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******
There was no hesitation in his voice, only determination.
"Rem..." Rem felt her lips dry at the picture he gave. She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath, and opened them again, giving them the most radiant smile she could muster "Rem will keep Nee-sama's and Alex-sama's dinner warm. She will do her best, so please return safely."
Alex's lips twitched, a smile crossed his face and he nodded "Alex will expect no less from Rem." He declared before he turned to Ram "Let's go, Ram."
Ram gave him a firm nod, face also set to a determined expression "Yes, Alex-sama."
***
"This is sexual harassment."
"As much as I would love to banter, now is not the time, dear."
"This Ram does not know what Alex-sama is talking about. She will be sure to report this manhandling of her delicate self to Roswaal-sama."
"I'm sure Rose will forgive my brutish self, oh fair maiden. Just as surely as he prefers his subjects' continued wellbeing. He is responsible for their lives after all."
It has only been a few minutes since they left the estate, the urgency of the situation driving them to great haste. The village was still quite the distance away, both the winding path and the encroaching darkness making it seem even further.
Alex had no trouble covering long distances in record time. His enhanced body allowed him to sprint at speeds rivaling high-performance sports cars. However, the sheer velocity came with its own set of challenges—he hadn't yet fully adapted to running at such speeds. Each stride carried the risk of a misstep that could send him crashing uncontrollably, a danger he was still learning to manage.
With Mana Burst added into the equation, his speed reached astonishing heights, pushing him to subsonic levels. The technique transformed every step into an explosive surge of power, amplifying his already remarkable momentum. Even so, he was acutely aware of his limits and the need for control. Confident yet cautious, Alex estimated he could reach the village in just a few minutes, provided he stayed focused and avoided pushing beyond what his mind and body have trained for in the last few days.
Minutes they did not have to waste, which brought them to their current predicament. While Ram's assistance was appreciated, right now she was just too slow. She would not be able to keep up with the pseudo servant's full speed.
So, Alex made his decision. The sooner they got this done, the sooner they would be home for dinner. Rem was a lovely cook and much like almost every iteration of Saber, his belly needed, nay, demanded nourishment. It would not do to let the rumbly-grumblies set in. He was also eager to test out the results of his training, the Mabeasts would not kill themselves after all.
He supposed there was also the issue of the endangered villagers.
So, to solve the problem the most obvious way, Alex quickly acted.
He picked up the disgruntled maid like a sack of potatoes and the world around them blurred. Ram was not appreciative of the treatment.
"Grabbing at Ram's smooth and silky skin like this. She should have known better; to think Alex-sama targeted her the whole time. Poor Rem was just a distraction to hide his true intentions, hmph."
"I will gladly pick Rem over your scrawny body at any time. What are you even talking about, I am not even directly touching any of your skin?! It's not like you're naked!"
"Scrawny?! Alex-sama should feel blessed, he can still feel Ram's rich and smooth skin! She will charge you five holy coins for this service!"
"Service?! I'm the one who is carrying YOU. Do you want me to drop you? I will definitely drop you!"
Despite her nagging, Ram could not help but take note of the speed they were moving at. Alex did bring up the point of the imperiled children back before they left the mansion. If anything happened to them, it would reflect terribly on Roswaal-sama's reputation.
Still, could he not carry her in a different way?! She was delicate! The humiliation stung her pride fiercely.
She did find herself forced to agree with the knight in the end. He assured her they would be faster if he carried her. Though doubtful, she could detect no lie from him and decided to trust him.
Which led back to her current predicament.
'He is fast, undoubtedly fast. He shows no sign of exhaustion, even while carrying me and moving at such unreal speeds.' The surroundings were no more than a blur to her.
She had seen him train every morning and noon the last couple of days. She knew he was both strong and fast, able to create pressure waves with the force of his swings, moving at times too fast for her eyes to follow.
But this, this was just ridiculous.
His current speed rivaled the kingdom's fastest earth dragons, used for long distance travel. The idea of a human moving this fast was absurd. She doubted even Reinhard van Astrea, the current Sword Saint and Lugnica's most famous knight, would be able to easily match this speed.
For this man, this stranger from an unknown land, to just casually display such levels of power, as if it was nothing special.
He was not human.
It did not take her long to reach her conclusion, there were few people capable of moving like this and they all needed to use magic to enhance their body. From him, she detected nothing of the sort. It was all just raw physical strength.
Granted, it could also have been his armor. Ram did not believe so. While his raiment's were indeed magical and of extraordinary quality, they did not seem to increase the speed of his movements.
Alex Pendragon was not human.
There was no way the man carrying her was human. His speed and strength revoke his every right to deny this. Not to mention the unmistakable scent of power he constantly radiates.
'You wouldn't guess by his appearance though, there is not a single sign of any demihuman trait. Does he conceal his real form with magic?' She pondered.
