Volume 3 - Chapter 11 - A Light in the Dark / Hope (Down)

Previously on EC…

Kun proposed a method of treatment for the Princess, which Bell helped refine. Kun and Rick left the fort soon after as the Princess needed to be nude for Till to manage the physical symptoms while the Princess proceeds with the treatment. The duo has a little chat on the trees, shortly joined by demihumans and Gui whom all had some protein bars (I was so tempted to T/N in on the previous chapter xP). Unfortunately, the outside forces managed to break into the fort, forcing the Princess and her retinue to flee. In the process, one of the Princess’ guard recognized one of the demihumans, causing them to go slackjawed. Due to the result of the Princess glowing like a beacon, it attracted all the fighters on the surface while they were evacuating, forcing the touching reunion to be delayed. At some point, Kun and Gui disappeared in the midst of the evacuation, and are now harassing the scouts from the other forces with fire that tries to facehug them.

“Form up! We are going to help the Emissary!” The leader of the guard draws her weapon and points toward the chaotic fires weaving throughout the line of trees.

“Nope~ Don’t do that. Rick-ni, help scout ahead and escort the nee-sans towards our old campsite with the demihumans, we will regroup there. I’m going to stay behind and help Kun-ni~”

“Will you two be enough, shrimp?” Rick raises an eyebrow.

“Fuhuhuhuhuhu~” The girl gives off a mysterious laugh, partially covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers. “I want to see if we can scare the daylight out of these annoying pests~ And you are forgetting Gui, Rick-ni.”

The guards feel a chill run down their spines as they look at the girl in awe and fear, they would question her sanity and ability to do so if they hadn’t seen it first hand. For someone with the power to single-handedly cause a cave-in and then still have enough power to quite literally toss the entire squad out of the hole with ease making that claim, they almost feel sorry for the would-be pursuers.

“What abo-”

“Don’t worry, the three of them can escape when they need to. Also, about your Princess, I’m going to escape with her first with Sammy.” Bell interrupts the middle-aged elf before she can complete her question.

Seeing that there’s no time, the elf woman can only agree passively. “Our lives are in your hands. But…” She looks around slowly, trying to find someone. “Who is Sammy?”

*sha sha* *kero kero?*

The leaves above them rustles slightly, the croaks sound as though they are asking if someone called.

The felinoid points a finger up at the canopy. “That would be him, just think of him as a cross between a horse and a carriage. I will ride inside him, I can probably bring a few people along.” She turns around and looks at the relatively useless attendants. “Want me to take them with us?”

A contemplating expression appears on the elf’s face, but she replies quickly as befitting someone of her station. “Please.”

“Alright, let’s get going! Kun can’t do this forever!” Rick starts walks into the dark part of jungle, with a dagger in one hand and a disc of ice formed on the other.

“Rick-sensei, wait!” One of the demi-humans calls him back.

“Hmm?”

The demihumans move into open spaces and kneel down, pressing their hands into the ground.

*wu wu wu*

The softest of sound, as though thick mud is shifting, can barely be heard by some of the humans and elves. Shaggy, cattle sized dogs appear one after another from the ground, their red eyes shining ever so slightly, giving them an intimidating aura.

“Ah! Mi’xi!” The human named Zelara is the first to react and runs up to one of the beasts. The beast in turn swings its tail back and forth excitedly, pinning its head on the woman before shaking it loosely, nudging her towards its side. The young woman, taking the hint, leaps onto its back with a practiced motion.

“Su-summoning magic?!”
“So many!”
“Who are these demihumans…”
“How does Zelara know these people?”

The guards murmur to themselves, some were staring with their jaws hanging. Although they are the elite of the elite, something that defies common sense will still cause them to be flustered. The only difference is that the confusion would last momentarily.

“Ah! Right! These guys are called [Gray Cadejo]s, just think of them as as a cross between a stout warhound and a flexible warhorse, just mount them like any other horse.”

*fiie*

She gives a soft whistle, causing the rest of the [Cadejo]s to line up in front of the guards.

“Those with the poorest nightvision, mount one of them, each mount should be able to hold up to two of you easily.” The demi-human with the golden eyes explains.

All the guards immediately turn to their leader, who nods her head decisively as she knows the intention behind using these strange beasts.

