He teleported?!
Xyn shouted inside his mind as he was shocked from an unexpected occurrence. Indeed, the thought of something like that never crossed his mind. The reason why? Xyn was not entirely sure. Perhaps because he didn't think that someone could cast teleportation among them.
He did think they are powerful enough just judging from the standards people can get. However, he never thought that someone was high level enough to be able to use teleportation magic. Perhaps that man who teleported was level fifty and above.
Dammit! Even so, that's so convenient! Hmm, no, even I would do the same thing. But, come on!
In frustration, Xyn complained inside his head. Of course, he can't show that side of him to his servants because he was acting as their superior. Thus, all he can do was so rant to himself in his head.
Haaah… oh well… that was that.
Xyn sighed in his mind in hopes to relieve a few his frustrations and tried to move on. Well, it was effective quite a bit.
Xyn looked at the approaching fallen angel. The angel appears to be moving frantically at him, it was as though he was in a panic. When the fallen angel, Sagremor, had reached his master, he quickly fell to one knee and bowed his head before Xyn.
"M-My Lord. I beg your forgiveness. I let one escape. I-I have no excuse in my mistake."
Xyn gazed at the kneeling Sagremor. He bowed his head so low that he looked like he was in great regret and looked like he made an intolerable and unforgivable sin. However, before Xyn could speak, Criswell got to speak first.
"Yes. You let a damn human escape. Do you know why?"
Sagremor frantically raised his head to look at Criswell. Then Criswell continued.
"That's because you played too much and took a lot of time to act. Even though the master told you to end it, you still took your time! Thus, giving the humans enough time to let one escape! You could have ended then in almost in an instant! Yet, you slowly slew them one by one!"
Criswell chided Sagremor with anger and displeasure obvious judging from her voice alone. She chided and scolded Sagremor like a goddess angry and displeased to a foolish lowly being and about to unleash her wrath on that lowly being while gazing at that lowly being with disdain. Upon hearing Criswell's rebuke, Sagremor lowered his head once again in shame. In addition, Sagremor could feel Criswell's crushing aura caused by her anger and displeasure, even though that crushing aura couldn't harm him, he could still feel the pressure.
Criswell was right, and Xyn realized this. Sagermor did indeed have a mistake on his part.
Sagremor was firstly given the task to handle the opponent. Of course, as no one told him to hurry it up or there was any reason to be in a hurry, he can take his time in dealing with them. And so, he did take his time and it appears he had some fun.
However, Xyn acknowledged there was a reason why Sagremor took his time at first. That was because he was trying to get experience. Sagremor never really got into a battle himself with enemies who can really fight back. Thus, that was a good opportunity to test his abilities and gain the necessary experiences to improve. And Xyn commends him for that.
However, after Xyn gave the order to end it. Sagremor did act quicker, but he was still having fun a little and played with them. That could be described as a fatal mistake. He gave freedom to a few people, and with them free from Sagremor, they could think of some other way to bring harm or something else.
For instance, the human who escaped using teleportation magic. First of all, the man appeared to be hesitant in escaping alone, Xyn understood why. A person mostly can't bring himself to abandon his allies especially when knowing they are going suffering and about to die while he is free and alive. If Sagremor took care of everything really seriously and quickly and obeyed Xyn's order to end it now, the persuasion to escape using teleportation never would have happened and escape would have never occurred.
In spite of all that, there was still a fatal mistake above fatal mistake. And Xyn believed that mistake was on his part. It was the fact that he never thought of something like a spell of teleportation to be used by them. The thought never even crossed his mind. Perhaps the reason why he never thought of it was that he somewhat underestimated the opposition.
Dammit… I know I shouldn't underestimate anyone. But, being powerful just makes it hard not to underestimate… No, I didn't really underestimate them, I only thought that they're not high level enough to be able to cast teleportation or rather one person that was high level… Wait, is that still underestimating?
