317. Back to Shedos

Emperor Rowyn sighed as he sat in a small tent. Or… was he just Rowyn now? He did run from his duties of being Inoria’s emperor. Well, he was supposedly a hostage under the Elutra Resistance. But the fact of the matter was far more complicated than that.

Demons ruled Inoria. They controlled it from the shadows. Like a marionette master; hidden from sight; upholding their facade. No one else knew of it. There were rumors, spread by princess Faith. But Elutra was gone. It was seen as nothing more than a last ditch effort to gain support.

The rest of the world was far more focused on the Primeval Demon now. That was a real Demon threat— even if it was only a fraction of the scale which would soon follow.

A rebellion, was what Lucieve had called it. A weak one. One that would be crushed by a [Hellprince] of the Netherworld. The Lord of Chaos.

Levithus.

He was one of the Demon King’s generals. Rowyn didn’t know his level— even a [Lesser Appraisal] artifact came up with null results. And such artifacts could identify the General Status of individuals that went up to Level 150.

It was clear: Levithus was a Primeval Demon as well. One who was deemed strong enough to destroy the one wreaking havoc in the Mortal Realm.

There were so many facts. So many things he needed to tell the world. That the real threat was hiding right from all of them.

Right now, however, Rowyn couldn’t tell anyone. Gavyn wouldn’t listen to him— the leader of Elutra’s Resistance was upset that the boy was even alive. So, all Rowyn could do was wait for Salvos to return.

The former emperor glanced out of the tent, sighing.

“But when would she even return?”

He didn’t know. It could take days or weeks. She might not even return. Sure, she was strong. But Simag was crafty. He had cunning to make up for his lack of strength. If he caught her off guard, he could potentially defeat her. And even if she did succeed, who knew who long it would even take for her to find the [Hero]?

There were too many factors to take into account. The only thing Rowyn knew for sure was that he should not be expecting to see Salvos back anytime soon—

“Weeeee’re baaaaack!”

A voice echoed throughout the campsite. Rowyn blinked, starting out of his tent. There was a susurration. A gathering. He spotted shadows approaching from above. Salvos and the [Will O’ Wisp] brought with them half a dozen figures alongside the two they’d left with.

Gavyn’s eyes widened as he pointed at two of the figures. A woman and a boy.

“T-that’s… princess Faith and prince Bel! They’re alive!”

Even Rowyn was at a loss for words. How did they return so quickly? Salvos just beamed, clapping her hands together for everyone to hear.

“Yep! Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let’s get out of here!”

“...what?”

More than one person was utterly puzzled.

I explained the situation to the rest of Elutra’s Resistance— well, to Gavyn. Everyone else was busy fussing over Faith, her brother, and Daniel.

“We need to leave as soon as possible. We’ll be heading to Shedos and reporting everything about the Demons in Inoria to the Headmaster of Mavos Academy and anyone else who would listen to us.”

“That’s a solid plan of action. Especially with someone as esteemed as Clayton Skyshredder to confirm the veracity of our statements. A [Truth Zone] spell would be more than enough to prove us to the rest of the world.”

“Yep! So get packing, and let’s get going!”

I gestured him to the leader of Elutra’s Resistance. I expected him to immediately rally his men— to prepare them to leave. But he simply placed a hand on his chin in thought.

“But… I cannot simply abandon my country.”

I cocked my head.

“What do you mean?”

“My people— they are suffering under the tyranny of Inoria. They are being treated as nothing more than dirt under the boots of those Demon-worshiping bastards. Someone has to stay to look after them. We can’t all leave them behind.”

“Huh.”

He was determined. Like nothing would change his mind. And I certainly wasn’t going to try.

“Alright, then. Let’s get going—“

“Wait!”

A voice called out. Willow ran up to him. The [Archer] stared at him in shock.

“What are you talking about, Gavyn? We can’t just leave you behind!”

“I’m sorry, Willow. Without the resistance, our people will have no one to protect them. Someone needs to stay.”

“But you can’t fight them alone.”

She bit her lower lips. He shook his head.

“I’m sorry. It has to be this way…”

Willow closed her eyes. Her lips quivered as she opened her mouth, taking a step toward.

“Gavyn, I’ll…“

But she couldn’t finish.

“Please do not make rash decisions.”

A calm voice spoke out, drawing both of their attention. Princess Faith strode away from the rest of the resistance, approaching us. After using my Potion of Regeneration, she now had both her hands back— which she clasped together tightly.

“Are you the leader of this resistance?”

Gavyn straightened to attention.

“Y-yes! I am Gavyn Windborne—“

“Son of Duke Landry. Gave up your noble heritage to become an adventurer. And gave up your life as an adventurer to return to Elutra when the war broke out. I know you.”

She smiled, and he blinked.

“I must ask you to accompany me to Shedos.”

“What?”

“You are one of the highest-leveled individuals left in Elutra who is still willing to fight this war. But we have already lost on this front, and now, we must regroup and bring Inoria to justice. I cannot allow a man such as you to die fighting a pointless battle.”

“I must protest, princess—”

Faith shook her head.

“I am not asking you for this as the princess of Elutra. I have failed in my duties, and I cannot, in good faith, command you to do as I say. Rather, I am asking you this as a fellow citizen of Elutra. As someone who wishes for the best of our country. As a friend of your father before he passed.”

“That’s…”

Gavyn pursed his lips. He looked over at Willow as she gave him a pleading look.

“Please, Gavyn.”

She whispered, and Faith bowed her head. Finally, he acquiesced.

“Very well. I shall follow you to Shedos. To Mavos Academy. I will give my account of the events of what happened here under a truth spell.”

Willow let out a sigh of relief, but he raised a hand.

