Luckily, we had already packed our things into our inventories.
Cassandra and I quickly made our way out of the city and started moving towards the Kalsan border.
Honestly, I was somewhat fearful of going there right now...
I knew Valtheim was watching us and would notify Difar as soon as we arrived.
We were about to be spending a lot of time with one of the two people I despise the most.
I couldn't wait to get it over with...
Currently, night had fallen upon us and we were in the middle of the deep forest between Albatross and the border.
Cassandra planned to move as quickly as possible for an entire day and then rest when we had enough distance.
I used the 'haste' and 'haste other' spells to make us faster.
We were actually exhausted from running all day and currently had collapsed on the ground.
"We...made a lot of...progress...haah...haah..." Cassandra said.
"Yeah...we did..."
I knew that we'd made at least four days distance between us and the capital.
Unfortunately, they knew where we were going.
My father and his big mouth talked to Isabella during the wedding reception and mentioned going to the border to meet with some important people.
He said that we would be joining him.
Funny...Isabella would have been overjoyed to meet my father in the past.
Just thinking about it made me both angry and sad at the same time...
The feeling of unintentionally making Isabella my enemy was tearing me up inside. I couldn't bear it...
It hurt me so badly that my wife of twenty years had completely forgotten who I was and now hated me.
It seems...that the Oracle got what she wanted.
I had no idea if it was even possible to reverse what had been done... I was genuinely worried that Isabella would hate me forever.
I suppose if all else fails... I could have Cassandra forcibly implant the memories back into her mind...
I'd almost forgotten about our other abilities that were currently sealed off from us.
Actually...
"Cassandra. Do we have plans for the future?" I asked as I sat up.
"Huh!? Y-you mean like...ch-children!? Well...I...umm... I would love to! But now is a bit..."
"Not...that..." I said.
This woman is crazy. WHY DO I KEEP ATTRACTING CRAZY GIRLS!?
"But...if I could bear Mizik's child, my life would feel so complete!"
"I meant our future for this timeline."
"Oh...so did I!" She said happily.
"I think I like the thought of it, but I was talking about our goals. For starters, we need to kill the Oracle. To accomplish that, we have to get our strength back."
"So we should go to Ignitus and Delvandal? It might be easier if we don't have to worry about getting killed by Difar," Cassandra said.
"Very true... If we can obtain the heart stones on Delvandal, as well as the Ultra Aspects from Ignitus, we should be ready to assault the divine realm of Excelsis."
"Of course, darling! Now, umm...it's really cold out here, isn't it? I'm also feeling really sleepy..." Cassandra said.
"We can build a fire to warm up. I can hunt something for dinner," I said.
"Wouldn't a fire attract attention, darling?" Cassandra asked.
She was right...
"Well...I still have two sleeping bags. How about-"
"Why two? Can't we just share like we used to on Delvandal? I want to hold my darling in my arms!" Cassandra asked.
I felt my face heat up at the thought of doing that again... The young man that I was couldn't entertain the thought of it.
Being self-aware of such things was really strange, too...
Cassandra moved closer to me and pulled her enchanted coat from her inventory.
"We can just snuggle up together with this inside the sleeping bag! Doesn't that sound romantic? We can also...touch each other directly...ehehe..."
By Iris, you're a pervert, aren't you?
"Y-yes...very romantic... And...we can keep our clothes on..." I said.
The old me wanted to resist, but the young me really wanted to be warm and happy...
Ultimately, I ended up wrapped in Cassandra's arms within her coat inside of the sleeping bag...happily laying on her chest...
We were nearly tucked out of sight underneath a bush far from the road.
For good measure, she charged an invisibility spell and cloaked us in it.
I didn't know how long it would last, but I didn't care.
I felt like I was in heaven right now...
She held me against her chest and lovingly kissed me.
"There~! You're so cute like this, darling!
I made no effort to get away.
Despite skipping dinner, I quickly fell asleep in her arms with a content smile.
* * *
Ever since the dreams of death stopped, I had been getting a lot more sleep.
Lately, however...I couldn't stop dreaming of Isabella...
As much as I loved Cassandra, I didn't want to abandon the person who had saved my life so many times.
The person I longed for across so many lives...
Isabella was the reason I had broken out of the reset loop. I would make sure I paid her back for her kindness.
But after I awoke in Cassandra's arms, I decided not to pursue her further at the moment.
After all, creation itself was in danger because of the Corruption.
I couldn't afford to fail my mission because of a single girl.
One day, I hoped to see her again.
