After Vadim's show of control over the arcane forces to obliterate the Red-eye Centipedes, a single mercenary performed a lone wolf action and ravaged the monsters with what seemed to be endless firepower without showing a hint of magic.
It was an eye-catching display of how he kept spreading fire and cutting through the Centipedes with minimal effort. In terms of strength, he is strong. In terms of swordplay, he is skillful.
Even he didn't expect he would use swords this good. He had a level 6 technique but his experience was with tactical knives and modern melee weapon techniques, nothing about longswords and such martial weapons.
He split the head of a burning centipede, cut another diagonally, pinned another to the ground with a spear and used a [Combat Magic- Stomp] technique to shatter it with his feet, broke the spear inside the maw of a centipede, and cut it open, and he cut and sliced everything in his way almost as if he was possessed by a vengeful War Spirit.
All of that ended so unceremoniously when the last centipede exploded right when he used [Air Magic - Wind Reinforcement] on the sword and focused the pressure in the tip of his sword then let it free once it was inside the body of the monster.
He looked around like a warrior on rage looking for more scraps of this fight to vent his rage on but he found no more targets.
*Huff* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*
Finally, he crouched on the ground resting on the shaft of a spear he picked up along the way and started the process of catching his breath.
"Lad! Lad! Ya alright?" Vadim almost phased through the distance between him and Leon and raised his hand to calm Leon.
"Not… cough! Not bad!"
While almost breathless, Leon laughed a bit and his voice felt a bit awkward behind the helmet he struggled trying to remove.
Still, he was totally thrilled with adrenaline and felt his body pulsing with life pushing back this mental trauma he had just an hour ago. Still, he looked as if he can no longer stand straight from both the physical and mental exhaustion.
"Ya did good, lad, ya did great." Vadim shouted as he wanted to catch Leon and push him away from the prying eyes but Fate… it had a different plan altogether.
Immediately and after the cleanup, the Mercenaries started putting down the remaining centipedes which were nothing too difficult as the centipedes lost all their momentum and current. More so, their short legs were fit for underground travel rather than above ground thus they were outmatched but the surface dwellers.
On a specific front, in particular, was a Prince who readied his mightiest firepower to shine once again without restrictions or rivals but soon these standards were shattered. He, as well as those who were around him, witnessed the small Mercenary who completely obliterated the remaining centipedes like the wrath of the War Spirit.
Resentment was to be easily expected in the eyes of the Prince but rather than a weak-minded bigot, he retracted his spell and sheathed his blade. So what if someone else did better on the battlefield? Mercenaries are supposed to be expert monster hunters after all.
"That's some impressive work." The Prince commented, "He's someone important?"
The one the question was directed to is Pearl, the female mercenary with short brown hair and tan skin wearing high thigh and sleeveless armor.
"That? I don't know, milord. He's gaining the attention of the Hall Master though… I guess he's some protege." Pearl replied but in the next second, she and most of the mercenaries who had their eyes on Leon started shouting.
"Watch out!"
"Behind you!"
"Dodge! Move!"
In the center of the scene, Leon and Vadim were the latest to react to what followed.
From the ground just beneath Leon's feat, the earth moved and all of a sudden, a large centipede shot out of the ground. With its maw open, it caught Leon from his left foot and left him up as he completely lost his footing in front of Vadim and the world turned upside down in his vision.
With him flipped upside down that way, the helm he loosened just now to catch some breath naturally fell off his head.
In that split of a moment, Leon and Prince Edward met eye to eye, not in a metaphorical way but in a literal one as the former situation is simply impossible between the two archenemies.
And what followed happened so damn fast.
The centipede tried to pull Leon underground as its prey, Vadim reacted and punched the centipede's body causing it to recognize the danger and drop its prey ready for battle. Vadim would have easily obliterated the centipede but he was more concerned for Leon who dropped right behind him yet as soon as he turned, Leon was on his feet with a never seen before anger and murderous intent.
Step! Step! Clap!
Leon slammed his feet forcefully in the ground then joined his hand together and the Mana in his torso started to intensify and find its way to the Earth Element around him. With his arms breaking contacts and gaining control of enough earthly substance, the magic surged from the ground in the shape of a free earth element holding the centipede together and encasing it fully taking away its movement… which is not normal!
Why is it not normal?
It is common logic between monster hunters that any monster that can burrow underground is completely immune to any sort of Earth Magic that tries to hold it in place either under or above ground. This was complete breaking a rule of such a thing known as common knowledge and shattering it just like what Leon did next to the centipede.
