III

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Arc III Chapter 16

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A sight of Destruction and devastation greeted Aurora amidst the crumbling ruins. Their battle took a heavy toll on the catacomb's structural integrity. They were well advised to leave this place as quickly as possible. No idea how long the ceiling would last.

Arwing lay unconscious on the ground, meanwhile Michael took quite a beating. Fortunately, he was still breathing. He didn't die, just almost. A bit of grit and a few hours, and he should be back on his feet. Lambert and Iris ended up being buried beneath a mountain of rubble, but they still lived. Hopefully. No need to worry about them. Lambert was a stubborn man and Iris a stubborn woman. They would survive, as long as they were dug up in time.

All in all, an excellent performance on her part. A complete success on all fronts. Nobody died, and everyone lived happily after. A satisfying result, all things considered. Her operations usually sustained higher casualty figures. Now only a certain elf remained ...

Aurora turned her attention to her dearest guest.

...

...

...

Nelaeryn gulped, unable to comprehend what had transpired before his mortal eyes. His hand were trembling. His entire body shivered, flinching at her sight. Blank fear gripped his heart. Her purple eyes ... Her gaze fell right on him ...

His eyes had witnessed what he never thought possible. He never thought that such immense power wielded by the hands of a mere human, a little girl no less. A human girl dispatched a demon of the ancient era with apparent ease. Her power rivalled those of the mightiest sorcerers and heroes of legend.

Her degree of control. Her speed. Her technique. Like a vast ocean a trickling creek, her potent mana reserves overshadowed his. How didn't they notice her? How was such a monster able to hide among them in plain sight? The girl deceived them all.

“Uncle Nelaeryn, you seem bothered? Can I help you?” Aurora tilted her head, armed with a tender smile.

His breathing grew erratic, as his words fell apart in his mouth. “Who ... are ... you? What are ... you?”

“Who I am? I am no one. I am just a little girl.” A smile caressed her lips. The question visibly amused Aurora. Even in another life, they asked her the same question time and time again.

“You are lying ... khuff ... khoff ... khuff ...” Severe coughing interrupted Nelaeryn. His weakened lungs brought him to an abrupt halt.

“Not necessarily. Lying is such an ugly word, Uncle Nelaeryn. The paths of fate are incomprehensible. Destiny assigns all of us a certain role, a certain mask to play. I am merely playing my persona with much conviction and dedication to entertain my cherished audience. I think I have played my role rather well~.” Aurora clapped her hands, congratulating herself and her doll on their theatrical performance.

“...” Nelaeryn fell silent. Her applause ... unsettled him.

“Personal acting skills aside, I hope that this matter will stay a secret between us. I think that would be a small price to pay for saving your and Arwing's life, isn't .. it ... khuff ... khoff ... khuff ... khoff ... khuff ... khoff ...” Aurora was gasping for air after a violent fit of coughing cut her short. Her eyes wandered towards her hand and noticed a familiar iron stain of red. It was her lungs. It was evidently not just her soul that was not yet fully accustomed to the use of powerful magic.

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Bright sunlight awakened Lambert, who suffered from an insidious case of severe headache. A dull pain pierced his mind. His poor eyes withstood the blinding assault of light. He felt terrible. His muscles, his bones, his entire body cried out in pain. This was how death must feel like.

His vision adjusted and a familiar face greeted Lambert, a familiar face and her doll. Her doll really accompanied the girl everywhere, didn't she?

“Uncle Lambert, you are back!” The girl bounced around out of joy. Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

“Where am I? What am I doing here? Where is everyone else ...” His words fell on deaf ears. Their doll princess had already long since bounced away and disappeared, leaving behind an equally confused and dumbfounded Lambert. At least, he was alone now.

Lambert studied his surroundings. Immobilised and lying on the ground, he found himself resting in a tent under a warm woollen blankets ...

“Aargh.” His headache returned in full force. He remembered again. They fought a demon in the ruins. And apparently, they even survived the ordeal. Somehow. They must have prevailed. Somehow. And defeated the demon. Somehow. He doubted that the demon had any intention to allow them to escape alive.

The door of the tent opened and visitors arrived. The girl brought the rest of his party, Iris, Michael, Rudolf. It was good to know that they were all well and healthy. It was a close run thing, but Iris and Michael also made it through. Even their elven companions graced him with their presence.

A grateful smile crossed Lambert's lips. “I am glad to see that you are all well. Didn't think it would be me who would be hit the hardest.” Lambert tried to raise his arm, but a spike of stinging pain quickly dissuaded him. Not a good idea. Still too early.

Their little princess hugged her doll. “See, I told you so, he has woken up.”

“...” Rudolf crossed his arms, his face stoic. Yet his silence was unable to mask his sense of his relief.

Iris beamed like a radiant sunshine. “Glad to have you back, Lambert.”

Michael seconded her opinion. “Same here.”

Arwing and Nelaeryn acknowledged his existence with a mere nod. It was a gesture of goodwill that had already exceeded his expectations of elven courtesy.

Lambert looked around. “What ... happened? I remember that I was knocked out before everything went black ... ”

Iris pointed at their domestic doll princess. “Well, you must ask her. Nelaeryn claims that she was with him until the end. She even helped him to carry us back to the camp.”

Lambert stared at their local doll enthusiast. “Really?”

The girl nodded vigorously, unable to contain her excitement. “We saw everything. My doll and I were hiding behind a boulder and watching the fight. Uncle Nelaeryn fought the big evil meanie and defeated the demon with his icy magic something.”

“Is that ... true?” Lambert blinked before turning to the elf in question. Nelaeryn folded his hands behind his back. His posture betrayed not the slightest hint of weakness. Their elven companion retained his professional and dispassionate composure even after everything that happened.

“It ... is.” Nelearyn confirmed her little tale. “After you and Iris ... were incapacitated by the enemy, I continued ... fighting the demon ... on my own. We were quite ... lucky. The centuries of captivity and our attacks must have weakened the demon ... substantially. I was therefore able to finish him off, but it was a close call. The slightest mistake and we would have been for.”

“I see, ... I guess we all owe you ..., Lord Nelaeryn”, Lambert grumbled.

“I assure you that I only did what was ... natural ..., Lambert. We fought side by side against a common foe, and you put your lives at risk to protect us. I merely repaid the favour as honour demands.” Nelaeryn offered a wry smile in return, visibly uncomfortable with the entire situation. It was as if something distressed him in the back of his mind, but it was probably just his imagination. Nelaeryn was never particularly fond of human interaction.

“I guess so.” Lambert countered with a polite smile, a strained smile. What a terrible day. Not only did he get smacked by a demon, but he was now also owing an elf, a freaking elf. His ancestors would turn in their graves and haunt him for all eternity for being an unfilial son. He was bringing dishonour to the family.

...

...

...

In the background, an innocent and innocuous smile crossed Aurora's lips. She was a sweet little girl ... with a doll. Never forget her cute doll. A sweet little girl with a cute doll. Nobody would ever suspect her.

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