The Cazanix continent is made up of ten kingdoms, to be exact. Right in the middle of the continent was the Agustus Kingdom. In the east, lied the Dragonaria Kingdom.
If one were to travel in the west direction from the Agustus Kingdom, they would reach its neighbouring region. The sea of sands that had no end to them, Sabbianyth.
Next to it lies the wide and expansive ocean that divided Cazanix and the demonic continent. The demon race actually migrated from there to Cazanix hundreds of years ago.
The demon lord was said to be ruling over the demons from somewhere on the demonic continent. That was before another rumour began circulating.
- The demon lord has gone missing.
People believed it to be true when the number of activities by the demons decreased drastically. There were fewer incidents involving demons taking place compared to before.
The demon generals never interfered in those matters while exposing themselves. Like Lilith Rosario, most of them were hiding in some corner of the continent.
Amidst all that, there was a certain rumour related to the Sabbianyth Empire that caught Aliana's attention. It was something that would've left anyone who happened to listen to whatever Adrienne had narrated shocked.
- Unusual activities involving demons were spotted in the Sabbianyth Empire.
"So, you mean to tell me that we will be heading to Sabbianyth?"
Jaden's right eyebrow twitched as he let out a sigh while saying that. The immense amount of information he was receiving was already a bother to him.
The reasons behind it were simple. The first was that Aliana was deciding things on her own, but that was nothing new.
The second was that her explanation contained some details, which he was hearing for the first time. This was the result of skimming over details while writing the story.
What if the parts he hadn't written a thing about adjusted themselves according to the story? That story was no longer a story. It had become Jaden's reality.
"You are misunderstanding something. 'We' are going there."
The hidden meaning her words held behind them was questionable to Jaden. Playing around with the words was a hobby of hers, after all.
Jaden tilted his head, wondering what she meant, but that was a needless thing to do. Aliana giggled a bit before continuing her lines.
"You will be staying here."
Jaden's expression remained blank at those words. He couldn't believe that he was getting to stay away from Aliana for a while.
Yet, why was he feeling nervous, seeing the familiar smile on her face? He could tell that she had some plan where he needed to stay behind for it to succeed.
"For what reason now?"
Still, he couldn't stop himself from asking her that question. Without knowing what her reasons for saying that were, he wasn't going to feel at ease.
Aliana, who could already tell what Jaden was thinking, smiled lightly at herself. Her gaze set on the sun just above the horizon, and she spoke.
"There are two reasons for that. I need you to help Adrienne protect Sierra and learn some sword arts from him."
They were all aware that the people targeting Sierra wouldn't leave them alone easily. And Adrienne alone won't be able to do two things: hunt down his enemies and protect Sierra at the same time.
Jaden thought deeply about what Aliana said to him. The current him was too weak. The individuals he had come across all had strengths great enough to destroy their enemies within a few minutes.
What did he have? The three steps Aliana had taught him and maybe the speed boost buff that Aliana granted him using her wind magic. Aside from that and his jacket, nothing.
In his world, he had never practiced any martial arts or sports. That time was simply spent by him studying to obtain good grades.
Even though Aliana had said so to him, how was he supposed to even achieve that? Surely, she wasn't telling him to be a meat shield, right?
"What silly things are you thinking about?"
Snap
Jaden's thoughts were quite visible on his face. Aliana giggled at that expression and snapped her fingers, making him flinch.
The very next moment, both of them were holding a cup filled with coffee that appeared out of nowhere. At first, the contents were cold, but soon the temperature rose, making it warm.
Jaden tried sniffing the mild scent of the coffee beans used to prepare it. Since it smelled good, he took a small sip.
He wondered if Aliana had prepared it beforehand, anticipating the current situation. Then he forgot what he was thinking about because of the bittersweet taste. Only one thing stayed in his mind.
"Easy to say that. How am I even supposed to do that all?"
The way Adrienne acted since he arrived there made it clear that he wasn't an easygoing person. There was a chance that Jaden's head would be sent flying if he made a mistake by approaching him.
With uncertainty clouding his face, he looked towards Aliana while expecting a resolution. She was the only person who actually could've had the answer.
Protecting Sierra was one thing, but learning sword arts? It wasn't Adrienne's obligation to teach Jaden the sword arts he had managed to replicate and modify.
Jaden could feel the hot air brushing against the walls of his nostrils before it became a visible vapour that looked like white smoke. He drank a mouthful of coffee while listening to Aliana.
"There's a way to do it. You need to seduce Adrienne."
COUGH COUGH
The liquid sprayed robustly out of his mouth at the nonsense that Aliana was spouting. His jaw dropped at the sight of the tiny, colourful sparks in the air.
"Say what again...?"