And when that day came, I would have Cassandra fix her for me.
Until then...I needed to focus on getting to the border of Kalsa.
I also planned to kill Tyranus at some point as well. If nothing else, it would be to appease Vengeance.
Most likely, it would be because Tyranus is an asshole and I hated that guy.
Soon, Cassandra woke up and started hugging me even more tightly.
"I know you're upset about my sister, darling, but I'll do my best to be everything you've ever wanted!" she said.
"You're already more than I could ask for, but thank you. Now let's get something to eat," I said.
"Do you want me to cook, or would you prefer to do it?" Cassandra asked me with a smile.
To be honest, I loved having the option.
Cassandra was a really great cook.
"I'll get the food, you cook it," I said.
"Yes! I'll make my darling Mizik smile with my cooking!"
After that, I did some hunting and Cassandra made a small fire. Since it was daytime, it wouldn't be spotted as easily. All we had to worry about was the smoke, and Cassandra made sure it wouldn't be seen using her illusions.
Once the food had been prepared, we ate and doused the fire.
We covered it up as best as we could and began making our way to the border at a more normal pace.
We were still trying to move faster than any troops could, thankfully.
I doubted that the Albatross military would purposely harm Cassandra, but they would likely be on the move by now.
I had never dealt with them, but I knew one thing for certain about Albatross...
There was a reason it was viewed as one of the strongest countries in the world.
Their military might was nearly unmatched.
They only had two Deus Arms wielders, and still managed to beat The Kalsan Empire to a draw.
Of whom had three Deus Arms wielders as well as my father...The Emerald War Demon.
Considering these things, I knew that it would be within my best interests to move as far away as possible.
As strong as we were, we still couldn't hope to match the sheer numbers and military power of one of the world's most powerful nations.
Once we finished eating, Cassandra and I changed our clothes for something simpler.
I wore my armor over normal clothes, and Cassandra had on a set of clothes that she trained in before. She put her hair up as well and wore a cloak to cover herself.
I also wore my cloak.
The only thing I regretted was not getting a set of enchanted armor during my time in Albatross...aside from the Isabella situation and losing Bravery, of course...
If Vengeance requested it, I would go back for it before departing Avernia.
* * *
Eventually, we entered a small town and stopped at an inn. The two of us went inside and sat down.
We didn't think word of my crimes had reached here yet, so we ordered something to eat. Cassandra had money, so paying wouldn't be a problem.
While we ate, I saw someone putting up a wanted poster that had my face on it.
I looked a lot more menacing in it...
"Oh...that's not good... Word is spreading fast," Cassandra whispered.
"Let's finish our meal and leave," I said quietly.
The two of us ate quickly, paid, and then began walking out.
We were stopped by a couple of large thugs after we exited and tried to cut through a nearby alley.
Actually...I recognized them. And I was curious as to why these shitheads were even here...
"Well lookie here, Dak! Looks like we found a brat walking around with a real cutie!" Vaughn said.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me right now..." I muttered.
"Hey...she's pretty damn hot, ain't she?" Dak said with a smile.
I AM NOT IN THE MOOD, YOU FUCKERS!!! GET OUT OF MY WAY, OR I'LL TEAR YOU APART!!!!
"Hey, you two...I didn't think I'd see you again like this. Would you mind letting us through? You know...for your own safety?" I asked.
"Darling, do you know these people?" Cassandra asked.
I nodded and both of the men laughed.
"What? You think you're just gonna walk through our alley without paying the toll!? Is this brat stupid, or what?" Vaughn said.
"Yeah...I think he might be. What should we take as the toll, Vaughn?" Dak asked as he looked at Cassandra.
She instinctively covered her chest as she looked at him in disgust.
"I think some fun with this cutie would be nice!" Vaughn said.
"What the hell are you two even doing here, anyway? Don't you live in Lorelei?" I asked.
"We heard the royals were poking around on our turf, so we decided to scram. What's it matter to you?" Dak said.
"Call it curiosity. Now listen, you idiots, I killed you once before, and I'm not afraid to do it again. Get out of the way, or you won't live to regret it," I said coldly.
"What's this guy saying? You killed us, little man? But we're standing right here. You hit your head or something?" Vaughn said.
"Hahaha...if only you knew. Fine then, you ugly pieces of shit, death it is," I said.
"DAMN BRAT!!!"
Without warning, Vaughn lunged forward and tried to slug me with his huge hands.
Before I could cut his arm off, Cassandra caught his fist with her hand.
"Wh-what!?" Vaughn said in surprise.