He never thought of the enemy as weak, however, Xyn still thought any of them are not high level enough to cast teleportation.
No, there was still something else. Something that shocked him and the other guardians.
It was the use of teleportation magic itself and it was not the manner of underestimating. Which means, that everything was not purely and entirely underestimating. The thought of using teleportation never crossed anyone's mind. In short, they completely forgot about teleportation magic and that's the reason why one escaped from their grasp. This just shows even the simplest things can slip pass from anyone.
However, with that all said, Xyn still blamed himself. As the master of all his servants as well as the most knowledgeable in magic, he should have not forgotten about teleportation magic. He should have used the spell which blocked any form of teleportation. Xyn wanted to chide and scold himself, however, he can't do that in front of his subordinates.
Argh! How could I be so ignorant…
His subordinates were also shocked by everything and appeared to have not also thought about teleportation magic. Thus, knowing he wasn't alone in that, Xyn somewhat felt relieved from the guilt and regret a little.
Even so, with mistakes, anyone can learn from it and can improve one's self. Also, the lesson learned from mistakes can be applied in the future. Besides, what happened cannot be changed so they just have to accept it.
As for Sagremor, he still made a mistake.
"Raise your head, Sagremor. Everyone makes mistakes. Even so, you will learn from it. Utilize what you've learned to better yourself and to choose the right actions in the future. That said, you should also make the effort to not make the same mistakes again. Now rise, for you are forgiven, Sagremor."
"I am grateful, my lord. I'll strive not to make the same mistakes again."
"Good… Still, you alone are not at fault. I also did a mistake. Something like that wouldn't have happened if I wasn't being ignorant."
"W-what are you saying, my lord?! If I had carried your order properly that human would not have escaped. So you were not at fault whatso—."
Sagremor frantically retorted as he heard something from his master that he believed wasn't true. However, he stopped his words when Xyn held out his hand as though to tell him to stop, so he obeyed.
"No need to keep talking about it. Now, let's move on."
Xyn moved forward to take a good look at the scene before him. The scene which there were several bloody bodies lying on the ground.
Who are they anyway?
Xyn asked in his mind. These people just suddenly showed up out of nowhere. He never expected some people would go here even though the country is supposed to be in high alert. Especially when going to this place is supposed to be restricted, so the roads leading here were supposedly blocked.
They, or rather he said something like being a member of an order, and the world or something. What was that about?
He heard the words uttered by the leader of the group. However, he couldn't fully understand them. Probably it was because he knows nothing about them. Yes, that must be the reason. After all, these people just showed up all of a sudden and wanted to fight.
However, there was one thing Xyn knew about them. It was that they were fools.
I don't know what gave them the confidence to just charge in on an enemy who just managed to take out an entire army defending a fortress. My spell could have been enough to give an idea how powerful we are.
His spell, [Night Fall] could be seen from afar and the aftermath could be clearly seen. That alone should be enough to measure their power. Yet, they still chose to approach Xyn and the others. They should have also thought if they got close, they would get in a battle.
Wait, the reason they chose to approach us was because of the soldiers we captured. Heroic it may be, it was still foolish. Now look at the result of their decision.
Even though they were being heroic and tried to save the soldiers. It was still unwise to fight against an enemy that obviously overpowered you. Especially when you know nothing about that enemy.
They had many choices to choose, yet they chose the most foolish one. It was not right to just charge in when knowing death is inevitable, it could only end up putting everyone's action in vain if you just die. Life is one of the most important things in the world, so one can't just let it go to waste.
No, it was not them who was all foolish. There is always one in a group they would follow, and that is the leader. And the leader makes the choice for the group. Hehe, then their leader is the most foolish of them all. The lives of the team lie in the hands of the leader, so the leader must make the wisest choice for his people.
Xyn thought.
Xyn wouldn't lead his people to their death, especially when death is plainly obvious. In fact, he doesn't want to lose anyone so he wouldn't just send his people to their deaths.
"My Lord? What shall we do with these dead humans?"