"We're here!"
His voice and abrupt stop jostled the pink haired oni from her thoughts. She had to blink at seeing the familiar village entrance. Unsurprisingly, he was even faster than she thought.
"Hop down Ram, if you want me to carry any further I'll charge you instead. Service my armored ass." Grumbling as he set her down.
The maid's right eye twitched at the treatment. She would have bruised his shin if it wasn't so heavily armored.
"This Ram should be the one complaining, having to endure such harassment by Alex-sama's wicked hands." She shuddered, hugging herself. "Poor Ram can't be a bride anymore."
"Only a masochist would ever marry you." Alex deadpanned as he shook his head "Let's continue this later, we need to check the village." He said. He would love to score another victory over her, but now was not the time.
"Yes."
They immediately noticed the hubbub going on. Several people, both adults and youngsters, were running around with torches, shouting out familiar names.
The pseudo Saber quickly called out to the first person he knew. "Ken!"
The young man turned around when his name was called. He was surprised at their late visit. "Alex-sama? Ram-sama?"
"Ken, did something happen? What's with the commotion?" Alex asked, gesturing to their surroundings.
"Yeah. Several of the children have disappeared." Ken informed them with a troubled look "We are looking for them." He explained "What are the two of you doing here at this hour, my lord?"
"We realized some demon beasts may have managed to get through the barriers, so we came as fast as we could." Alex explained, drawing a shocked look from the youth.
"Demon beasts in the village?!" He asked, palling "H-How?! A-And how can you know?!"
"When we were getting supplies this noon, Rem got bitten by a strange looking puppy, do you know about it?" Alex asked back
"Yes, it was playing with the youngsters all day." Ken answered with a gulp before his eyes filled with realization "D-Don't tell me..."
"The bite was cursed." Alex grimly confirmed "We suspect the thing is a Mabeast in disguise."
"T-Then the children were-"
"Taken by the creature." Alex nodded and the man became paler. "Stay with me now!" He barked when noticed the man began to hyperventilate "Listen!" He place hands on his shoulder and stares into the young man's eyes "Gather the most able bodied people you can find, but don't just bring everyone. Too large a group will only hinder us in the forest. Be quick about it!"
Alex was not sure the lad was even registering what he told him, he seemed on the verge of a panic attack. Much to his surprise, Ken seemed to snap out of it after a few moments. He was overwhelmed by the sudden severity of the situation, but he still managed to give a shaky nod.
"Right! I will do that!" Ken replied with a nod "We will meet you at the forest, me' lord!"
Alex blinked. That was…kind of surprising. 'Was it my Charisma?'
"Ram is surprised, he looked about ready to soil himself when you mentioned the mabeast." Ram commented with a blank look.
"Hush, don't be rude now. At least he showed some courage." Alex reprimanded the maid "Let's go to the forest entrance and wait for them."
"Yes." Ram nodded and started following him. "Was it wise to inform them?" Ram asked, "They are likely to be a burden."
"Perhaps, but the problem lies in the number of the children that have been taken." Alex answered with a solemn look "It's going to be difficult to get them all out at once, not to mention what's going to happen if we are attacked. We can't be everywhere at once." He explained "Besides, you know how to fight right? Or at least some magic? I'm sure the both of us will be a fine distraction while the other adults get the children to safety."
"I see..." That was quite some quick thinking, as expected of the man who could keep pace with her tongue. "But what make's Alex-sama think the children haven't already been eaten?"
"Mabeasts feed on mana." Alex answered easily "They will drain them dry before moving on to their flesh. And while the curse is indeed lethal, I do not believe the demon has activated it yet. I do not even believe it has used the same curse it did on Rem. No, the beast has some intelligence. It wants all of the children, and alive if possible. If it only wanted to feed itself it would not have taken all the children. I am confident it has a pack to feed, somewhere inside the forest."
"In other words, they have more time since the curse is not as lethal as one inflicted on Rem." Ram concluded with a nod of understanding.
"Exactly." Alex nodded, glad the girl understood his reasoning "We're here." He said as he stood directly in front of the forest.
Ram began looking around, quickly noticing the lack of glowing light coming from one of the stones carved into the bark of a nearby tree "The barrier..." She murmured "It hasn't failed, it has been deliberately broken." Her eyes narrowed sharply as she inspected the stone "This is no accident."
"This was planned." Alex agreed grimly "All of this happening when Rose happens to be out for business. Rem gets cursed on her only trip to the village in weeks. This is no coincidence."
"I agree." Ram said aloud "This is dangerous, what if the mansion is the true target? Is this only a distraction?" She murmured in slight concern.
"No, I don't think so. This is neither a frontal assault nor a full attack." Alex answered as he observed the stone in the tree "This is likely sabotage, maybe an assassination."
"Assassination and sabotage?"