He shattered it!
Leon squeezed the earth he put on the centipede and applied all his control into it. Unlike the spell strength and element mass which are ruled by the Magic Skill level, this type of control is solely dependent on talent. In other words, a striking 200% ability to control the mana of earth.
The centipede didn't even get to shriek before it exploded into all forms of bug mess.
A horrible way to go!
Still, who could have had such an ability? Certainly not a rookie mercenary. Rather than that, it probably has to do with the Hall Master being a Dwarf and standing between the centipede and the rookie. He was surely doing hand movements as well and seemed like assisting the rookie. (rather than being a short dwarf who was trying to figure out whether to attack the bug or help Leon.)
"Wow!"
"Our Hall Master is one insane Dwarf!"
"Man! That's intense!"
The mercenaries naturally applauded but Vadim was more comfortable concerned with Leon rather than…
"Shite!"
Vadim was fast to notice the madness in Leon's eyes. He realized that the killing intent is not stopping but rather just beginning and he saw a distinctive hair color among the attendants of the subjugation on the head of a certain young man in a suit of high-end armor.
An academy student with this hair and face can only be one certain guy. The same guy who can make Leon's killing intent rise like this.
But the disaster was brewing in rapid succession. Leon's face was exposed, the Prince was looking at him directly and on Leon's right hand where the Prince can't see, a freaking hand crossbow materialized… out of thin air.
This isn't a skill Vadim even thought he would find in Leon's arsenal. A freaking skill that can summon weapons now. If that weapon was some sort of pike or a spear, everyone would have noticed but thankfully it is a mere small crossbow.
"Lad! Get yarself together."
Vadim immediately held Leon's arms and held him in place before turning his (Leon's) back to the direction of the Prince who kept narrowing his eyes towards Leon.
"Put a helm on your head and run back to the camp…" Vadim whispered in a low dwarvish growl, "… Now!"
Leon seemed as unstable as how happened just a couple of hours ago when he was mentally struggling with suppressed memories. Still, this time he was driven by pure aimed rage and hatred rather than being desperate and miserable.
"Titus! Titus!"
Vadim called for Titus, the mercenary whom Leon came with.
In one hand movement, Vadim recovered Leon's helm and forced it on his head then pushed him towards Titus.
"Take yer lad. See if he hurt himself…" Vadim kept pushing Leon and Titus ordering them to return to the camp as he took away the crossbow from Leon.
Such a blunder! If he was a moment too late, he would have been fighting the knights by now.
On the other hand, the Prince and his party gathered not too far as Edward was looking in Leon's direction.
He saw his face. Young, sharp features, strong eyes. Prince Edward hated those eyes that always had this force in them as if they can do anything and everything.
Something didn't sit right with that young mercenary. Still, Edward wasn't interested in some other guy.
He looked familiar, not too familiar to care since the Prince never really cared. As long as it is not a beautiful woman, Prince Edward wouldn't really attempt to remember someone's face.
"That boy is with Titus, huh? Tough luck, I guess." Yet on the other hand, Pearl was profoundly annoyed.
"Something wrong?" The Prince asked.
"Huh? No, nothing at all, milord." Pearl smiled, "Just some competition showing up."
"Is that so? You mean that boy?" He asked.
"Yeah… but it is nothing important." She smiled.
"Hah!" The Prince scratched his chin and thought, "How well do you know the Forest?"
"I am a five-year mercenary, milord, and I've been looking forward to a B rank promotion. I'd say I am one of the best people who know things around here." She said with pride buffing her chest.
The Prince liked her enthusiasm and nodded in approval.
"I will hire you, Pearl. Name your price." He said.
"Wha… but… I'm sorry, milord. I can't be hired while I am on a job." She apologized with a solemn face.
"What job?" He asked.
"Eh… clearing out the dangers in the forest for… the royal academy students." She said.
"That's what I am hiring you to do." He said, "Guide me and my team and maybe I will see something about this… competition of yours."
"Milord… you're saying…" Her eyes widened as she swallowed her saliva and looked around, "My company and I…"
"I am only hiring you." Edward interrupted her as he gazed coldly at her company which consisted entirely of men, "What say you?"
Between her crappy band of mercenaries and the group of Knights that most members are at least capable of using Magic, the choice was obvious.
"Guiding milord? It is the job I am doing but now with more honor." Pearl said, "I am under your disposal, milord."
"Hahaha!" The Prince laughed, "This will be fun. Let's go."
As that was already done, Pearl instructed her company to move with the rest of the mercenaries whole she joined in with Prince Edward not knowing his identity just yet.
