The total overall damage dealt by the fight between Tayuya, Mantle, and Koda was actually quite small, at least much smaller then it could've been. While around a whole block of stores had been damaged in some way or another and the windows of countless stores had been shattered due to the high density magic Koda had given off, the destruction could've been much more widespread. However, when the Fire Knights, among the first knights to arrive after the Veni already present, were assessing the results, many noticed that only certain parts of the block had been destroyed, these being nonessential stores with easily replaceable items.
A few of them came up with theories as to why this was, the main plausible one being that one fighter, probably the young noble Mantle (Tayuya not being particularly known for holding back and none really knowing anything about the white haired youth), had steered the fight in a way where only certain stores got hit. This by itself was rather impressive. It required one to not only observe the surroundings while clashing, but to also make the necessary calculations and maneuvers to minimize impacts to the other stores. Unless possessing keen eyes for detail and strategy, not mention remarkable control over the direction of the fight, this feat would prove near difficult, if not impossible, even for most young nobles and royals. There were many who now held Mantle in high regards.
Those who respected Mantle however were only regular Guardians, the Veni present held little to no opinions on the matter as they stood before the three culprits responsible for the destruction in the first place. All of the young men were kneeling down on the ground, cuffs made of earth pinning them to the floor and preventing them from going anywhere.
Koda calmly looked up at the major figures in front of him, his bright green eyes shifting from person to person without a trace of fear. Though he had been caught, he wasn't afraid in the slightest, though this could have easily been attributed to the adrenaline still pumping through his body, numbing emotions such as fear and anxiety. He couldn't feel any magic off of the Veni but the presence they carried with them gave off just as much pressure as if they were releasing their auras.
Veni class knights were easily some of the strongest mages of the four major human kingdoms and three of them were casually standing before Koda like it was a walk in the park. Normal commoners and even some nobles would be practically kneeling or kissing the ground in fear and admiration.
There was Caligo Knox, leader of the Dark Knights, the group specializing in Darkness magic. From everything Koda had read and heard about him, he was someone who liked to keep to himself and would go out of his way to avoid others. He wasn't the most sociable but he shared a close bond with other Veni as well as his own second in command, Legatus rank, Koju Stynta. He was one of the weaker Veni but still more than enough to obliterate enemy ranks with his crescent sword he called Bokyaku.
Viridian Ignis, another Veni and perhaps the complete opposite of Caligo, stood beside the Dark Veni. Though slightly childish and a bit goofy, Viridian was by far the strongest amongst the other leaders in terms of pure attack power. Not only was he the heaviest hitter but he also held the most charisma of the lot, easily winning the hearts of the people with his passion and easygoing personality. His main weapon, a longsword going by the name Moyasu, was almost always strapped to his back, ready for use.
The last Veni present was a young lady with short brown hair and dark grey eyes. Koda was easily able to pinpoint who it was, the Earth Veni Nana Terra, though he had little to no knowledge of her. Nana Terra was a relatively new leader who had only recently appeared after the old Earth Veni had fallen ill and died some months ago. Little to nothing was known about her besides that she had the strongest defense of all the Veni and her shield, Murus, was close to unbreakable. One thing that everyone did know however, was that her fuse was quite short and that she was easily offended.
"Tayuya Tomura, Mantle Kintalla, and a commoner with white hair."
Nana was the first to speak up, breaking away from the discussion that had been happening between her and Viridian, Caligo having just listened in while occasionally nodding when asked a question. Her brown eyes flicked from Tayuya to Mantle before landing on Koda, lingering slightly longer on the young man than she had on the others. Koda was unsure if it was accurate or not, but for some reason, he felt like her gaze contained a bit of condescension in it.
"Normally, the three of you would receive due punishment correlated with the amount of destruction that was done to this block of the market." Nana walked forward, shaking off Viridian who had attempted to grab her sleeve. "However, due to extenuating circumstances, your actions will be overlooked. Do it again though and you'll receive tenfold what would usually be dished out."
Waving her hand, the earth surrounding Tayuya and Mantle's feet disappeared, allowing the two of them to stand up from the ground. Koda's shackles were still attached though and this left him thoroughly confused for many reasons. He highly doubted it was because this Veni class knight had messed up her own spell.
Koda it seemed wasn't the only one confused as Mantle, the one who seemed to despise the white haired young man the most, was the first to ask. Even Tayuya had stopped moving to glance over at the cuffs surrounding Koda's legs, his purple eyes clearly curious.
"What about him? We were the ones who started it all. Are you holding him back because he's a commoner?"
Nana glanced towards Mantle, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him, causing the young noble to flinch slightly as he averted his gaze. "Him being a commoner is irrelevant to my reason for holding him. What happens to him is none of your business. You have been dismissed. Leave."
Tayuya took this chance to step in, his attention separating from the cuffs. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe answering the question wouldn't be too harmful right? Id greatly appreciate an answer if its not too much trouble."
Nana seemed to hesitate the moment Tayuya stepped forward, her eyes slightly softening. Now that the royal had stepped up, things were slightly more difficult for her to handle.
When it came down to hierarchy, many of the Guardian Knights below Legatus fell under the thumb of royalty. Those at, and above, the level of Legatus however had free reign to deny orders given to them by royals, allowing them to move about as they saw fit. Of course, most Veni opted to follow the orders of royals so as to not strain the relationship between the Knights and the major Houses. When conversing came into play, Veni were always careful about what they said so as to keep everyone happy so the Knights in turn could keep things running smoothly.
Though the establishment of the Guardian Knights, a separate entity from the regular army, was done by royal hands, it existed solely to protect the Kingdom Of Argio. Going against a royal and even the King himself meant nothing as long as the citizens were kept safe. This had been established from the moment the Guardians had been formed.
Still though, while Nana could still send Tayuya on his way while retaining the knowledge he and Mantle were seeking, she ended up taking the route with less conflict.
"I have some more questions that I need to ask him. Nothing more." Nana waved her hand, releasing the earth shackles and allowing Koda to rise to his feet. "Needless to say, I wanted to question his ability to use more then one element. With such an ability, I assumed that he had ties to the Demon Tribe."
The area fell silent, so quiet that even the surrounding Knights in the area stopped talking to see what was going on. Mentioning the Demon Tribe tended to have the effect of cutting off all conversation and causing others to stare. It was rare for others to talk about it in public, let alone mention it. Nana suddenly saying it had caused many others to question just what the Earth Veni could be discussing that she brought up one of the most feared races in the world.
(("The Demon Tribe. A race of demons within the Demonic Realm capable of using every type of element while also possessing near impossible levels of magical power. Just the very thought of them is enough to make others fall silent.")) Koda watched as Nana looked around, an embarrassed expression on her face. It seemed she was rather flustered at putting herself on the spot. (("In a way, it makes sense for her to accuse me of having a connection to them after witnessing the fight."))
//To Be Continued//