The poor demonic maid screamed helplessly.
High up in the sky, straddling a dragon moving faster than most beings could comprehend, no one could hear her cry.
"LILIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCC!!!" she screamed, clinging to the bone nape of Alicia's bone dragon for dear life as it flew at supersonic speeds, dangerously close to The Capital.
Internally, she couldn't stop chastising herself, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
'AAAAAAAH! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! I'M GONNA CAUSE THE SECOND GREAT WAR! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'
She peeked below her. The lush green lands, dense forests mixed with abundant rivers, and sprawling farmlands, along with the high snowy mountains on either side, made her realize with dread that they had long since crossed into the human realm.
"THEY DEFINITELY NOTICED US BY NOW! HOW CLOSE EVEN ARE WE TO THE CAPITAL!?" she screamed in turmoil, hoping the mighty bone dragon Liliac would hear her despair and halt.
He didn't.
Someone else, however, did.
"Very close," a calm yet piercing voice cut through the wind gushing against Yilla's ears. The voice was so clear it seemed to vibrate inside her skull.
"AAAAAH!!" she screamed, snapping her head to see a familiar figure flying directly next to the bone dragon.
"AH...!" she gasped as tears climbed up her throat.
"You've been busy, dear Yilla," he muttered, positioning himself atop the dragon, standing effortlessly on its nape bones where she clung on.
"V-..." she stammered.
Yilla, a demonic maid and one of the lead ones in The Demon Lord's castle, was reckless, hotheaded, and straightforward. Yet even she couldn't help but mumble as she gazed at the figure before her.
"Varlog...~~" she cried in relief, her tears instantly being pushed away by the violent winds.
"There, there," he said, gently extending his furred palm to brush her head as he kneeled in front of her, serving as a boulder that blocked the wind from smashing against her face. "I can guess what transpired. You really need to work on holding yourself back, dear," he calmly scolded.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." she sobbed, "But I missed him so much..." Tears stained her cheeks once more.
Varlog tilted his head at the distressed maid with a soft sigh.
"I understand, child, but let's get you off of dear Liliac first, hm? I don't mind you crying, but this is hardly the place or time," he said as he gently guided her hands off of Liliac's nape bones and lifted her into a princess carry. He extended his giant brown wings, enveloping Yilla's entire body, his sharp claws gently against her hair as he carried her.
He then started to fly, keeping pace with Liliac, gracefully slowing down and descending to the ground, placing the demonic maid on the lush, green grass.
"It has... been a while since you used that form," she said, scrutinizing him with wonder as he laid her down.
[IMAGE]
"... Master Varlog," she exclaimed, looking up, almost straining her neck to view his entire figure.
"Perhaps. But it is not yet time to gloss over things. Do tell me this, however, was Liliac fed?" he asked.
"Y-yes... I fed him just before we left," she said, lowering her gaze.
"Ah... I understand," he sighed. "Remain here, and stay hidden while I go to face this naughty child. We shall speak afterward," he said before turning around and swiftly taking off, his wings creating one last strong gust of wind that brushed against Yilla as she watched him fly away.
"Hurry..." she muttered weakly, clutching her chest. "Please..."
'Oh my, it appears as though this child picked up quite the pace after I removed Yilla,' Varlog thought as he flew in the dragon's wake.
'Crafty, aren't you? Since you realized that the only one who could stop you from interrupting dear Van...' Varlog thought as he stretched his wings, then violently pushed against the winds, boosting himself to tremendous speed.
"IS ME," he loudly growled with a smile as he burst forward in the clear sky, the bone dragon relentlessly parting every cloud in its way.
The race was on.
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE CAPITAL...
"Damn that helmet-headed bastard...!! WHERE'D HE GO?!" Marcy exclaimed, regaining her balance and looking toward where Van had bolted. All she saw was a cloud of dust and a small crater where he once stood next to her.
Clicking her tongue, she prepared to run. 'WHATEVER! I have to meet the girls,' she thought, before a call came from behind her.
"Miss Veil!" a feminine voice called.
"What?!" she responded aggressively as she turned around.
"Oh, you're that girl who almost bit it back at the pool. What do you want? I'm in a hurry!" she exclaimed angrily.
"O-oh, I just..." The girl's voice grew meek as she curled a little, relenting from Marcy's shout. "I saw that boy talking to you just now, so you must know him... I just want to say... If you could tell that boy I said thank—"
She began speaking, but was interrupted as the Capital's loud emergency bells rang three times.
Code Black.
The highest threat level. The same as it was when Arutol was going to strike.
"I'VE GOT NO TIME FOR THAT! YOU, GET TO YOUR HOUSE! FIND YOUR PARENTS AND TELL THEM TO NOT LEAVE IT NO MATTER WHAT!" Marcy yelled urgently as she turned and bolted toward the guild.
AT THE SAME TIME, AT THE PLAINS; A FEW DOZEN KILOMETERS AWAY FROM THE CAPITAL...
"SIR!!" Cerille called out as she sprinted through the knight ranks to the front line.
"Cerille. You are late," a man clad in pristine silver and gold armor, some pieces covered with runes, stated firmly as he stood looking toward the horizon. The knights stood steadfast in the open field, not a single monster daring to approach them.
Cerille stood at attention, her hands glued to her sides as she straightened herself before the man. "Sincerest apologies, SIR! I was—"
"I don't care," he interjected, cutting her off.