"You really shouldn't insult my darling... You're both filthy maggots who could never compare to him. You've committed a terrible sin by attacking my darling Mizik..." Cassandra said coldly.
Before he could flinch, Vaughn fell to the ground with a dagger in the back of his neck just like Fennis.
"Ah...V-VAUGHN!?" Dak said.
I decapitated him before he could scream.
"Oh...my darling Mizik is so brutal! You're really quite the executioner, my love~!" Cassandra said as she squirmed in place.
"Yeah...let's get out of here..." I said.
My rage was beginning to cool...but killing them felt good.
And how dare they look at my wife...my possession, like that...
Cassandra is mine and mine alone. Her life, mind, body, and soul belong to me and no one else. How dare they...
We exited the alleyway and found ourselves surrounded by guards.
"Hey...when did this happen...?" I asked no one in particular.
"I'm sorry, Mizik... I was so preoccupied with those lowlifes that I wasn't paying attention to our surroundings..." Cassandra said sadly.
"Don't worry, we'll get out of this. These weaklings shouldn't be a problem," I said
"Ah! Whatever you say, darling! Kyaaa...so cool...!"
"Looks like Princess Cassandra and the wanted criminal Mizik Iratus!" One of the guards said.
They all readied their weapons and glared at me.
Hahaha...laughable. More blood to sate my endless rage!
I simply took out Vengeance and summoned my second sword.
I really missed shapeshifting weapon...
Cassandra also readied Intelligence and stood at my side.
"Mizik Iratus! You are wanted dead for murdering Lord Arvild Darius and abducting Princess Cassandra!" The guard captain said angrily.
"I didn't abduct her, you idiots! She came willingly!" I said.
"I followed Mizik because I love him! I don't care what crimes he commits and he didn't abduct me!" Cassandra said.
"You...what...? Princess Cassandra, please-"
"SILENCE, YOU FILTH! LEAVE US ALONE AT ONCE!" She shouted angrily as she multiplied her daggers.
Several of them began floating near her and she caught a few of their blades between her free hand's fingers.
After that, two clones appeared and each took a handful of daggers.
So it's true... Intelligence is capable of making clones...
[Multiply can clone the blade and even its wielder. Intelligence is a fearsome Deus Arma.]
At this point, I doubted these guys could even come close to beating us.
They also seemed to realize that there night have been a problem.
"Is that...the magic dagger, Intelligence!?" One of the men said fearfully.
"C-clones!? How powerful is that dagger!?"
"We have reports that Mizik Iratus also wields Vengeance, the lost sword..."
"That's right. I wield the Overseer of the Deus Arms. The legendary magic swords. Vengeance labeled Arvild as a false wielder and commanded that he be executed. I only did what I had to do."
"Tch...what the hell is this psychopath talking about!? Deus Arms!? False wielder!?"
"Sounds like he's hearing things..."
I sighed heavily and pointed one of my swords at the men.
"How about this...step aside, or you get to see how dangerous Vengeance is," I said.
The guards all seemed to want to move, but...
"We will not be deterred by your threats, fiend! SURRENDER OR DIE!" The guard captain shouted.
Before I could attack, a shadow appeared in front of Cassandra and I.
I recognized her immediately.
Oh... You are all so far beyond screwed.
"Threats...detected... Eliminating..." Valtheim said.
Before any of them could react, she raised her hand and several shadows shot out from her feet.
Then all of the guards fell into the shadows and disappeared. None of them even had time to scream.
"Threats...eliminated..." Valtheim said.
"Umm...thank you, Valtheim," I said.
By Iris, I never thought I'd say that.
"..."
"Are you going now?" I asked.
"To rendezvous...meeting place... Will you go...?" Valtheim asked
"Are you asking if we want to go to the border?" I asked.
"...Yes..."
"Fine. Take us there... If that's possible..." I said.
Cassandra grabbed onto my arm after we put our weapons away and Valtheim walked closer.
Suddenly, we were enveloped in darkness...
I felt like I was falling at an extreme pace and then the darkness disappeared.
We were at the border.
"I will get...Lord Difar..." Valtheim said.
"Uhh...yeah... Please do," I said.
Talking to her felt unnatural and awkward.
Like speaking to a hole in the ground or an empty bottle. Perhaps even nothing at all.
Suddenly, Valtheim disappeared just as quickly as she had arrived.
A few minutes later, I saw my Dad walking towards me with Amelia Iratus, his sister, walking closely behind him.
He smiled at me as he approached.
This is going to get interesting...