"That's a Bantao Encantacion." Hrod, who must have been listening to Freida, responded to her question.
"Bantao Encantancion? What exactly is that?"
Freida kept her composure to the point where Hrod did not get the impression that she was being overly nosy about them, despite the fact that she seemed curious. When Hrod ultimately entertained Freida, he did not appear to bother answering her questions, and it does not appear that he does so now.
Bantao Encantacion is a form of mentala or spiritual power that was adapted from the mythological gods and goddesses and then modified into special encantacions. In later years, it was discovered that these encantacions could be beneficial both offensively and defensively. It was the Balians who were the driving force behind the creation of Bantao Encantacion."
"Balians? What exactly is a Balian?"
"The real question here, Freida, is who exactly are the Balians? In the past, the Balians served as a conduit for communication between the inhabitants of Paradexia and mortals. Because Balians are considered to be mediators, it is expected of them to become proficient in the Balian Encantacion so that they can protect themselves from the dangers that can come from either world."
"From what I can tell, they must wield a significant amount of power," Frieda told herself.
It took Hrod a little while to finally pop Freida's bubble of admiration because her eyes, which were filled with genuine amazement, made it difficult for him to do so.
"I beg to differ with you because Balians can only learn to cast a single Bantao Encantacion for the rest of their lives, unless they become a Lakani who could manifest three Bantao Encantacion at the same time, while a Paladin might be able to learn five. If they become a Lakani, however, they could manifest all three Bantao Encantacion at the same time but would take too long to master. Therefore, Balians are not actually all that powerful, as excessive use of the Bantao Encantacion can cause one's life mentala to drain, which ultimately results in death."
After Hrod had finished his explanation, there was a brief pause before he went on to provide further details. This time, however, he moved closer to Freida's side and leaned in closer to her as he told her, "However, in the history of Paradexia there was only one Paladin who was able to masterfully use all of the Bantao Encantacion." He tried to keep his voice at a level just above a whisper as he said this.
The look of eager anticipation spread across Freida's face. Her gaze shifts away from the two individuals who are currently engaged in combat in front of her and towards Hrod. After that, out of genuine interest, she enquired, "Who was it, Hrod?"
After what seemed like an extended period of time had passed, Hrod was finally able to respond to her. It appeared as though Hrod had taken a momentary step backwards because he was unsure about whether or not he ought to put his trust in Freida. However, because Hrod had already been telling her about it, it would be better for him to just tell her everything rather than keeping any of it to himself.
Hrod took a moment to gently close his eyes before responding to Freida. After he did so, he exhaled deeply and then said, "It was none other than Sekatuna, the first Paladin of the Gods."
"Yeah, you mentioned Sekatuna last time. I had no idea that he could wield such tremendous power, nor that he possessed such remarkable abilities for a hybrid."
"It was thought that Sekatuna was one of the pillars that supported the structure of these encantacions when they were being created, and this belief persisted throughout the ages. This belief stemmed from the rumor that Sekatuna was once a member of the Dagtum. A clan that condones and participates in the illegal collection of mentala from the world of mortals for the purpose of hoarding it. There are approximately eighteen different encantacions that were crafted by the Balians. And what Winona is currently using is the eighteenth one, which is known as the Bantao Class Y: Yalatandin Fortress."
Hrod coiled his arms around himself as he became increasingly engrossed in the details he was relating to Freida during their conversation. As a result of the fact that such an ability was not something that could be possessed by all living creatures in Paradexia, he could not help but feel a sense of pride in his wife's ability.
"The fortress of Yalatandin?" Freida inquired. As she endeavored to make sense of the continuous stream of information that Hrod was providing her with, a perplexed expression began to form between her brows.
"Oh, the Yalatandin Fortess is an encantacion that can create a barrier or shield for whoever casts the encantacion. Whoever does so has the ability to protect themselves from harm. It is a powerful defense mechanism that can be utilized to protect oneself from the enchantments cast by other Balian individuals who are proficient in the use of the Bantao encantacion. Winona's decision to use that tactic in response to Yajel's surprise attack could be seen as wise."
After that, Freida provided her viewpoint on the matter. "I see. Excellent strategy, that's for sure."
And as she was considering how incredible Winona's power was, she was suddenly brought back to the memory of the night before, when Winona had erected a barrier between them and the threat that they faced.
"I remember Winona putting up the same barrier to protect us the night before," Freida then uttered.
"Yeah. She performs the Bantao encantacion for us whenever we pass through unfamiliar forests. The reality is that just because you are creatures of this world does not make you immune to attacks from those predators that are hiding in the shadows and are just waiting for the right moment to steal your mentala."
As soon as Freida listened to what Hrod had to say, the realization came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. The realm of Paradexia wasn't all that different from the one she had come from, which was the realm of mortals; in fact, it was quite similar. People who were motivated primarily by greed were the source of a great deal of suffering in both worlds. The fact that greed does not specifically target a limited population of potentially harmful people was the aspect of the situation that was the most alarming. They could originate from anyone, regardless of their level of intelligence, financial stability, or physical ability, and they could come from either of the two worlds.
"Look out!"
In an instant, Freida's attention was drawn to Winona, who had just shouted in their direction. At first, she was confused about what she meant, but then she noticed a blade moving straight in their direction and realized what she was talking about.
"The Fortress of Yalatandin!" When Winona attempted to perform a second encantacion, she let out a piercing scream. The objective of this encantacion was to produce a barrier that would protect Freida and Hrod from the blade that was headed in their direction.
It was a stroke of good fortune that Winona was able to do that just in the nick of time before the blade made even the slightest contact with the barrier. It deflected the force of the impact, thereby protecting Hrod and Freida from any potential harm that might have been caused had she been able to have done it even a few seconds later than she actually did.
What Winona was unprepared for was the fact that the blade that had been deflected by her barrier would then be thrown outward, where it would collide with cable wires that were supporting piles of barrels in a cart. Winona did not realize that the blade would be thrown outward after it had been deflected by her barrier. The force of the impact caused the barrels to collapse, which led to the discovery of bombs and firearms that had been smuggled onto the ship and were about to be boarded.
The remaining barrels continued to roll out toward the people within the barrier, and as they got closer to the barrier they exploded one by one. The powerful explosion jolted the people who were confined within the barrier, and as a consequence, the vast majority of them quickly descended into a state of panic as a direct result of this. Even with the barrier up, Winona was having trouble keeping them at bay due to the chaos inside. Due to the fact that people rushed out of the barrier in an effort to get away from the explosion, the barrier was ultimately destroyed as a result of this situation. They didn't give much thought to the fact that it would be safer to remain inside the barrier that Winona had created rather than running for their lives outside of it.
Winona made a lightning-quick leap to the ground, dragging Hrod along with her as she descended. She was looking for Freida, but by the time her eyes landed on her, Freida was already being carried away by the crowd in the opposite direction from where they were standing.
"Freida, reach for my hand!"
Although Winona extended her hand in an attempt to reach Freida, she was unable to do so despite her best efforts. Even the tip of Winona's finger was unable to make contact with Freida because of the distance between them.
"Winona!!!!"
Freida made a concerted effort to extend her arm, but as a result of her efforts, she lost her balance and was carried away by the wave of people who were attempting to evacuate the area as quickly as possible.
Winona had no choice but to flee in order to remove Hrod from the area after she realized that Freida was no longer in her line of sight. She quickly returned to save Freida as soon as she had her husband safely secured inside their wagon, but to her utter dismay, she was unable to locate Freida anywhere in the area.