“Stop following me,” Ira spun around to face the two wide-eyed children,

“You’re the God Slayer aren’t you?” The boy asked with determination.

“The what? No, I’m not the- Just stop following me,” Ira was still puzzled by his earlier outburst of emotions since it felt foreign to him. It wasn’t like when Siegfried took over but it did cause him to feel strange.

“Please! Teach me how to fight, I have to protect my sister!” The boy shouted.

“Give it up, kid.” Ira was about to take another step when he spun around and narrowed his eyes. “What is it that you want?”

“You’re Ira?” A man who wore a hooded robe, as well as several others, appeared out of thin air. He saw that his invisibility magic didn’t work well on Ira. He removed his hood and the fox ears native to the Vulpes could be seen.

“Yeah, you don’t want me to train you to do you?” Ira asked with slight annoyance.

“No, we were told to assist you if we stumbled across you while in the city...I heard you were strong but I never imagined you were so powerful.” His eyes spilled over with admiration, fear, and anticipation.

“Help me, huh?” Ira looked at the group who seemed to have high expectations of him. It made him wonder if Virgil was spreading positive rumors about him.

“I want a place to rest, can you arrange that?” Ira asked.

“That would be no problem at all,” The Vulpes nodded. “I just ask that you stay here for a few moments while we sort it out. It’s likely the whole city will be flipped over after news of you killing those Legionnaires spreads.”

“Fine,” Ira shrugged before moving to sit under the shade of an abandoned building.

The group disappeared with hurried steps in order to find somewhere suitable for Ira while the two children remained.

“Please!” The boy moved in front of Ira and knelt down while his sister hesitated before doing the same.

“You?” Ira examined the boy closely and found he was a normal human. Black hair, blue eyes, and patches of dirt covering his worn-out clothing. “You’re a human without much talent.”

He then cast a casual glance at his sister and found something was off about her.

“She’s something else?” Ira raised an eyebrow with clear interest but the boy moved to stand in front of her as if protecting her.

“You don’t have to worry, I couldn't care less about whatever is mixed in her blood,” Ira spoke honestly. There was no way that she could possess something greater than or equal to the Avarus Lupum. With that established, he honestly had nothing to gain from trying to consume the bloodline of a little girl. That and...seeing her made him think of Raveria.

“You know what? I’ll give you one test and if you pass I’ll train you, but if you fail you have to leave me alone.” Ira said with a grin.

“...What kind of test?” The boy had seen Ira’s strength so he wasn’t too keen on having to do something as crazy as fighting with him.

“All you have to do is withstand the breeze and stay on your feet,” Ira explained.

“That’s all?” The boy seemed skeptical as the wind was blowing incredibly gently.

“Easy enough, right? Are you ready?” Ira had the look of a man who specialized in cheating people out of money.

The boy nodded and stepped away from his sister before planting his feet firmly on the ground. The wind slightly picked up and he hurriedly adjusted himself but the breeze wasn’t enough to even move him.

The boy began to gain confidence which showed in his expression. He puffed up his chest and spoke, “How long do I have to–Waaaah!” before he could finish a monstrous tempest lifted him off the ground and sent him flying into the air. He soared into the sky before the wind stopped and he began plummeting toward the ground but just before he fell a strong wind cushioned his fall.

“You failed,” Ira said while shaking his head.

The boy was speechless while his sister looked at Ira with an emotional gaze. It wasn’t really disappointment but rather some type disbelief. For a moment it looked as if her appearance overlapped with Raveria’s and Ira forced himself to look away.

“Come on, Kayden,” She helped her brother get to his feet without giving Ira a second glance but he could practically hear their tears welling up.

Ira ruffled his hair in a frustrated manner before he spoke up, “Stop.”

The siblings turned to look at Ira with the expressions of lost puppies.

“I’ll help you out a bit, but you don’t gain any power without giving something up first,” Ira said cryptically. His life and mind were the cost he paid but there were no complaints on his side.

“Thank you!” The little girl ran up to Ira and tried to hug him but he stopped her.

“You won’t be thanking me when we start.” It was no real problem for Ira to assist the siblings since he did the same for the Dark Elves.