"By now there must be a word among the nobility that Emilia is a half elf. A half elf candidate in the royal selection must be making some of them quite nervous." Alex begins to explain to the pink haired oni "They don't like it, but they also can't really afford to move directly against Emilia and by extension Rose. So they try to sabotage her campaign more indirectly, having the children go missing, attempting to murder Roswaal's staff, all of it by using the beasts of the surrounding area. It would be an unfortunate accident, a tragedy. People talk and tend to be superstitious. If they manage to spread enough rumours that Emilia brings bad luck or is even cursed to do so, making the people hate Rose for harbouring the 'cursed half elf' would put him in a very difficult position, maybe even forcing him to withdraw support from Emilia."
Roswaal is both powerful and very influential. It would not be hard for him to stop and trace back any direct attack on the manor. He would maybe even be able to bring something positive out of direct attacks. Garnering favour for Emilia, the 'poor oppressed half elf, only trying to be her best', while at the same time politically destroying her opposition for the 'brutal unprovoked assault'. Hah, maybe they are also just too afraid to directly target Emilia, with her supposedly looking so much like the Witch of Envy, lest they 'invoke her wrath' or some bullshit like that. Better safely destroy her reputation from the shadows."
"Ram... sees..." Ram was speechless as she mulled over his explanation "So the manor is safe then?"
"Highly possible." Alex nodded "I don't know about Rem but Emilia is not defenseless even without Puck, not to mention Beatrice-san in there as well."
Ram took a moment to comprehend the explanation, her mind processing all the information before she slowly gave a nod "This is kind of troubling and confusing, but Ram can see how the scenario went." She murmured.
"Welcome to the wonderful world of politics." Alex dryly said "Where money and a few well placed words can dethrone the greatest king and fell the mightiest monster."
"It sounds so dirty and sad despite the amazing feats." Ram deadpanned "Ram is surprised that Alex-sama is so knowledgeable about these things."
"It's common knowledge among nobles, they are expected to know about it." Alex chuckled in a mirthless manner.
"How sad..." Ram seemed to almost pity him. Almost.
"I know." Alex sighed "But that is how the World works."
"There they are!"
Alex turned around to see a group of people, consisting of five men. They held a variation of weapons, axes, swords, maces, large hammers, and one of them wielding a crossbow. Leading them was Ken who was wielding a sword.
"Alex-sama, I gathered people that can fight!" Ken reported to him.
"Good, I take it Ken already gave you all a summary of what happened?" Alex asked them and got a chorus of nods as the answer "Then let's not waste any more time. Ram, do you know a way to track them? We can use the trail they left behind but..."
"Ram can do that, please wait for a moment." Ram said as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Alex and everyone watched as Ram's face morphed to one of concentration. If the pseudo Saber recalled correctly Ram had some sort of blessing related to Clairvoyance. She was able to borrow the vision of others inside a certain range, quite useful in his opinion.
"Found them." Ram said, eyes opened once again and she turned to Alex "The children are still alive."
Hearing that the villagers were relieved and began to whisper to each other, Alex himself also allowed a small smile to cross his face at the news.
"But there are many demon beasts. Ram counted around twenty and there are probably many more hidden around the area." Ram added with slight concern
'Well... those are certainly not good news.' Alex thought wryly as the group's spirits fell again. Not like he was going to blame them, as he recalled the dog-beasts looked like doberman. Facing twenty Doberman, likely more, with only eight people all armed with close ranged weaponry did not seem appealing. "I see... then I will be going first." He said aloud as he turned to everyone "I'm strong enough to handle that much, albeit I will need help as I can't fully utilise my strength until everyone is out of range. So while I distract them, I want everyone to secure the children."
The idea of a single person facing such a number of mabeasts by themselves was absurd. The villagers wanted to protest, however all of their complaints died in their throats when they saw the steel in Alex's eyes. They saw his resolve and were compelled to believe in him.
Alex allowed a small smile across his lips when he saw the group's acceptance. Thank the Gods for his charisma! "Alright everyone, prepare yourself, we're going in."
"Yeah!"
"Leave it to us!"
"We're gonna teach them mutts a lesson fer messin' with us!"
Alex nodded before turning to Ram. The girl was notably out of breath, exhausted even. Her forehead was drenched with sweat. "You okay there Ram?"
"Ram is fine." Ram took a deep breath "She just needs some rest. Ram will be fine once we reach the mabeasts." She informed him.
The blond stared at her for a moment before giving another nod "Then lead the way, warn us when we get close. I don't want to get closer than twenty meters for now."
"Yes Alex-sama."
'This is not what I expected at all.'
Alex's thought were troubled as the group followed behind Ram, heading deeper into the forest.
Instead of Rem he got Ram, who has pretty much very low stamina and can barely use magic. While she could still hold her own against some common punks and even some with cultists, Alex was sure if she had taken Rem's place in Canon both her and Subaru would be dead.
