Marina
The moment Nysa told me where they were, we immediately utilized another ability the great tree had. As we were dryads in this form, we were able to move through its roots all the way to where the kidnappers were. Or, to be more exact, we could transfer our consciousness to the end of the roots, shaping our new wooden bodies there while letting the old ones be completely absorbed by the tree. Naturally, sending our consciousness took basically nothing, and the forming of our new, identical bodies were done really quickly as well, leading to a prompt response like this.
Screams of terrors echoed around me as bystanders were no doubt horrified that two dryads just popped out of the ground like that. They were right to immediately assume that we were responsible for the roots that were attacking their town. And they were also right to keep their distance away from us as far as they could. I wouldn't want them to be hurt after all.
"M-monsters! W-why are monsters here?"
"R-run! Run for your lives! This city is done for!"
So they shouted. However, my attention was completely towards the group of people immobilized in front of me. Or rather, the girl one of them was carrying on his shoulder. Of course, the roots had left her alone, turning extremely gently as they handed her over to me.
...Whatever mercy I might have in mind disappeared once I saw the state she was in.
"Nysa, take care of her." I handed her over to the dryad, who received her with the utmost care with her wooden hands.
I turned my attention back to these… filth.
"A-a mage? Y-you're her older sister?"
The one who spoke was the youngest of them all, and the only one with a wand. He was a mage, and immediately I knew how Erika could disappear like that without me noticing. I could think a couple of methods one could do so on top of my head.
"L-look, we're sorry, alright? We're just grunts here, w-we're only doing what we're told! So if you have someone to blame, you should blame our boss! And his boss after that! This whole country is on it! You might think you're playing the hero destroying half the city like this just to save your little sister but the truth is that you're—
CRACK
He never finished his sentence. His neck was snapped like a twig by the roots.
I had enough of his drivel.
"G-guv! You witch! Demon! Monster!"
The one who yelled was the big burly man named Gaspard. Seeing his comrade murdered in front of his eyes seemed to have elicited anger that surpassed even his fear against this dryad in front of him.
"Do you hate me? For taking his life?" I smiled.
"Of course I do, you goddamn psychopath! I don't care what kind of a mage or a demon you are, but your days are numbered. You'll be hunted down by this entire kingdom! A price would be placed for your head, and droves of bounty hunters would come after you! Your life, and your little sister's life, are over!"
My smile vanished, replaced only by a cold, merciless glare. "Then perhaps you two should've reconsidered being a kidnapper in the first place."
CRACK
CRACK
CRACK
CRACK
I snapped the necks of all the remaining kidnappers.
If they had begged for forgiveness with tears in their eyes, it might invite mercy back in my heart.
Oh, who am I kidding? After seeing Erika in that state, I no longer see them as human beings, only monsters to be dispatched.
I thought of ending their lives in a more excruciating manner, but I decided against it. I had enough, seeing their disgusting faces and being in their general presence. So I opted to finish them off quickly.
Thinking about it, this is the first time I've killed another human like this, huh? And in cold blood, too.
I know I should feel horrified, but the only feeling I have is satisfaction. And relief, as I manage to rescue Erika from them.
"Nysa." I turned around to face the dryad. "Now that I know your true name, you can stay around permanently, right?"
"Yes, if Master wants to," she replied with a smile.
"Then, I'll be counting on you even more then." I returned her smile. "For the journey from now on would be even more difficult."
With those words, we two promptly prepared for our immediate departure, out of the city, running away from the soldiers and adventurers that should be sent after us. I dispelled Ygdrassil, turning the ents back into normal, unmoving trees along with the roots and the main tree itself. I could expend Mana withdrawing them back into the ground, but why bother, when they can buy time for us to escape? I also banished owlbear and flower fairy, promising to double their payment the next time I utilized their service. I then rushed back to the inn to fetch our carriage in human form. Sooner or later my human looks would spread around, but for now, they should be looking mainly for my dryad form. Nysa on the other hand was to leave the city immediately, and to wait for us there.
Somehow or someway, I managed to escape without a hitch. The guards were panicking as well, so there wasn't a blockade put in order to prevent people from skipping town. Not that they could, since so many of the civilians had the same idea.
I rendezvoused with Nysa on the outside, and then, we were on our way.
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A few hours later...
"What is the meaning of this?! You let the culprit leave? What have you and your guards been doing?"
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty! We were so overwhelmed by it all that we had our hands full repelling the ents and the roots, and escorting the citizens to safety. We had no opportunity to establish checkpoints, especially since everyone wants to leave the city once they learned an attack was happening."