The guardian overseer beside him asked.
What shall I do? Should I turn them into undead? No, it would only be a bother. They will only turn into low-level zombies, and I don't want bloody zombies roaming around my home. They can also be turned into other form of undead, but they'll be low-level ones. Besides, the skeleton warriors at my mansion are already enough and better.
Xyn thought.
Ultimately, there will be no need to use these dead people because Xyn and some guardians can create minions, and those minions can be high level. Thus, to save all the trouble, the best option was to just dispose of them.
"Hmm… Agiel!"
"My lord."
Xyn called upon the Demon of Purgatorial Flames, and Agiel approached closer to Xyn to hear his words.
"Burn the bodies. Turn them to ash, leave no evidence of them being here. As for their weapons… do whatever you want with them."
The weapons of these people were only guns and some bladed weapons. So, the weapons were all not great and not that important.
"Understood."
After Agiel stated that he understood. He strode forward to get a little closer to the group of bodies lying on the ground which were far from each other. Even so, Agiel can still easily carry out the order he was given.
Orange flames began to engulfed both Agiel's hands – its motions were just like a normal fire. Well, that's because the flames were just like normal flames one sees commonly.
In a swift, he spread both his harms, and with it, the orange flames spread out in a wide area devouring every dead body. The flames appeared to be so thick that it looked like there were numerous woods being burned in a single point, however, this one, the thick flames blazed in a wide area.
As Xyn gazed at the scene before him, he remembered something he almost forgot to ask.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Sagremor."
"Lord?"
"Those people appeared like they really gave a good resistance. Did you find anything troublesome even for just a little?"
"Haha, they were nothing, I didn't even break a sweat."
Sagremor's somewhat joyful tone returned, then he continued.
"Well, in terms of what gave trouble to me. It was their teamwork. Their teamwork was what made them slightly tougher and stronger."
"Indeed, their teamwork was good. I think it was what also made them survive slightly longer in your unserious fight."
"I think it's also that."
"Anyway. Did you have a good experience in that fight?"
"Yes. It was great to feel how it is in a combat, especially that fact that they have teamwork. Also, I've discovered one of my weak points, because of that I will be able to cover that weakness."
"Excellent! You noticed that yourself, and you're right you should cover your own weakness that you noticed."
"Hehe."
During the battle, one of Sagremor's weak points were revealed, thanks to a female opposition. It was the little gap on Sagremor's neck. Xyn did noticed that, and a thought of amending it crossed his mind. However, he did not because the gap was just so little and the enemy would find it nearly impossible to clearly hit it.
However, it just happened, previously the opponent just got closed to Sagremor and used a dagger to try and stab Sagremor's neck. Fortunately, the person and the weapon she used was not high level enough to damage Sagremor's protection. However, it will be a problem when they come across a high-level enemy and that enemy discovered that weakness.
When I get back home, I should make improvements on his armor. Also, I should do the same to Criswell. No need to tell them I'll do that. After all, I know they'll just say things along the lines 'no need to do that yourself' or 'how could we let the creator do something like that.' It could also be a good surprise to them.
Xyn thought.
Then as the bodies that were burning was about to turn into ash. Xyn turned around to move towards the other guardians who were just standing by.
"Agiel's about to be finished. We should start to move out."
The guardians responded in affirmative.
Xyn extended his hand and cast a spell.
"[Gate]."
A dark blue circular portal appeared.
"Go."
The other guardians began to move inside the portal after Xyn gave the order. Of course, Criswell, as the Guardian Overseer and Xyn's right hand stayed by his side.
Then after a few seconds, as the last person entered the portal, Agiel has returned to his master.
"I apologize for the wait, my lord."
"Not at all."
Xyn turned around to take a look at the scene one last time.
It seems that the bodies have indeed fully turned to ash.
"What did you do to their weapons?"
"I kept them."
"Kept them?"
