"Let's make a deal. I will cure you..."
Aliana's words made everyone in the room feel dumbfounded. They sure sounded pleasant, but at the same time, they were like a double-edged sword.
Eleanor kept switching her gaze between Aliana and the queen of the forest. Even Blaise was left bewildered, seeing Aliana trying to strike up a deal with her.
"But in return, you will help me once and only once in the future."
The condition she had put forward was something that looked a bit reckless to accept carelessly. The woman wasn't feeling too sure about it, but Aliana's smile looked reassuring to her.
There were actually three options in front of her at that point. The first one was that she rejected her straight away, but that would be regretful if what Aliana said was true.
The second one was that she accepted it without thinking twice, but it seemed too risky in itself. Then what about the third option?
"I'll accept your conditions..."
She had decided what choice she should be making. It was the only option that was better than the first two. Why, you ask?
It's because, like Aliana, she had a condition to her demand; this was a bit identical to it. There was a condition that would make it actually look fair on both sides.
"But that's if you manage to cure me."
She moved her hand through her long green hair while looking into Aliana's eyes. She spoke coldly with the intention of making Aliana's determination waver.
But did that even hold a point? No. Aliana's eyes were brimming with a bright glow of confidence. She couldn't figure it out. Just where was all this self-confidence coming from?
Aliana moved close to her with a smile, telling her that there was no way she was going to fail. She held the hands of the woman in hers and shut her own eyes.
"Make sure you keep your word later."
The light smile transformed into a grin, exposing her bright white canines as she opened her eyes at the same moment. The woman could feel a large amount of energy seeping in from Aliana's hand and spreading throughout her body.
The magic of dragons that was restricting her until now began to crumble away. The people within the room could feel the shockwaves of air brushing past their bodies.
What Blaise was witnessing was totally a different thing. The scene left him in awe, as he couldn't believe the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.
His unique origin magic could see the mana's colour pouring out from the two in the centre of everything. But was that anount of mana even something a human can withstand possessing in their bodies?
'What in the world is she...?!'
The tower master knew that she had almost an abundance of mana, but not to this extent. Not to mention the ominous energy he had been feeling for a while.
He wasn't the only one feeling it. Claire held her hand on her mouth while feeling the urge to throw up. The amount of mana was simply beyond what some humans could hold in their bodies.
-[That unpleasant energy again...]
Claire couldn't hear whatever the voice in her head said to her as she tried to get back to her senses. The headache made her feel as if something was splitting her head apart.
A few moments had passed by, and compared to before, the mana dominating the air around them had disappeared with almost no traces. Diona and Eleanor weren't the only ones left astonished.
Unlike others, Jaden couldn't help but admire the beauty of the mana he had just witnessed. It wasn't something he could've seen in his original world.
Melanie trembled beside Claire with tears in her eyes from the terror of what she witnessed. Even the people who had held her captive for a long time didn't possess such a huge amount of mana.
"Now make sure you keep up your words."
Aliana had successfully broken the woman free from the chains that used to eat away at her very life. Had it been something simple, the world tree wouldn't have been surprised.
Thud
She fell to her knees. What Aliana had achieved was deemed impossible by everyone who tried to break it. She could feel something warm roll down her red cheeks.
Her sniffles were being heard by everyone standing in the silent room. The voice that came out of her mouth cracked as she tried to speak, wiping away her tears.
"I... Sierra Starcrest Yggdrasil... Vow in my name to assist my benefactor..."
Diona pinched her cheek, not believing what she saw with her own eyes. Eleanor stood in her place with her mouth wide open.
Aliana's gaze met Jaden's eyes, filled with curiosity. It seemed like he was intending to ask what had just happened. She smiled, lightly shrugging her shoulders.
Seeing the woman bawling her eyes out with happiness behind Aliana, he couldn't bring himself to be angry at her. Aliana had, regardless of her true intentions, helped someone out.
Blaise, on the other hand, was still trying to grasp whatever had happened. As he was about to ask the questions one after another to Aliana, a huge sound made him flinch.
Bangggggg
Something was moving towards the place they were at. Aliana glanced at Sierra with a faint smile on her lips before she spoke.
"It seems like a rather troublesome one has arrived..."
Jaden peered through the window pane to notice a bright light from the direction of the entrance. The black smoke evolved from the light, reaching the obsidian-like night sky.