Soon after he finished talking a Vulpes showed up and made a polite bow. “We’ve found a place for you.”

“Good...I’m also bringing these two along.” Ira pointed at the pair of children.

“Then we should hurry.” The Vulpes spoke before jumping onto a roof.

Even then, Ira could hear the faint sounds of clattering in the distance. It seemed that the Twin Dragon Legion had heard he was in the city.

“Right.” Ira grabbed the two children and then nodded to the Vulpes before leaping onto a rooftop.

…

Lauren flicked her sword and blood splashed into the grass. The mountain pass seemed to be full of Haykul tribes who were eager to rob the caravan.

“How many is that today?” Ustia asked while sheathing her sword.

“Not enough to pose a threat, but they did manage to kill my horse,” Lauren frowned.

“You can ride with me, we’re almost there after all.” Ustia climbed onto her horse before offering her hand.

“Fine, but try not to fall again,” Lauren sighed before climbing behind Ustia and holding onto her waist.

“I didn’t...I told you I got caught on the saddle,” Ustia huffed.

Lauren laughed softly but didn’t say anything further which caused Ustia to be slightly incensed.

An old man with a heavyset build approached them with a humble bearing, “The next town is about half a day away. I hope it wouldn’t be too much to rely on you ladies through the rest of the journey. Also, the matter with the horse is something we could easily overlook since it died while you were protecting us.”

The two of them showed indifferent looks as they both nodded indicating their acceptance. Even if they were being low-key they couldn’t stand people who minced words. The only reason he brought up the dead horse was to try to remind them of their debt without saying it explicitly. If circumstances were different he might’ve been cut down at that moment, but instead, his slight misstep was ignored.

“Wonderful.” The man smiled before bowing and taking his leave.

Lauren and Ustia were silent while riding before the former began speaking.

“Tell me about my mother,” Lauren whispered.

“Kara? Where do I even start? When we first met it was during a battle at the Grand Hall. She was undefeated as far as duels went and I thought I would be the one to end that streak...I lost terribly.” Ustia’s face showed a joy that one would’ve thought vanished over her hundreds of years living but it was very much real.

She shared stories of Kara which Lauren hadn’t even heard before and the journey continued on.

…

Avery was in the company of Sylun while the two examined the advancements of the Dark Elves. The mad alchemist, Charles, was somewhere immersed in research while the fruits of his labor made themselves known.

A group of lycanthrope soldiers were lined up in a row and with strange markings on their bodies. They were the first successful batch to emerge from Charles’ work. Magical arrays were inscribed into their skin and bones. They offered simple enhancements like increased strength and stronger skin but the fact that they even worked meant what was produced in the future could be even better. There was also Charles' work to unlock latent potential in the dark races, though that was a lot harder said than done.

“No Dark Elves or Vampires?” Avery inquired.

“No, those that volunteered weren’t strong enough to survive the process,” Sylun responded.

“As expected, having someone carve an array into their bones would kill most,” Avery said.

There were only a dozen Lycanthropes who survived and they each had a changed look on their face. Even while unconscious the process was so painful it ended up giving them a hardened disposition.

“Have the alchemist find something stronger before he does it again. Having a small boost in strength can’t possibly compare to the influence of the Red Moon.” Avery wasn’t disappointed but she obviously wasn’t satisfied with the results.

“It will be done,” Sylun spoke with assurance.

“There’s also the matter of Rhys’ pregnancy.” Avery shifted topics.

“Yes...We’re looking for birth companions but the two who accompanied Sylvia have been...dealt with and won’t be able to return. This time we’ve focused on a more rigorous test to ensure that they won’t be exhausted so soon,” Sylun said.

“Make sure to examine her condition as often as possible. If there are any signs of her child’s ability it’s best to know before she gives birth to avoid as much danger as we can.”

Avery departed and Sylun sent the soldiers away soon after. While Ira was away the Dark Elf Empire was rapidly growing in an attempt to become worthy of him. With their current rate of growth, they would soon become strong enough to be considered a threat even without the presence of Ira and the Valkyries.