"Yes. The weapons are metal and burning them may not work. And wrecking them would only leave traces behind. That's why I stored them in my inventory."
Xyn smiled behind the mask.
"As expected of you Agiel. You chose the cleanest choice."
"I'm unworthy of your praise my lord. I'm certain you've thought of the same thing."
"Hm."
Yes, Xyn did think of the same thing. However, there were two reasons why he didn't do it himself.
One was that he doesn't want trash items inside his inventory. The other was, that Agiel was about to handle the bodies, so why not just let him handle their weapons with it.
"Well then, let's go."
Criswell and Agiel responded in affirmative.
As Xyn turned and walked towards the portal. He thought about the one who escaped.
Too bad, one escaped. I heard his name is Vincent. He used teleportation, so he might be anywhere in the world so finding him will be nearly impossible. It would need a lot of time or perhaps it might take forever. There's nothing I can do but leave him to roam free. Besides, it's unlikely that we'll meet each other. However, fate is cruel, so I will never know what might happen.
Then the three of them entered the portal and the scene instantly changed.
***
The guardians were beside him, and in front of them was his mansion. The portal disappeared and revealed what behind them was a majestic fountain. Around them were clean green hedges and were aligned and trimmed perfectly, however, their color was darkened by the darkness because it was already evening.
"My lord, and guardians! Welcome back!"
An elf wearing a maid uniform with long pointed ears, brown hair and purple eyes greeted them warmly with a shining broad sweet smile. Then she genuflected.
"Cleia, yes, we're back. You may rise."
Cleia stood up.
"So, how are you?"
Cleia shrugged in surprise as she heard her master's question. In fact, she was surprised at the same time felt joy as her master asked her how she was. Because of that, she smiled more brightly than before, and flustered.
"I, I'm g-great m-master! Especially now you have returned, I never felt so great! The joy in my heart is so profound words could not begin to explain!"
Cleia said as though she was in a panic.
"Is that so?"
As Xyn said that, he removed his mask and at the same time, his blazing body dissipated and he turned into his human form.
Then he sincerely smiled.
"I am pleased by your words and feelings, Cleia."
"A-ah, it's a great honor to receive your kind words, my lord!"
Cleia deeply bowed before her master.
"Anyway, where are the others?"
Cleia stood straight as she answered the question.
"They were at their posts. But they should know you're here, so I believe they will be here any second."
"Oh, I see."
They should know? How though? We got here without any noise or something. Is it sensing or something? Again, how?
Xyn was confused. He doesn't know specifically why. However, there are ways to communicate. So it must be communicating with the others and letting them know that Xyn and the other's had returned. There is a spell that let them communicate like they are calling each other, so Cleia probably contacted them. Yes, that must be the case. In addition, that spell is available to all of his creations.
Still, that wasn't enough to clarify the line "they should know". However, Xyn decided to not think about it anymore.
What Xyn doesn't know is that he himself is emanating a strong aura which distinguishes him from the others. It is a unique aura which somewhat shows his power and as a supreme being, and as the almighty creator. And this aura can easily be detected and determined by the ones that are close to him which are his creations.
Shortly, the maids have finally come to their master.
A female with an appearance of a human showed walking from the side of the mansion, it was as though she was from behind the mansion. It was a female with green hair and green eyes. She walked in a slightly fast pace, however, she still walked like a matured lady. Not for long, she had reached close Xyn and placed herself before him. The maid was Cardia.
Then, a human looking female with black hair and dark violet eyes wearing a maid uniform came from behind. She ran with swift and grace and placed herself before Xyn. The maid was Nisea.
At the same time, the doors of the mansion opened and several maids came out.
The first who came out was a young female with a pair of short pointed ears, pink hair and pink eyes wearing a maid uniform. It was Fera.
Next was a female with black hair and green eyes wearing a maid uniform. It was the maid Aesyla.
Following her was a pale skin young girl with crimson hair and crimson eyes wearing a maid uniform. It was the maid called Ambrosia.