Before he noticed it, Sierra, Diona, and Eleanor had disappeared from their spots. He looked towards Aliana with a confused expression, as if asking what it was.
"Don't worry about it..."
Aliana sat down on her chair and took a sip of the water in the glass. She continued speaking.
"It's just some mad dog."
----------------
Clank
The tips of the arrows were cut apart with the sword swinging at them and fell to the ground. The elves that were aiming those at the man could feel their hands sweating.
The man was trying to scan his surroundings, trying to figure out a way to break through the gates. The guard formation they had on the wooden wall was stronger than what he had expected.
His gaze fell upon the torches lit around the village entrance. A cunning smile crept on his lips while his right hand held the blade next to his right cheek.
"Don't blame me for what's about to happen now."
The elves couldn't move their bodies; it was as if time had come to a stop. It was something that was occurring at an extreme speed that couldn't have been possibly noticed with bare eyes.
Swish
He thrust the tip of the sword froward in the direction of the torches without wavering. The only thing elves could remember was a huge sound that made their eardrums go numb.
Banggggg
The fire in one place had spread across the wooden wall, which wasn't even recognisable anymore. The impact of the air pressure made by the swing of the sword had shattered the wall.
What was left behind were the elves guarding the entrance with a lot of injuries. Luckily, no one had lost their lives.
The remaining few guards trembled when their gazes met the eyes of the man who was walking while wielding the sword. He slowly raised his sword to strike it down on the elf nearest to him, but he couldn't do so.
He could feel someone's grip on his arm, which was tightening with every second passing. Anyone would've been surprised and would have turned around to check what it was.
But he showed no movements or intentions to be released from the grasps of whoever was behind him. His lips slowly curled up, forming a light smile, and his voice became clear.
"You sure took your time..."
The green vines binding his arm ripped apart as he spun around instinctively. The woman with green hair was standing in front of a tree whose vines were extending towards the man.
Her bright face had a tint of red with her puffy sky blue eyes. She was steadily walking near him without saying a word.
Seeing her approaching towards himself, the man smiled. He continued his words, but he couldn't complete them.
"Sierr-!"
Slap
Before he even got to call out her name, his face turned in the left direction. He could feel his right cheek growing warm with a numbing sensation spreading across it. The woman had slapped him without hesitation.
He rubbed his palm on his cheek while turning around. The woman's cold yet sad voice rang in his ears.
"After all this while... you show up here like this... Adrienne... Just why...? And where were you till now...?"
Adrienne stood expressionless for a while. His smile had faded away for a moment, but at the very next, he burst into laughter.
Sierra bit her lips at Adrienne's reaction. But she didn't show her anger. Instead, she walked past him towards the elves.
A green dust glistened, sparkling like some glitter, as it landed on the people in its vicinity. The elves could feel their wounds getting healed at an immeasurable rate. By this time, a few more people had arrived at the spot.
"Beautiful..."
Melanie mumbled while trying to catch the shiny particles, but they vanished upon coming into contact with her hand. Everyone was busy admiring the miracle unfolding before their eyes.
But Jaden and Aliana had their gazes fixed on only one person. The man held a blade dyed with blood in his right hand.
Jaden's instincts were telling him that the person standing there was a dangerous one. Even if his intuition hadn't warned him, Jaden could've been able to tell from the man's red clothes.
"Who in the world is he...?"
Claire was standing just behind the two, along with Melanie. It wasn't her who could feel the creepy, cold air the man was emanating all this time.
-[He is a real monster.]
The voice in her head was warning her, telling her not to carelessly approach the being before her. It wasn't even viewing the person as a human being.
Jaden had no idea, which made him shrug his shoulders before glancing at Aliana. He had a feeling that Aliana knew something about him.
"His name is Adrienne Agustus."
Claire felt as if she had a clue as to who it was. Her mouth didn't close since she was taken back by a bit of surprise.
Claire pointed her index finger with a pale face. She looked at the man with her mouth wide open while turning her head towards Aliana.
"Don't think bad of him."
The sudden voice made the already surprised Claire flinch, letting out a hiccup sound. It was Diona who hadn't been noticed by them. She had been standing there for a while already.
Eleanor nodded her head, agreeing with her words. There was a saying that went, Everything that happens always has a reason behind it. It was the same case here.
Adrienne and Sierra weren't facing each other since she used her powers to heal the elves. Diona continued speaking while pointing at the two people in front of her.
"They've known each other for the past fifteen years."