Meanwhile, Leon was taken away by Titus and the one who stayed to clean the scene was Vadim who is recovering from an experience of high blood pressure.
That was intense!
Leon was never the easiest Lord to serve. Much harder now with his mentality being so fragile.
Vadim gazed at the hand crossbow he forced out of Leon's hand and didn't understand how Leon made such a thing appear as it had no traces of Magic on it. It is just a regular issue crossbow without distinctive features. It means that Leon has hidden skills under his sleeves more than what Vadim even expected.
From now on, Vadim made up his mind to expect everything from Leon.
"Vadim." And a voice called.
"Eri!" Vadim looked up and saw an elven woman coming to him.
"Ya alright? Yer shoulder…" Vadim saw Erielle holding her shoulder as she walked to him.
"It will heal." She replied.
From her looks, it seemed that she has been through something. She was sweating with dirt on her dress and her hair was a little bit messy.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Mission accomplished!" Yet another voice replied.
"Eli?"
Who came behind the tall Erielle was the silver-haired Archduchess, Eleanor.
"You two made it?" Vadim asked.
"Despite our differences, I am thankful you helped out here." Eleanor said, "Destroying a Holy Pillar to let out the Centipede Stampede was a good idea."
"Yes. Despite what it looks like, I managed to block five Royal Agents on my own while Eleanor took Alice outside the Academy." Erielle said.
It was all staged.
The Centipede Stampede, the collapse of the Holy Pillar which keeps the monsters in the Forest, the lack of Royal Agents around Prince Edward just now.
Those three were behind it.
Now that Leon is no longer a hostage and Alice replacing him in the eyes of the Royal Family, Eleanor put the entire body of the first-year academy students in life-risking danger to divert the attention of the Royal Agents that were keeping an eye on Alice.
She broke the pillar and let out the monsters towards the students. This will require the Royal Agents to move towards the Prince who is a wild card that can't be controlled then she suddenly gave him the freedom to deal with monsters which made the Royal Agents flock around him directly.
With the attention on Alice getting less, Eleanor and Erielle teleported back to the Academy and while Erielle distracted the Agents, Eleanor took Alice to a safe location prepared by House Godfrey.
"Actually, that stampede was too effective." Vadim said, "Yer nephew was participating."
"Edward? He left?" Eleanor asked.
"Yeah! But he ain't the only one ya missed… the boy was here too." Vadim said.
"Leo… are you kidding me?"
Both Eleanor and Erielle reacted with Eleanor rushing towards the mercenary camp if not for Vadim holding her.
"Don't go." Vadim said.
"This is our only chance." She glared at him.
"Nah!" Vadim shook his head, "He isn't happy with any of us… I doubt that you of all people will get to him."
"Let go of… wait! You spoke to him?" Eleanor asked.
"A lengthy talk… not a good one." Vadim said he let go of her, "He's troubled."
"Of course he is." Eleanor spoke as if it was obvious, "Whatever he's been through is…"
"Eli, shut up."
It was Erielle who talked off to her. Eleanor was as stunned as anyone can get seeing that the passive, calm, and hippie Erielle is the one using that tone.
"Explain things to me." She said in a calm tone as if she was talking out of a dream with her eyes getting cloudy, "How is he?"
Vadim recognized what Erielle was trying to pull off and the kind of magic she's using. Such an emotional state is highly dangerous.
"Sad." He said.
"Hmmm… what is making him so?" She asked.
"I told him that… his father once beat his mother." Vadim replied.
"It made him very upset… he struggled." Erielle continued.
"Yes, yes he did." Vadim nodded, "He couldn't remember anything else from the past but he was so damn upset. It was like…"
"It was him, yet not him, as if his enemy is inside his head." Erielle continued.
"Yes. It is like he has gone through some war… that's not normal." Vadim said.
"It is not." Erielle continued, "I can sense him now… he's that way… very angry and sad… but he is recovering…" Erielle continued but stopped midway and her eyes returned from her semi-conscious state.
Her Augury and powers of the mind depend on her Knowledge Magic which is hard to control even for someone as skilled as her.
"How can we help him?" Eleanor asked.
"Sigh!" Erielle couldn't help but let out a tired breath, "Humans are overprotective of their children, Dwarves are sentimental. Let's do this the Elven way this time."
"No way." Eleanor refuted but Vadim held her hand and shook his head.
"Let nature take its course. The only way to heal is to regrow. Let him do wrong and right based on what makes him comfortable. If we just have his back, he will come around on his own."