Aaaaahhhhhh!
The cries of pain were shouting from outside the building where the children and adults hid inside. Everyone hoped that their warriors and wizards would be able to win over the demons that had invaded the village. However, everything did not go as expected.
Scorching!!!
Suddenly, a woman's body was hit by the magical explosion and was thrown into the building, causing the wooden door that was enchanted with protective magic to disappear.
"Mom!" Claudia screamed because the woman who was breathing weakly in front of her was her mother. Her body was covered in wounds and the blood was continuously flowing out.
"Claudia run!!!" Claudia's mother tried to tell her daughter to quickly teleport into the city before it was too late.
The sound of the demon's sharp claws pierced through her chest, causing blood to spurt out, causing Claudia's mother to die instantly in front of everyone.
"No! Mom! No!!!!" Claudia screamed. The sight of her mother dying in front of her had left her with such a huge pain inside.
Gaaaahhhh!!! (Kill them all) The demon shouted for the others to rush in and kill all people in the building.
"Everyone, quickly teleport to the city, now!!!" The large man in charge of the group immediately gave an order. The people and other children used the teleportation crystal to move to the center of the capital city, but there were still people who did not teleport like the others.
"Do it now! Hurry up! Aaaarghh!" The large man's voice cried out in pain as he tried to use the fire magic sword to fight the demons alone, but he was killed instantly from them.
A demon's sharp claws aimed at the group of Kehal who had not yet warped away.
Clang!!!!
The sound of claws hitting the iron shield was so loud that it echoed throughout the building.
Kehal, the leader of the group of children, showed his bravery by using his own shield to block the attack from demons.
Scorching!!!
Deric also casts fire magic spells on several demons in front of him. Although he did not do much harm to the demons, he still had a determined look in his eyes to protect others, including Claudia.
"I have to protect her and others. " Deric said.
The two children, along with the remaining adults, kept fighting the demons that were entering the building. The situation was clearly getting worse, and they started to get more and more seriously injured.
Gahhhh!!! (Die!) A demon shouted and immediately used its sharp claws filled with dark magic to strike Claudia.
Deric immediately hugged Claudia, willing to take the claws by himself. The dark magic power was so strong that Deric's back was seriously injured. The dark magic power bit Deric's spine, making it almost impossible for him to move.
Ahh!!! Deric cried out in pain, but he kept protecting Claudia without fear.
"Deric!" Claudia said with tears streaming down both her cheeks.
"No matter what, I will protect you." Deric said, looking at Claudia with concern.
Scorching!!!
Suddenly, a magic spell of light shot into the building, hitting almost every demon, causing the demons to suffer injuries.
"Kill them all!!!" The capital city leader, Lapas, shouted and ordered the accompanying wizards to cast spells to eliminate all the demons with no mercy.
The battle continued until hundreds of demons were eliminated. Lapas and his army were relieved that they had eliminated all the demons.
"I'm so sorry. The capital city was also attacked by hundreds of demons, so we came a bit late here." Lapas said, apologizing to the remaining survivors.
"We understand you, Mr. Lapas. At least there will be still people survived." Kehal's father thanked the leader again.
Claudia hugged her parents' dead bodies and cried, while Deric could only sit beside her and comfort her.
"You are Deric, aren't you? This is the letter that your parents left for me. Take it." Lapas said as he handed Deric the letter.
When he opened the letter and read it, he realized the truth that his parents were the vanguard magicians of the capital city and had sent information about demons to the imperial army for a long time. However, the last time, they were unable to survive because they were ambushed by demons along with their other companions, causing them to all die without having the chance to return to celebrate their son's birthday again.
Deric read the letter and cried. The anger he had towards his parents had completely disappeared. He understood how dangerous his parents' jobs were and that if it hadn't been the important information from them, the loss could have been much more than this.
"Your parents are very brave. They cannot reveal their identity because we cannot trust anyone outside the city. Not all people are good people because some people join the demons. Therefore, the jobs for finding information about demons and the enemy are very important for us." Lapas said.
The capital city sent necessities to the village, just like the others. Claudia, Deric, and the other children who lost their parents in this battle were all given scholarships to continue their education. Kehal's parents and the other adults helped take care of them. Kehal, Deric, and Claudia became teammates and attended the same high school of magic from that day.
When Deric finished telling the whole story, Mariel cried from her parents' stories. Then, Deric hugged his daughter with love and concern.
