Aria's POV:
After a lovely afternoon nap, Letty informed me that Dad was finally back in the mansion, having wrapped up some matters outside. So without wasting any time, I barged into his office.
"Dad, it's been so long!"
He stood up with a warm smile and opened his arms wide, saying, "It really has. I missed you so much!"
"Nope, didn't we hug yesterday? I'm good. But I missed you too", I teased him.
"Huh?" he flinched, not expecting my rejection. Pretending to wipe his tears, he said, "Wuwu, what do I do? My baby has grown too old for daddy's hugs!"
I burst out laughing, "Hahaha, don't ever let Mom see that, or she'd probably leave you!" I joked before finally jumping into his arms.
"It's too late for that, hahaha", he said, hugging me tightly.
"Now, dad, we can catch up more later, but there is something important that I need your help with", I said once we pulled apart.
"Oh, of course. What's the matter?" he asked.
We sat down at his desk, and I roughly explained the situation about both the Emperor and my cousins' impending disease.
"As for how I know all of this… It's hard to explain, so just trust me on this", I said.
"These are some serious matters, Darling. Are you absolutely sure?" he asked.
"Not 100%, but I'm pretty sure. Either way, it's better to take precautions instead of leaving it to chance", I said.
"Alright. I understand the situation, but you are going to have to talk to your mother yourself. She won't listen to me or your grandparents– only you can do this", he said.
"I'll talk to her; don't worry. I also have a meeting scheduled with the Grand Meister for tomorrow morning over mana-comm, so I'll let you know if he has any information. But if he doesn't, try to find any clues regarding this disease", I said.
"Will do! I'll also contact your grandparents and ask them to continue work on the teleportation gate in our city. Your mother had halted its construction in the past," he replied.
***
Martha's (Aria's mom) POV:
The next morning,
We had been traveling across the Kingdom for the last 24 hours as we neared the subjugation site. The rhythmic clatter of hooves had become a constant background, something we got accustomed to after the first few hours. We stopped by a small village for some breakfast.
My fingers brushed against the small device strapped against my side– the taser or something that Aria had insisted I take. That girl, hehe. Even after I showed her my fireball, she still worries. This little device can't even come close to my weakest spell, but if it helps her feel better, I'll carry it around. But who knows, with this killer headache I've had since yesterday, it might just come in handy.
I sighed, recalling the mark I'd noticed on her collarbone yesterday, and shook my head. They grow up so fast, don't they? I guess we'll just have to get used to it.
***
Later that day, in the meeting room,
"Lady Martha, you'll be stationed here, right behind the party of Archmages. They'll use binding spells to constrict the Sea Dragon's movements so you can deliver the finishing blow", the strategist explained, gesturing over a detailed map of the coastal region.
The Sea Dragon has to be dealt in one powerful strike, precisely targeted at its head. Otherwise it would break free and rampage with even more ferocity. The entire plan hinged upon my spell.
I studied the map, nodding. "And the backup plan if it breaks free?"
The strategist paused, his expression tense. "If that happens, we'll divert it toward the shore with fire spells, buying time for everyone to regroup."
I glanced over the positions again. One strike, one chance—no mistakes. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself. This ends today.
"Lady Martha, although we have a contingency plan, it would still be very difficult to deal with in case it rampages, many lives would be lost. So please be extra vigilant", he said.
"You got it, just leave it to me!" I assured them.
***
Outside, the adventurers who joined us from Swindfort City approached me. "Lady Martha, may we have a moment of your time?" The boy carrying a greatsword asked.
I nodded, letting him continue.
"We are an A-rank adventurer party. We'd like to join your guard unit for the first day. I promised Lady Aria and Lady Letica that we would not let a single monster get close to you", he said confidently.
Hmm, he is saying that Aria knows him. My baby made new friends– that's rare.
I glanced at my lieutenant, and he gave me an approving nod. He'll deal with them in case they try anything suspicious.
"Very well, you can join us. I'll be counting on you guys. You can report to this lieutenant for further instructions", I said.
"Thank you so much", he replied with a respectful bow.
***
A few hours later, on the battlefield…
All the troops were now in position. The front lines engaged smaller monsters pushing up along the shore while the Sea Dragon loomed in the distance, slowly approaching the coastline.