"Just make sure it does not happen again," he ordered, not turning to face her.
"YES, SIR!" she replied, her expression stoic.
"... Sir Nickelson sure is confident, saying we'd even have a chance to disobey orders in the near future..." the knights murmured amongst themselves.
"Cerille," Nickelson called out, "Come here. Aaron, you too," he instructed a nearby mage.
"SIR," she and Aaron responded in unison, marching to the front.
"Oh, they're going to do that now?"
"Yeah. Cerille's aura sensory skills are among the best in the world. Combine that with Aaron, a B-Rank Magician's Amplification, and she can extend her sensory range much farther, giving us a more accurate reading," one knight explained.
"... Who are you telling this to?" another knight asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The newbies, obviously," he replied, prompting his buddy to look around.
"There are no newbies here!"
"SILENCE!!!" Nickelson commanded.
During the chatter, Aaron placed his palm on Cerille's back, and she closed her eyes, focusing on the supreme demonic pressure ahead of them.
"What do you feel?" Nickelson asked.
"I feel... T-two... No, THREE... Three demonic presences! I can make out the weaker one, but there are two that are... Practically equal! I'd dare say Mythical Rank!!!" she called out loudly, sweat beads traveling down her forehead and cheeks as they all stood under the scorching sun.
Gasps were heard.
"Three...!?" the knights began whispering, worry etching their faces.
"Is it Her...?" Nickelson mumbled to himself, tightening his grip around his sword. "Sir Nickelson, I can feel it too!" the mage Aaron exclaimed, "It's as if... they're using their magic as they advance!" he called out in worry.
"They're scorching nearby villages, then...!" Nickelson gritted his teeth.
"Why would they do that!? Aren't we at peace?"
"I guess treaties don't mean much to Fiends!"
"I thought they were true to their word, like Magus Veil said! I suppose the Holy Church was right all along about them!" the knights murmured as Nickelson powerfully tapped the ground with his palm; a few steps ahead, a giant beam of light shot into the sky.
"That's...!"
"Yeah...! He's doing it!"
"MEN!" Nickelson called, drawing everyone's attention. "I shall face this threat head-on! You lot will be in my way, so I shall go without you!" he declared as a giant, white, armored Pegasus appeared from the beam of light. He rushed and jumped onto it before his army.
They whispered amongst themselves in concern,
"On his own..!?"
"YOU SHALL STAY HERE," he yelled, turning to them on his Pegasus, raising his sword to the sky, "AND DEFEND YOUR HOMES! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!" he shouted.
Mythical Rank threat.
The highest level an adventurer has ever reached is L, and that adventurer, Magus Veil, is dead. In the capital, the highest-ranking adventurers and knights are at S, which is two ranks below the level required to handle such a threat. This two-rank difference is almost like the gap between heaven and earth.
However, many factors constitute a person other than a Rank, and while Nickelson himself is only S, on the verge of reaching L, one rank higher, he possesses a plethora of skills and strengths that the enemy might not anticipate. This includes strategy and foresight.
That's why the knights weren't too scared for their leader's life.
They could feel his aura, and right now, his confidence.
Somehow, he will make it. Somehow, he will handle this.
Because he's Nickelson, The King's Right Hand.
Cerille, watching her father from below, the sun rays complementing his shining armor and face, couldn't help but think about what Van had said about him.
'A piece of shit... Hah. What a fool that wretch was. Whoever he was. Aunt Marcy's judgment of character must have diminished over time if she chose to acquaint herself with such a foul individual. Although he might be rough and strict...' Cerille thought as her father turned to her.
"CERILLE! COME WITH ME! I NEED YOUR SENSORY TO IDENTIFY MORE POTENTIAL TARGETS!" he called out, extending his hand to her. She immediately grabbed it, using his help to climb onto the Pegasus behind him.
'... How could a man this brave and this strong be anything other than the greatest parent I could ask for?' she thought as the Pegasus turned and flew upwards toward the demonic presences in the distance. The cries and cheers of the knights and adventurers echoed loudly in the background of the open, grassy plains where they were told to hold their position.
Around 20 minutes after Nickelson and his daughter left, the knights were still in awe of their commander's display.
"He is the greatest man there is," a knight murmured to his friends, their enthusiasm still evident on their faces.
"Indeed he is," an elderly adventurer approached, drawing the attention of nearby adventurers and knights.
"Not many can face such a threat with such valor and strength," he said, earning nods of agreement from those around him.
"Truly... I've been alive for many, many years. Yet I haven't seen such bravery from anyone," he continued, walking back and forth, gaining confidence as more heads turned in his direction.
"Not even the famed Hero, Magus Ve—" he began, but was cut off by a loud, supersonic boom from directly above, startling everyone.
All eyes turned to the sky, where the sound originated, as if a thousand thunders had struck at once.
A powerful gust of wind passed by from the heavens.
They were certain.
Something had just passed over them from the Capital towards the demonic presences.
And those who were sensitive...
... Felt a certain sense of doom as it passed by.
'The knights are here... So, she must be up ahead,' he thought. 'I used most of my strength to jump... I hope I didn't overdo it...'
He looked ahead, the metal helmet blocking the intense wind pressure from hitting his face...
... Not that it would've mattered either way in this case.
'Alicia... I'm coming!' Van thought.