After the chaos was over, the king of Tolany held an impromptu meeting inside the Mosa Castle. It was attended by pretty much every single member of his staff, including the commander knight in charge of the town guards. He was kneeling in his full uniform, sweating as he apologized profusely to his Lord. He was an older man with a slightly whitening black hair and mustache, while the king was a slightly pudgy man with a thin ginger beard that matched his hair.
"B-but not to worry, Your Majesty! We have information that she had escaped from the northwestern gate. Most likely, she was going north, towards Aja. W-we can send our forces after her and catch up with her in no time!"
"You don't have to worry about that, Sir Kreig. My men and I will handle it by ourselves."
An entirely new person entered the throne room. He was a man in his early thirties, wearing a full plate steel armor and a cape behind him. Only his face was not armoured, revealing his confident—and dare I say it—slightly smug expression. Clanks of metal echoed across the room every step he took.
"General Targoff. I've been expecting you."
"Well met, Your Majesty."
He gave a bow towards the king, choosing not to kneel like the commander. His status could afford him such a luxury. After all, not only that he was a Duke, but he was also a Champion of the Order of Lancelot. His skill with the sword is unmatched in the entire kingdom, all thanks to his talent and hard work all those years ago training with them.
"You know what to do, yes?" The king stroked his beard.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. Arrest the culprit, and if she resists, kill her on the spot."
"If I might interrupt for a moment, Your Majesty."
The man standing beside him suddenly decided to speak. He was Duke Fassad, the Chancellor to the king. He was even older than the commander knight, to the point of having a full white beard and hair.
"There's a chance she might actually be associated with the Magocracy. If we were to harm her, it might incur their wrath, and I don't believe it's a wise course of action to take."
"Hmph, those mages again." The king grumbled. "They think they could just destroy my city without any consequences? Just because they're so powerful?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am sure I do not need to remind you what happened to the last kingdom that tried to defy them."
"But there is no proof that she indeed is one of their agents." This time, it was the general that interrupted them. "And they always preferred to work in the shadows, never making a public uproar like this."
"A-apologies, Your Majesty, but I too have to interrupt." The commander knight deigned to speak as well. "We have gathered information about her and we have been able to ascertain the motive of her actions today. It was simply because her little sister was kidnapped, and she used her magic to find said kidnappers and murder them."
"Her little sister—"
"—is kidnapped?!"
"What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself better, Sir Kreig!" The king's voice boomed through the room. The general and the chancellor were as baffled as he was as well.
"I-it is as I said, Your Majesty. She came into town riding a simple carriage. She then visited the bazaar with her little sister, in which she was taken away by the kidnappers, most likely to be turned into a slave. As Your Majesty is already aware, we have quite the problem with them recently, with many girls and boys, particularly young ones, disappearing in the crowds, never to be seen again. She became yet another victim of them, or would have become one of them, if not for the fact that her big sister was a powerful Earth-mage that could track down her kidnappers and rescue her. If I have to presume, then she would be at least a Master-level one. Even though she looks young, she is not an opponent to be underestimated."
"Ha! A Master-level mage, eh? Fascinating!" The general spoke with a glint in his eye. "I haven't had a good opponent to fight in years!"
"A-anyway, back to my point." The knight commander coughed in order to wrestle back the attention of the room to him. "If she is truly an agent of the Magocracy, then she wouldn't be walking around in the bazaar with her extremely vulnerable little sister. Thus, I have to assume that she's not associated with them in the slightest. She was simply a rogue powerful mage, and nothing more."
"Hold on," the chancellor interrupted. "A rogue mage, you say? I have heard some whispers of a certain rumor, that one of the Magocracy's Council has been murdered by a rogue mage."
"What?!" The king snapped. "Why haven't you informed me of this, Fassad?"
"Because it's an unconfirmed rumor, Milord. I can't let every strange and unbelievable rumors reach your ears, now can I?"
"It is not for you to decide which rumors are unbelievable and which ones are not."
"Oh, but this one certainly is. Many have attempted to assassinate the Council over the years yet none have succeeded. But this rogue mage managed to do it. Though I also heard that it was an entire family who did it, but she was only with her little sister, which meant she might not be one of the assassins after all."
"Enough!" The general interrupted once again. "Let me handle her. What she showed today with her plants were certainly impressive but it was nothing that I could not handle. If this was the full extent of her power, then she would fall by my hands without a doubt. As a Champion-rank swordsman of the Order of Lancelot, I would end her life before she could cast any of her fancy spells."
"Do not be hasty, Lord Targoff." The chancellor warned with furrowed brows. "And certainly do not underestimate her. Mages can be quite the tricky opponent. And if you can capture her alive, then please do so."
"Please, give me the order, milord." This time, he actually knelt down and bowed to the king.