Our battalion had to conserve our mana until the dragon entered range. Stacks of mana potions were prepared for the mages who'd be responsible for restricting the beast as tightly as possible.
It had been a very long time since I'd been part of such a battle, but even I could tell how much of an impact Aria's inventions had on the field. Gone were the days of runners relaying commands across the field. With such a fast and reliable way of communication, coordinating troops was more efficient than ever.
She had truly revolutionized every aspect of this modern age. I couldn't be prouder.
As the Sea Dragon's massive body surged even closer. I raised my staff, and everyone held their breaths, waiting for my signal. As soon as the dragon entered our range, I yelled, "Commence the chanting!"
Simultaneously, the archmages began their incantations. Pale white mana circles appeared before their staves. I took a steady breath and joined them, summoning my most powerful spell.
I felt my mana reserves once again, just to be safe. The spell required an absurd amount of mana—70% of my current reserves. Normally, you'd need double the numbers of archmages currently gathered in front of me to cast a single spell of this kind.
But I have a special ability. My innate mana capacity is well beyond normalcy, and my fast mana recovery allows me to cast such spells every half an hour.
It was both a boon and a curse. If I hadn't had this ability, perhaps my parents would have thought of me differently. Things would have been different…
Sigh, not now. I need to keep a calm mind, ignore this splitting headache, and concentrate on the chant.
Everyone around me gasped in awe of the huge red-colored mana circle that appeared before my staff. I gently opened the gates of my mana reserve, only letting precise bursts of mana pour into the mana circle, like pouring metal in a mold.
After the spell was prepared, all I had to do was aim and release the gates. But just when about 80% of the spell was complete, I felt it. The splitting headache that I've had since yesterday got worse, causing mana to flow out unevenly from the gate. This had never happened before, I was struggling to release mana beyond a certain point.
I stifled a groan as the pain intensified, my vision narrowing with each pulse. I continued to channel the mana against the resistance.
"My Lady, are you alright? What's happening?" my guard asked, worriedly. His voice caused alarm among the people present.
I couldn't speak, lest I want to dissipate the spell. So I shook my head, signaling something was wrong.
I was panicking. I had never felt such a thing before. Even though I had more than enough mana, my body refused to let it out.
A healer rushed towards me and noticed the unsteady flow of mana out of the staff. "I think she's having trouble controlling her mana flow. The spell is still incomplete, we must bide some time until Lady Martha stabilizes her mana", he yelled.
He tried some recovery spells, but to no avail.
"Sir, I can help! I have a skill that allows others to use my mana reserves for their spells. Please give me a chance", the adventurer boy yelled.
"Yes Sir, Ethan really does have such a skill. Here, we'll prove it to you", a girl from his party said.
Although I appreciate the gesture, there is no way his body has enough mana to complete the last 20% of the spell. I might accidentally harm his body. The lieutenant, understanding the situation, explained, "I believe you, but you won't have enough mana for that. The best we can do is to keep casting recovery spells".
"Trust me, I can see the requirements. I have enough mana to complete this spell. You've got nothing to lose, so let me do it. I won't hold you accountable in case anything goes wrong", he said.
What a stubborn kid! I shook my head, expressing my disapproval, but the insolent brat took advantage of the chaos and charged ahead, placing his palms against my back.
Despite my skepticism, curiosity and desperation won out. I accepted his skill. And shockingly, he possessed just enough mana to complete the spell.
Thank God!
I closed off my reserves and redirected the mana from his skill into my spell. Although the pain was rising, I pushed through.
Finally, I completed the spell!
I noticed that he had fainted behind me, likely due to mana deficiency but that was to be expected. He did his part, now it was my turn.
As soon as the spell was prepared, I carefully aimed at the Sea Dragon's head, locked in, and released the spell.
The heat from the spell made me sweat profusely, intensifying the effects of the headache. I bit my tongue as a large beam of fire blasted forward, splitting the air with its scorching heat, as it seared toward the Sea Dragon. The battlefield fell silent, every eye locked on the inferno as it roared through the sky, illuminating the field in an intense red glow.
In an instant, the beam struck, and the flames engulfed the Sea Dragon's head, evaporating everything in their path. The beast's colossal body wavered, then crashed into the sea, sending waves towards the shore.
Just as relief washed over me, the stabbing pain overcame my senses. My vision began to blur. The last thing I saw was my attendant's worried face as he rushed forward.