Lastly was a female with silver hair and dark brown eyes wearing a maid uniform. She was the maid called Mira.
Then all of them placed themselves before Xyn.
"Welcome back. Lord Xyn and guardians."
All of them said in unison and then they genuflected before Xyn.
"We are back, everyone. You may rise."
Then they all stood up.
"It appears you have already returned, Aesyla. I trust you are successful in your mission?"
"Yes, we are, my lord."
Aesyla responded.
"As I expected of the three of you. So, have you stored the crystals in the vault?"
"Yes, we have. The large vault was full in the process."
"That's amazing! Good work, Aesyla, Mira, and Ambrosia."
"We are thankful for your praise, my lord."
Aesyla also said that on the other two's behalf.
"Now then."
Xyn turned to look at Cleia who was standing at the side who was still somewhat flustered. She moved to the side after the other maids arrived. That's because she had already finished greeting Xyn and the others, so there was no need to join the other maids.
"Cleia, was there any problems or anything strange occurred here?"
"There was none my lord. I made sure none would give a threat to our territory."
"Hm? What do you mean 'none would'?" Xyn asked.
"I had all living creatures outside our mansion eliminated and the ones who came in our territory."
"All living creatures?"
"Yes, I had Nisea do that work. However, all of them were animals, so there were not a lot of issues."
All were animals!? No, wait, why did she even give that kind of order? So does that mean there are no living creatures now exist outside that wall??
"Nisea?" Xyn turned to look at Nisea to get confirmation. Nisea realized this, so she answered.
"It is as she said. I eliminated every single one, big or small, and I had the skeleton warriors help me. That said, it means there are no living creatures now outside the walls. She gave me an order what I thought was unnecessary and somewhat cruel. However, when I refused to follow the order multiple times. She yelled at me angrily as if she was going to eat me whole. Until now, I still wondered why she would go that far."
Ah—eh… yeah… Why go that far?
Xyn thought.
"Of course, I would go that far. The master entrusted me to lead the protection of this place and I cannot fail him. And killing every single worthless animal is necessary. Who knows, they might bring a great threat to Lord Xyn's home, so I won't let something like that get close here. I won't let the master's home get destroyed nor damaged by some trash! I won't let any worthless life forms bring pain to my love—eh master!"
Xyn seemed to have heard something near the end of her sentence, however, he can't clearly decipher it because it was cut too fast, and it was not just Xyn alone but also the others.
However, the rest of Cleia's words reached the depths of Xyn's heart.
She went that far? For me?
Xyn felt a great warmth in his heart. He recognized that feeling. It was a warmth similar to when he was with his mother. It was a feeling of happiness, a feeling of knowing you are being cared about, a kind of feeling that knowing someone is there for you.
"Hmm, so that was it. Now I understand. I could say it's the same for me." Nisea said.
Xyn looked at everyone around him. He saw all of them nodding and stating words of agreement.
Xyn lowered his head. Then he broadly smiled from the bottom of his heart. And he felt his eyes were getting moist. Well, that was because he felt like he was going to burst in tears because of the happiness and warmth he was feeling. However, he did his best hold those tears back. After all, he doesn't want them to see that embarrassing side of him.
He raised his head and let everyone see his smile.
That guardians and the others were somewhat surprised in Xyn's bright broad smile. Their eyes widened and it could be seen they were also in awe.
Then Xyn let out the words which came from his heart.
"Thank you, everyone."
With Xyn's smile and sweet words, the guardians and the maids were struck so hard that they were all left speechless, not knowing what to say. Thus, after their surprised expression, all they could do was smile.
"Now then, I shall correct something."
The guardians and the maids listened carefully.
"This place is not my home alone. This is our home."
He looked at their somewhat surprised faces, however, in their eyes, happiness can be seen.
"Now, let us return inside our home. It's been a long day, so everyone should rest."
Everyone responded in affirmative. Then all of them went inside the mansion.