"This is why I have to teach and worried about you every day. In my childhood, I never received enough love from my parents. I grew up and lived alone without them from that fight. How lucky you are to have parents who have taken care of you until now. Even though one day we will have to say goodbye, at least I want to see you achieve the success before I died." Deric said, looking at Mariel with concern.
"I'm so sorry for what I did wrong and made two of you disappoint. Now I understand how much you love me. As long as you're always by my side, I don't need anything else from now on." Mariel said as she hugged her father tightly.
"Don't forget to achieve your goals too, okay? Becoming the strongest swordswoman and eliminating all demons is something that Mom and Dad have hoped for as well. If you can succeed, we will be very grateful for that." Claudia said, patting Mariel's head with concern.
"I promise to completely eliminated those demons." Mariel said confidently.
"Actually, I also wanted to go with you, but unfortunately, my back has been seriously injured by the dark magic for a long time, so I haven't been able to completely expel it, and it has left several cracks in my spine." Deric said with a disappointed expression.
"Is there no cure?" Mariel asked.
"I remembered that there was a kind of miracle herb in a secret valley. We tried to search but couldn't find it anywhere." Claudia said with a disappointed look on her face.
"If we get that miracle herb, it can be used to make medicine to cure my father's injuries, right?" Mariel asked.
"According to the thing that had been told, yes." Claudia confirmed.
"Then when I graduate and become a real adventurer, let's go out and explore together." Mariel said and invited.
"But... We couldn't find it no matter how hard we tried." Deric explained.
"We can find it, including Beatrix and Mania in our team too." Mariel said.
Deric and Claudia looked at each other for a moment, then they smiled and clasped their hands together in front of Mariel in response.
"Ok, we will go on searching for miracle herbs together. If I received treatment until fully recovered, whatever mission you need help with, mom and dad will always be there for you." Deric said.
Mariel smiled happily and clasped her hands with her parents together. They agreed to join the same team in the future to complete their special mission.
They seemed to have released all the feelings inside. The conversation was filled with smiles and fun until midnight.
"May I ask you something? Do you have any special feelings for Beatrix and Mania?" Claudia asked directly, after she observed her daughter for a long time.
"….." Mariel was speechless when she heard this question. She thought that it might be inappropriate for women to be interested in each other. Mostly, women tend to be more interested in men than in the same gender.
Deric saw his daughter keep quiet and he hugged his daughter tightly, causing Mariel to feel more relaxed.
"Don't worry, we have known that you're not as interested in men like other women. If you like someone, even if it's a woman, we will always support you." Deric said.
Mariel never thought that her parents would be so open-minded about this. Yes, she was a man in her soul, but her body was a woman's, making it quite unusual for her to love and care for the same gender.
"I mean… I love Beatrix and Mania very much, but not in love like others. We're like best friends who want to go on adventures together and care about each other." Mariel revealed her feelings.
"Whoever you love, whoever you like, Dad and Mom will always support you, my dear." Claudia said.
Mariel felt relieved because now her worries were gone. She could consult and talk to her parents about everything from now on.
"But if... you change your mind and marry to the man, I won't mind, Lol." Deric immediately teased.
"Never!!!" Mariel replied.
"It would be great if our family had two more daughters, dear." Claudia said with a smile.
"That's right, Segal and Mariel. It would be great to have Beatrix and Mania too. Our family would grow even bigger." Deric supported his wife's idea.
After that, they slept and did other activities together the next morning until the next Monday, close to the end of year exams.
Mariel returned to school with a bright face, her eyes more determined than ever because now her goal would be even more successful with the support of her parents.
Beatrix and Mania ran in worriedly when they saw Mariel opening the door to her room with luggage.
"How are you? Is everything okay? I was really worried about you." Beatrix asked with concern.
"If you need any help, please tell us." Mania said.
Mariel kept silent but revealed a sincere smile. Then, she kissed her two best friends on the cheek in return, causing both friends to stand still because they did not expect Mariel to kiss their cheeks like this.
"Thank you very much, but I'm feeling better now. Are you hungry? I'll make you delicious meals now." Mariel asked as she walked into the kitchen and sang happily.
"Why you do this? Kissing me on the cheek like this, cooked me a full course right now!" Beatrix said with a blush on her face.
"Cooked for me too." Mania said, running into the kitchen with Beatrix.
The three girls happily cook together to prepare for their lunch and get ready for upcoming final exams.
"Thank you for always being by my side, Beatrix and Mania, love you very much." Mariel thought with a smile on her face.