'Why would they target Rem over me in the first place? I was out in the open for most of the afternoon, trying to lure out the demon beast user...'
Shouldn't the pup have been attracted to him in the first place? The witch's stench may be faint, but it was enough to get Subaru bitten.
It was then the realization hit him like a brick.
'Stench! Of course! By the Gods! How could I be so oblivious of this?!'
The lingering witch stench is repulsive, the demon beast was not attracted to it in the first place, it tried to actively avoid it! The reason why they attacked Subaru was because of the smell making them uncomfortable and killing him would have rid them of the problem!
But him?
They can not only smell the witch, they must also be able to sense the Dragon Blood in his veins and the mana he radiates.
'They are intimidated by me! That puppy must have informed Meili of the danger I pose! Why would they risk targeting the powerful stranger when there was a weaker target nearby?!'
Of course! Of fucking course! He wanted to bash his head against something. While things may be similar to Canon there will always be differences. It's not going to stay the same, just the opposite. His presence is so radically different from Subaru, how could the scenario not be different in places? Even Subaru managed to significantly change whole timelines during his loops!
So why the hell did he expect things to stay the same?!
He was such an idiot, the biggest fool to ever exist!
'Did I somehow leave half my brain cells behind when I got 'Isekai'd' to this world?'
"Alex-sama we're close."
He stopped beating himself up when Ram's voice reached his ears. Dammit, even now he kept getting distracted! Haaah, he really had a lot to learn.
"Everyone stop." Alex ordered. He took a few steps forward, passing by Ram and turned to everyone "We will proceed as planned. I will go first and draw their attention, meanwhile you all will secure the children." He then turned to the villagers "And then I want you all to run back to the village immediately as far possible."
"What?!" Ken exclaimed in shock "Alex-sama, me 'lord you clearly can't expect us to-"
"I can't allow any harm to come to you." Alex cut him off firmly "The purpose of this battle is to retrieve the kidnapped children, that is our main goal. We can't defend them while fighting all those wolgarm at the same time." He said, peering into the eyes of the nervous villagers "No matter what, the children are our main priority. I want you to run as far as possible. Childers are cursed, if we delay things any more their lives will be at risk. Am I clear?"
In truth Alex knew that if they were around he wouldn't fully go all out. He also didn't want to risk them. While he would be fine if they died under his watch, it would still place a huge burden on his conscience.
He did not want to take that risk, he could not. He was not ready for something like that. It was fine risking himself, since he knew his limits and if things turned for the worst he could rely on Avalon or Return by Death, but these people?
Besides, he wanted combat experience. Facing a large number of enemies at same time will make for some good training.
"Ram, you'll also follow them." Alex said to the maid.
The pink demon's eyes narrowed, obviously disliking the order "Alex-sama did not forget the reason Ram came here, right?"
"Yes, but your first priority must be their safety," Alex said firmly, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "Don't worry about me. I'll give you a signal when it's time for you to return. Until then, I want you to run and protect them."
Pausing, he added with a faint, reassuring smile, "And don't worry, I'll make sure this thing lasts just long enough to see you again... before it finally falls."
"... We shall see Alex-sama."
"Hmph." Alex simply grunted before turning to the villagers "I take it you all understand the situation then?"
"Yes." Ken answered with a nod, "We will take back the children first."
"It would be ideal to bring the children to the manor and have their curses lifted there," Alex said, his tone calm but resolute. "However, I know that's not something you're willing to accept. So, here's the compromise—I'll handle things here. You can return after I give the signal, though I'm certain by then there won't be any Mabeasts left standing for you to fight."
His voice carried an air of quiet confidence, as though he'd already decided the outcome.
Ken and the villagers grinned at this "Of course, we can't let those mutts take our children for free right?"
"I expect no less, and remember, after returning the children to the village please bring them to the mansion, there will be a healer capable of removing the curses."
"Yes!"
"Good, then..." Alex took a breath and turned to Ram "I will be going first."
"Yes, please be careful Alex-sama. Rem's dinner will be wasted if Alex-sama gets himself killed."
"You say such morbid things. As expected of you Ram." Alex chuckled before he turned around, staring at the dark path in front of him "There is a clearing not far from here right?"
"Yes."
"Then..."
Without any further words, Alex kicked the ground as strong as he could and dashed. He heard a gasp from Ken and the others but their voices were quickly drowned out by the wind rushing by his ears.
In a heartbeat, he covered ten meters, the distance vanishing beneath his feet in under three seconds. His outstretched hand summoned Excalibur Morgan, the sword materializing with a dark, ominous hum. The moment his fingers closed around its hilt, he felt the pulsating shadow that clung to the blade like a living entity.
"Morgan, let's show them what true darkness really means," he murmured, his voice a low promise of devastation.
*****
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