Chapter 10
Ruins of ancient Dracaenae enclave, Continent: Barat, the Year 2041, Planet: Grimoire
There might've been a better way of handling the brothers' presence, but Clarence would only bother with being polite to them. After all, it appeared to be their fault that the crown prince was practically on his doorstep.
At least now, they were no longer out in the forest. It meant Clarence could inflict nastier spells on those who dared to seek the two whom he'd given temporary asylum. While he had issues with their actions, it hadn't taken him long to realize that neither Firenze nor Chester harbored ill intentions toward him.
They would instead just go to their respective homes as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for them, Clarence knew that was easier said than done, especially since they'd voluntarily left the crown prince's party without his approval. That would make their lives more complicated than anticipated, meaning he was stuck with them for the foreseeable future. How annoyingly bad-timed could their decision have been?
Unanswerable questions and thoughts besieged Clarence as he prepared spells to disorient and create illusory monsters to harry the remaining party members. Once they were cast, he returned to his guests.
As a precautionary procedure, all of his spirits remained to watch the crown prince's campsite. Clarence knew they could easily take on the forms of humans or small harmless creatures until that wasn't needed. For now, he wanted them to expose their presence to those who could sense energy.
That way, the people who sought some form of spy could see the spirits and elementals. They wouldn't notice the spells that would conjure nightmarish creatures designed to test their ability to handle the unexpected. Clarence shrugged and sighed. Now, he had to deal with his guests. He hoped they were taking advantage of the hot springs. That should give them some much-needed relaxation.
Now that he thought about it, he might as well indulge in the spring. After being in that cold area for an extended time, Clarence felt the chill. He did remember to wear a robe, at least. Now that he had guests, he couldn't roam around nude any longer.
*
"Err, sire, what should we do with the supplies that belonged to the twins?" One of the mages inquired warily.
"Hmm, can any of you use them?" When Dekert considered this, it was baffling.
The mages exchanged glances and shook their heads. "No, what they brought with them are items they're only capable of activating." The mages seemed miffed.
Even the scholars were aggravated. "Somehow, they locked access to the mana within them." That was something they found genuinely frustrating. "I suppose they believed someone might use them for nefarious purposes." One of the scholars smirked in disgust.
That finally got Dekert's attention, and he asked bluntly, "Well, what were you thinking of using them for?"
He still kept an eye on the spirits with much confusion while talking to the members of his entourage.
The mages huffed. "Nothing, I just wanted to study their compositions, that's all." The senior mage grumbled. "Now, I can't even do that with the restrictions one of them placed on all the belongings."
Well, that was now useless trash, wasn't it? Dekert saw no reason to keep any of that stuff.
He was still confused by the spirits' actions. Dekert found them highly suspicious, but he wasn't about to touch them without warning. That would be rude; even Dekert knew that.
None of the wild spirits that he had interacted with in the past had ever acted like this. He watched them warily while surveying the campsite with no bit of irritation. "We need to move out soon." He kept a wary eye on the spirits and elementals. None of them seemed to be there to interfere.
The mages and scholars frowned when a warning whistle rang out in the peaceful atmosphere. "Monsters, specters, they're all headed this way."
Half of them weren't bothering to hide their presence, while the other half puzzled Dekert exceedingly. He was sure all of them were minions of Clarence.
He was right. As soon as the warning was uttered, all the spirits vanished. Had they acted as a decoy of sorts? "Where are they? The monsters and specters that is." He requested more information because this seemed far too coincidental.
Not only that, but natural resources were scarcer than normal when it came to mana consumption and reconstitution. Dekert could feel leylines and a distinctly huge amount of mana stored somewhere. However, he couldn't tap into the power he could feel in the air and through leylines. Something barricaded him from reaching for the mana layers that were also abundantly glowing in his vision.
Startled shrieks warned Dekert that he'd have to devise a different plan than the one he had originally created to deal with what lingered in these mountains.
*
Just as Clarence reached the turret but remained in the trees to listen intently. He wanted to ensure the spells activated properly before retiring for the night. Spirits and elementals chattered at him with mild disapproval of his antics. "I know, I know, I'm not being nice. However, their actions drove those two men right into my territory." Not to mention, he was being stalked, which also irritated Clarence. "From now on, I'm minding my own business." He sighed and clarified. "That is after I assist my unwelcome guests back to where they preferred to be."
The spirits and elementals were less than pleased with his response but knew it was the best they could get out of him right now.
Right on time, Clarence heard infuriated shrieks of outrage and was satisfied that he'd thrown the entire camp into chaos. He was able to quickly retrieve everything that belonged to the twins. At least he hoped that it wasn't a trap with tracking devices attached.
Realizing that he shouldn't be careless just because that duo was so carefree about everything, Clarence scanned everything and was relieved to find there was nothing to worry about.