“However, once that is over, I will not wait for the world to act on this matter. If they delay or play their politics, I will not stand around and listen to their petty arguments. I shall make my return as soon as possible to liberate our people from Inoria if the world won’t act in time.”

“That is understandable.”

Faith smiled. She raised her head, taking a step back.

“Thank you for listening to my request.”

I stared at them as they finished. Here we stood in the middle of a haphazardly strewn together encampment. One that was hidden deep within a forest, but still in the middle of enemy territory. And yet, they were wasting time over such a dumb conversation.

“…can we go now?”

I finally piped up. Princess Faith nodded at me.

“My apologies, Salvos. I simply wished to get that sorted. Let us make our departure posthaste.”

“Finally!”

I threw my hands in the air, glad that was over. But another thing came up. A small figure walked over to us. Slightly apprehensive, but still with the confidence of a true and proper noble.

Emperor Rowyn came to a halt right behind Faith. She glanced back at him, raising a brow.

“You’re…”

Her eyes flickered in recognition. Rowyn bowed deeply at her.

“I am the current reigning emperor of Inoria—”

“Rowyn Ino. I am aware. I was not expecting to meet someone such as yourself here.”

She spoke simply. I groaned internally as another issue seemed to pop up, and the boy hesitated. It took him a moment to gather himself.

“I did not think I would end up amongst Elutra’s Resistance today— as a captive— but many unexpected things occurred, and now I am here.”

“So I see.”

“But I am not here as an enemy. Rather, I have come here out of my own volition— voluntarily, even— to offer you my own voice when speaking to other nations.”

Rowyn gestured at himself as Faith narrowed her eyes.

“I know you may not trust me, but if the emperor of Inoria himself denounces his empire for its actions. And if I admit the truth to the world about our… alliance with the Demons, then it would dispute any claims that could be made against the veracity of your words.”

He shuffled his feet, clearly uncomfortable.

“It may be hard to trust—”

“Very well.”

Faith returned his bow.

“Emperor Rowyn. While I may fault your father for the events that have played out since the start of the war, I do not believe that you are responsible for it. Furthermore, you are offering us great help. I thank you for taking this risk for the greater good.”

Rowyn blinked. He worked his jaw for a moment, unable to find the right words to say. I stepped into the conversation, speaking up for him.

“I’m glad that’s settled. But I’m getting bored. Can we go now?”

“Yes. I apologize for the delay, Salvos.”

Faith smiled at me. She turned to the rest of Elutra’s Resistance. Zane, Willow, Gavyn all stood at attention.

“We shall be departing for Shedos immediately. For the sake of our country— and for the sake of Humankind. To do what’s right. And if they still will not help us. If the other nations turn a blind eye once more. Then we will have no choice but to fight for it until our country is saved.”

They cheered. I watched as they all moved, getting ready to head to Shedos. Sighing, I turned to face Daniel. He had a slight smile on his face.

“You look happy.”

I pointed out, walking up to him. He nodded.

“I’m glad that things are finally looking like it’ll turn for the better for Elutra. It’s… my fault things turned out this way in the first place, after all.”

“What do you mean it’s your fault? You had no responsibility for what happened.”

I crossed my arms.

“In fact, weren’t you the one who was dragged into this whole mess from your world in the first place? I don’t believe you are obligated to do anything you don’t want to.”

“But I have the capacity to act, Salvos. If I am able to stop something unfolding before me, don’t I have the duty to stop it?”

He raised a hand, looking into the palm of his hand. I shrugged.

“I mean, do you have the capacity to do it? Not just in a physical sense, either. But if you don’t have the drive or desire to do something, that’s a mental inhibition too, right?”

Daniel blinked.

“That’s—”

“I honestly don’t really care about all that, anyway.”

I waved a hand dismissively. The Human man drew his lips into a thin line. He looked up at Elutra’s Resistance. Then he turned towards Amanda and Willy. Sighing, he shook his head and faced the sky.

“I have the desire, but sometimes, I lose it. I can’t help myself. Every time I feel like I’ve taken a step forward, I take two steps back.”

I tilted my head, facing him.

“Huh.”

I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he met my gaze.

“I make mistakes all the time, Daniel. And I’m me! So, don’t worry about making mistakes even though you’re not me. Because it’s something we all do.”

Daniel stared at me. He held my gaze for a moment as I smiled. Then he chuckled.

“You’re right.”

He straightened, starting forward.

“I’ve made up my mind, Salvos.”

“You have?”

“We have yet to explain the full situation to Faith and the others. But when we do— when we have everyone gathered and ready to talk— I think it’s time for the world to know about this [Hero].”

I looked at him. I noticed the way he stood taller. The way he spoke with more confidence in his voice. And I… felt my shoulders sag.

“Seriously? That’s going to be so annoying. We’re going to have to explain all that stuff about the Demon King and Belzu, then explain everything about you too? Ugh…”

“I know you couldn’t really care about all this, but please, could you bear with me for a bit longer?”

Daniel offered me his hand. I sighed.

“This is taking too long. I thought it would take a day at most, but…”

I snapped a finger, creating another one of my clones. Daniel started back as I addressed her.

“Go find Saffron. Make sure she’s safe, alright? Tell her I’ll be getting to her soon. I’ve just been caught in an annoying mess.”

I shot a half-glare at Daniel. He scratched his cheeks.

“S-sorry.”

My clone nodded, her wings spreading wide as she took off. I could tell she was excited— happy that she could get to see Saffron again. I felt the same way, but I had to wait a bit longer now.

I looked over at Elutra’s Resistance as they finally finished. They were all ready. Daniel, Faith, Bel, Amanda, Willy— everyone. I snapped my fingers as the ground beneath their feet rose.

“Alright! Hold on tight, cause we’re going straight to Mavos Academy!”