Seeing how Luciana was able to defeat all the monsters with just the swish of her hand made it clear to Aristo and Lance that she was a very powerful mage, one that could compare to the highly skilled mages aiding the other Little Suns. Both of them still could not entirely believe that they have someone that strong as their companion.
"Just who is this woman, Your Highness?" asked the guardian.
"Believe me, I only know as much as you do, Lance." replied Aristo. "But as I said, we need her help in order to survive this quest."
"But--"
"--You and the others back home wanted me to return alive, didn't you? Then I'm telling you that enlisting her help is the only way for that to happen."
Lance could not argue with his master any longer. For he knew Aristo was right. They needed to rely on Luciana's help in order to ensure the prince's survival in Grimcloud, though they knew very little about her.
"That last attack of mine should wipe out most of the monsters in the valley." said Luciana walking back to the two men. "If we head deeper into the valley and reach the glade, we'll be able to find more monsters to exterminate."
"Then deeper into the valley we go!" replied Aristo nodding his head. He turned to his doubting guardian. "Wouldn't you agree, Lance?"
The Second Prince was asking for a confirmation of Lance's attitude toward Luciana. The royalty wished Lance would have understood how much they needed her for this quest by now. And understood was Lance.
"Of course, Your Highness." said Lance back bowing his head. He turned to Luciana and spoke to her in polite tone. "We'll be counting on you to defeat the monsters and keep the prince safe."
Seeing his guardian had accepted Luciana to join the party, Aristo turned to what remained of the 7th Division. The last onslaught reduced the army from dozens of men to a mere six:
A tall fat guy who seemed to never turned down food before. A skinny 15 or 16-year-old boy who looked like he would fly off by the sweep of the wind. A muscular bald man who had a missing right hand, a wound caused prior to the Grimcloud quest. A pale-skinned man who seemed to have consumed suspicious substances all his life. An out-of-shape middle-aged man who seemed to have never lifted a sword in his life. And a fragile grey-haired old man who looked like he could die any second.
Truly, of all the criminals in the 7th Division, Aristo had to be left with them. One would certainly see why he was called the Doomed Prince.
"All of you, gather around!" called Aristo to his remaining soldiers. "Recollect your weapons and fetch your mounts. We'll proceed with our journey to the glade to exterminate the monsters."
The six men quickly gave Aristo glaring eyes full of fury.
"YOU STILL WANTED TO CONTINUE THE QUEST?!"
"ARE YOU INSANE?! DIDN'T YOU SEE HOW WE WERE SLAUGHTERED?!"
The prince raised his hands to calm them down.
"We won't have to worry anymore! We have a mage with us!" said Aristo, trying to convince them. "We can still complete the quest!"
"SCREW YOUR QUEST! WE'RE NOT ENDANGERING OUR LIVES FOR YOUR SAKE!"
"YEAH! JUST HAVE THAT MAGE GET US OUT OF HERE!"
"BRING US TO SAFETY THEN YOU CAN GO BACK KILLING THE MONSTERS FOR ALL WE CARE!"
They all continued to rain Aristo with fierce objections and insults. Unaware that this time such actions would not be left without consequences. Dire consequences.
[Dark Arts, Changkram Hold]
All six criminals of the 7th Division were suddenly lifted to the air by invisible force. They were all then felt something crushing their necks, making them choke for air.
"How dare you, filthy scums, utter such words to His Highness?"
Luciana's voice resonated throughout the valley, toward the 7th Division members. Her expression was dark and welling up with fury and murderous aura. She walked up to them and glared at them with the coldest and the most piercing gaze they ever saw.
"Not only you objected to Prince Aristo's instructions, you even dared to…order…His Highness around." spoke Luciana with disgusted tone. She stared at them with murderous eyes, as if they had greatly sinned and Luciana was there to deliver their divine punishment. "Who do you think you are to dishonor His Highness in such a way?"
Luciana waved her hand and caused the invisible grasp on their necks to grew tighter.
"Well, since you've decided to not be of any use to His Highness, then you have turned yourselves into useless trash." continued Luciana. She then stared at the monster-dwelling white mist in the distance, where Luciana's wind could not reach. "And trash should be disposed right away."
"MISS WITCH, PUT THEM DOWN!"
Aristo's voice suddenly shot out through the valley, interrupting Luciana with her threat. She turned around and saw the Second Prince walking up to her, looking furious, even more so than her.
"Put them back down, Miss Witch!" ordered Aristo. "Stop hurting them!"
"Your Highness, these worthless scums strongly object your authority." replied Luciana with polite tone. "With that kind of attitude, they won't be of any help to you in your quest. Dangerous even. It's better to cast them away immediately."
"Even though my subjects expressed their disagreement to me, I will not condone such vile actions of torturing and threatening them to submit to my will!" spoke Aristo sternly. "They are here with me because they were forced by the Empire to do so. They did not join the 7th Division voluntarily. So I don't blame them for acting the way they did."
"Even so, Your Highness. They--"
"—You told me that you will grant anything I ask you for." said Aristo, referring to what Luciana said earlier. "Then I'm asking you to stop hurting them and put them back down!"
"Your Highness…"
Luciana stared at the Second Prince with conflicting eyes. To think Aristo would ask mercy for his trespassers. Such a kind heart he possessed, one that Luciana still could not comprehend.
It was even more obscure to her when she and the prince were faced with this exact same situation back in Luciana's previous life.
Back then, Luciana and her father arrived at Grimcloud to save the Second Prince. The events after that were basically the same as the ones she had in this second life. And when it reached to the point where the 7th Division rebelled against the Second Prince and caused Luciana to reprimand them with dark arts and followed by Aristo reprimanding her, this episode occurred:
[
"ARRRGGHHHH!!!"
"SAVE ME—ARRGGHHH!!!!"
Screaming with great pain as they were being mauled by the invisible monsters inside the white mist were the six 7th Division members. Aristo fell to his knees and watched his army being killed in great horror.
"You…threw them…away…" whispered Aristo with trembling voice. He turned to Luciana who was watching alongside Desmond the butchering with wide grin. "YOU KILLED THEM!"
"It had to be done, Your Highness." replied Luciana coldly. Her eyes were still fixated on the slaughter. "They had to die."
"No… They did not…have to…die." objected Aristo shaking his head. "They could still continue journeying with us in the quest. They didn't have to keep fighting. The four of us alone are enough to defeat the monsters."
"They needed to die in order for you to learn, Your Highness." said Luciana. "A lesson you must know very early on."
Aristo stared back at Luciana with perplexed eyes.
"What kind of lessons worth sacrificing people over?"
Luciana turned to the Second Prince and gave him a cold piercing gaze.
"You must be able to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal, Your Highness." answered the silver-haired witch. "Sacrificing worthless lives or even useful lives. If that action could further your goal, then you must do it. Regardless of what your heart tells you."
"Why must I adopt such cruel and extreme mindset, Miss Witch?" asked Aristo with terrified eyes.
"For that is the only way for you to sit on the throne, Your Highness." said the Witch of Fortuna. "There is no other way for you to become the emperor, my prince. You must cast off your heart and do whatever it takes for the sake of your goal."
She and Desmond walked away from Aristo and began making their way deeper into the valley.
"Let's hurry! We need to get to the forest guardian before the First Princess gets to it!"
Aristo could not say anything back to Luciana, for she was the one offering him a hand and he thought he should not question the motivation of his helpers.
That being said, Aristo was still pained by what just transpired. He could only look at the lifeless bodies of his comrades and then walked away in sorrow.
]