--------------------
-At some other place-
-"The 'numbers' have already been sent to the planned spot."
The huge blue crystal-like object contained a few people talking while hiding their faces under the veil of darkness. The coarse and rough voice of the man made one of them flinch.
-"... 'ACE'! HOW DARE YOU DO THAT WITHOUT INFORMING US?!"
His lips curled in such a manner that it looked like a grin. Even though others were scolding him, the man didn't care.
He laughed lightly, spinning around the colourful box in his hands. The mixed-up blocks of colours began matching each other without him even trying to solve the puzzle.
That left the rest with a puzzling expression on their hidden faces. They were shocked to witness what the man was doing.
-"Isn't it more fun this way...? 'Jack'."
They shuddered at the remark, which sounded absurd to them. Two of them covered their lips while the rest facepalmed themselves, observing the smile the man had.
-"If this fails-"
Crrrk
As the woman was going to say something, the screeching voice made them shut their ears and mouths. The man wasn't even changing his expression at the sudden noise.
His gaze shifted towards the lower corner of the huge crystal, where the shadow of the person who made that sound was. He was bearing his fangs at him.
-"Ay, don't worry. It will surely work out fine, 'Queen'."
Aside from that man, everyone else was feeling irritated. If his plans were to go smoothly, then that would put the man, who never wanted to take over their group, at a huge advantage.
The tact with which he spoke assured them that he was certain that his plans wouldn't go awry, no matter what. Feeling pissed off, the two people among them disappeared.
-"My. I hope you don't fail us. King won't let you be if you don't achieve good results."
The woman named 'Queen' snickered at the view of others's taking their leave. She looked down at the carefree man who still managed to get on her nerves.
Her hands clenched onto a cup made of gold while she trembled with rage. The man laughed at the delightful scene that made him feel entertained.
-"Nothing could possibly hinder the progress. The world tree will die soon."
With that, the blue glow of the crystal faded away, parting the darkness within the room. Who was the man called 'Ace'? Why were the people related to him targeting the world tree?
Jaden had yet to come across this bunch of people, but he didn't have the slightest idea. The conversation between him and Aliana was still ongoing, unbeknownst to those people.
-At the Elven Forest-
"What do you mean by that?"
Jaden was feeling confused and weird from what he just heard. He was definitely not interested in people of the same gender.
He wiped the liquid near his lips using the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. There was no stain due to his jacket being transformed.
Aliana realised what she said sounded wrong to listen to. She coughed lightly, trying to clear her throat before speaking.
"Show him your skills and earn his interest? What did you think I meant?"
She smiled at Jaden with the intention of teasing. There was no way she was going to let such a chance slip by just like that.
Jaden was at a loss for words about her whimsical yet irksome behaviour. Again, he had no choice other than to jarring his anger.
He took a huge mouthful of breath and exhaled with his eyes closed. The reason he was following Aliana was recalled by him at the moment, and he calmed down a bit.
"And how exactly?"
No matter what Aliana said, Jaden wouldn't be able to do anything without her telling him. He had grown to be overly reliant on her by then.
At first, he thought that he would be causing a lot of problems for her. But after witnessing how she behaved in each of their situations, Jaden felt that she was someone he could depend on.
He hadn't even noticed that his mind had taken overly relying on her for granted. If she left him just like he was, there was no telling what outcome it would lead to had he happened to come across a strong foe during her absence.
"That's for you to find out."
She said that while gazing at the sky with a solemn look in her eyes. It was about the time she made him realise the important things he had forgotten.
Jaden's lips didn't touch together as he immersed himself in deep thoughts. What is the reason behind Aliana's actions now? What would happen if he rejected her request? Would everything be okay until he just followed her in search of answers?
He had no way of knowing what he couldn't know. He stared at his hands, which were wrapped tight into fists. A light smile was briefly showcased on his lips.
"Guess I'll figure it out by myself."
He had finally become aware of the wrong path he was about to walk down. Aliana smiled warmly at him, understanding that he had recognised his flaws.
"Why don't you go back inside now? I'll come in after a while."
She glanced at the path behind them, filled with glowing flowers that left the way visible. The reason that place was like that was because those flowers were one-of-a-kind.
Upon sunrise, the flowers at the verge of the path, which happened to be graced by the sunlight, glowed. That one flower's light passed onto the rest of them, making all the flowers glow in chain form.
Jaden felt relieved by her words since he was already hoping to go back in. The talk he had with her a while after leaving the room was too much for him, who had his brain overloaded with the story Adrienne narrated.
Watching over the back of Jaden, who disappeared after taking a left turn at the end of the path, Aliana stood silent for a while. Then she spoke as her gaze turned towards a wall covered in climbers and creepers.
"Why don't you come out already? Do you have a hobby of eavesdropping?"