helmet, but his eyes are neutral and imperative. "Is the fellowship Helios protecting this caravan?" He asks.

"Yes, we are here. I am Wolf Ryder, leader of Helios," I say.

I notice the imperials tense up and their hands squeeze their spears tighter.

His eyes glare at me with unbridled anger. He contains himself and says with a very stern tone, "I am Commander Taavi. I represent the Imperial Enforcers and I am here to take you, Wolf Ryder, to Goldcross for trial. You are accused of destruction of private property."

Announcement

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.

Prince Bradly.

Prince PreownedFIN.

Lord Andrew Meyers.

Lord Hope.

Lord Samuel Lim.

Lord Cody Weigel.

Lord Bill.

Lord Novgarod.

Lord DJ.

Lord Ashadun.

Lord D4rk Sheep.

Lord Michale Erwin.

Lord Cidant.

Lord Joxsan Herrera.

Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.

Noble Salty Panda.