"...Hmph. Very well. You may go. There's a slim chance she might be an agent of the Magocracy while there's a high chance she might be involved in this supposed 'assasination'. If we can offer her head to those stuck-up mages, we'll be able to have a better trading relationship with them. I'd say it's worth the risk. And besides, I have a face to keep. If we don't execute anyone for the destruction caused by today, the citizens wouldn't be happy."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He gave one last bow before rising up and departing—once again with that glint in his eyes.
Once he exited the room, the chancellor gave a big sigh.
"Ever since he was humiliated by that wandering mage, he has itched to prove to the kingdom that he's better than them, I suppose."
"I wouldn't blame him. I would feel the same if I was made a plaything by someone in a fight. Can't even land a single fight on her. Right in front of his subordinates too. It didn't help that she looked like a young girl."
"Elves are a youthful race. It wouldn't be odd to have one that looks like a young girl but is actually a hundred years old," the chancellor returned.
"True. But his subordinates certainly didn't care when they mock him behind his back." The king chuckled.
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Marina
"U-uwaaah!"
The moment Erika woke up, she exploded into tears, hugging me as tightly as she could.
We were currently inside our carriage, galloping at full speed towards the northern border. Thankfully, Nysa was fully capable of replacing me as the driver. Using her ability as a dryad, she grew a tree branch from her hand that had succulent, juicy leaves on it that the horse wanted. So it would continuously run forward, hoping to get a bite on the hanging leaves.
"I was so scared, Sis! I thought I'll never see you again!"
"Shh, it's alright now. The bad guys are gone. They won't hurt you anymore." I hugged her tightly back.
To think that they could do such a thing to her, it still made my blood boil.
I had to be the one to heal Erika's wounds—all the bruises and bumps she received from their filthy hands. It was a slow process, as I was not as expedient in healing magic as I wanted to be. I was lucky she didn't seem to suffer from any internal injuries.
I changed her out of her slave garment and carefully removed the collar from her neck with Nysa's help. I also cleaned her up and dressed her back into a normal, proper dress.
She didn't stop crying for a good while, and when she did, she fell asleep once again, burying her face in my bosom as she did.
Erika… I smiled as I patted her shoulder. You are my precious little sister. I'll protect you, even if it means making an enemy of the world itself.
That determination of mine was soon tested just two days later, when a platoon of cavalry chased after us from the south.
It could only be one thing. This kingdom's army.
"Erika, stay inside."
"Sis, a-are you going to fight?"
"It seems that way. But don't worry. I will win. Your Big Sis is an amazing mage after all."
After reassuring Erika, I opened the door and climbed out of the carriage, aided by Nysa who was already standing on top of the roof. The horse was moving by itself, still going after those juicy leaves like carrot on a stick. Since we were in flat plains, the carriage could move forward relatively safely.
The wind blew harshly, flipping up my dress with reckless abandon. Ah, my panties might be showing right now. What pair did I wear today again? Right, the black one.
Wait, it's no time to be thinking about such a thing right now. I have to take care of these people first.
"Hey, witch! Stop that carriage at once!" The man leading the charge yelled.
I didn't respond. I instead said to my familiar, "Nysa, don't stop the carriage. And just slow them down. I don't want any unnecessary deaths."
"Alright, Miss!"
She began by conjuring a long and durable tripvine, Thanks to the tall grass, they were quite well-hidden. As a result, quite a number of the cavalry were taken out instantaneously, as they and their horses fell. Some of them might actually become paralyzed or even die from that, as hitting your head while falling, while wearing heavy armor, while on a horseback, is absolutely a recipe for disaster.
I just hope they got some cleric with them.
The remaining horsemen ran their horses even faster, with the ones wielding bows firing their weapons against me. Of course, wood weapons were widely ineffective against Nysa, who stopped the arrows in mid-air by making heavy roots grow on them.
But then, the real attack began, as the knight leading the charge raised his greatsword up to the air and sliced it down, sending a huge wave of energy towards me and the carriage.
"Nysa! Erect a wooden shield right now!"
The dryad didn't wait. Using all her power, she instantly grew a tree between us and the attack.
That's not going to be enough!
Without even thinking, I turned around and raised a small bush of fire at the path we were taking, just enough so the horse would turn to the left a little.
And my prediction was correct. The tree Nysa conjured was sliced into two by the energy wave. It considerably weakened it, but it wasn't enough to dissipate it completely. If I hadn't changed the direction of the carriage, we, Erika, and the carriage itself would've been split into two as well.
The man grinned. And he raised his greatsword once again for the next slash.
That fighting style… he's just like Father!
Tch! I underestimated them! This is going to be harder than I thought!