In terms of strength and speed, female humanoids generally cannot win against males due to physique and size. Fortunately, at least for the Normans, their military leaders don’t measure war potential in such simplistic terms. Females consume less supplies, have higher mobility and faster reaction speeds, and as such, they were trained to emphasize these strengths. As a result, elite equestrian training was one of the courses that was mandatory for these guards.

Within a minute, everyone that needs to mount has mounted, leaving a scattering of elves and a few humans left standing. Needless to say, the group’s speed will increase as they wouldn’t stumble in the dark as often.

“Okay, let’s go!” Rick starts marching off with the guards in tow.

“Till, care to give me a hand?”

“No problem~”

*shi shi shi shi shi* *sha sha sha sha sha*

Numerous pieces of rock fly up, cutting the branches in the way, making a hole straight into the canopy.

“Sammy~ Make sure to catch them all, okay~?”

*KERO!*

The girl beckons Bell over along with the attendants, who complies while double checking that the Princess is secured on her back. A moment later, she gives a nod to the girl.

*fyuuuuu*

A gust of air swirls around the felinoid-princess pair, who lift off the ground gradually before getting launched into the newly made access through the treetops.

*sha*

The dazzling lights launch into the dark sky, shining through the thick canopy, causing many eyes across the jungle to look its way. As the pair descends from the air, a white, furry blob tilts its “mouth” up and cradling them to minimize the jolt from landing. Three more shadows pop up into the sky with various forms of squeal before landing softly onto its back. As soon as the last shadow lands and quickly adjusts itself, Sammy starts advancing over the tree top. Right now, Sammy is giving off a bright, soft, bluish-white light, dashing across the canopy in no particular pattern except for a general direction toward their former campsite.

* * * * *

“Heeek! Help!”
“Ahh!!!!!”
“Get away! Get away!”
“There’s something trying to devour us!”

Numerous soldiers, allies and foes alike, runs around like headless chickens as streams of fire appear from the dark and fly towards them. The few that have the courage to fight the soaring flames head on manage to cut the fire, only to have it turn back and chase after them once more. The fire appears frequently, but at irregular intervals, and the various fires all come in waves. A long, sleek shadow about knee-high takes the chance to stealthily bite them as soon as darkness creeps back to the jungle.

There haven’t been a single death yet, but those that were hit in the face is still laying on the floor, either semi-conscious from exhaustion, damage, and terror or moaning in pain.

“Someone go get the [Priest]s and [Mage]s! Ahhh!” A fiery serpent flies into the soldier’s face, then coils around it, causing a scream and the smell of burnt flesh to waft with it. *fomu* The man falls on the floor, tearing at his face to remove the flame. Before he can do so, the serpent stops burning and disappears into the once-again dark jungle.

*guru* *shiki*

A growl, then the soldier feels his right leg getting dragged, quickly followed by the sound of fabric ripping. “Ah! Ah! Don’t eat me!” The man kicks randomly as hard as possible while backing away toward a large tree.

Similar scenes plays out in the small section of jungle, with about three dozen soldiers being toyed with by these fiery apparitions. A lone young man is sitting on top of a tree branch, hidden away from view.

“Let me join the fun, Kun-ni~ How are you doing this~?” Till’s voice appears unexpectedly within the young man’s ears, giving him a small scare as his body stiffens and the branch shifts ever so slightly.

After a moment to calm himself, he answers. “Think of them as a miniature torch used with [Air Lance]. Where are you right now?” The minimap only shows the longitude and latitude of her location, not her altitude.

“I’m up on the canopy, make some noise so I can join~”

“Heh, alright.”

*fu* *fu* *fu* *fu*

The dark jungle is once more filled with floating flames simultaneously, more flames than before appear, causing a commotion in those still standing.

*shashasha*

The leaves rustle rhythmically, but the soldiers are too busy running around, slashing at the flame chasing them or desperately trying to run away.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the flame extinguishes without warning, throwing the jungle back into darkness.

“Let’s, let’s get out of here…”
“Why are you grabbing onto me?! Wait, you aren’t part of our group!”
“Who the hell cares at this point, let’s just get the hell out of here!”

The men and women stumble about in the dark.

“Ah screw it!” Someone finally goes against standing orders against using light sources and fires up a torch.

*fyuuu* *kon kon*

A gust of air whips by, knocking it out of the soldier’s hand.

“Okay, ready when you are Kun-ni~” Till sits on a branch with a hand sticking out from the previous spell, her right hand on her ear.

“Alright… what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to try something~”

“Okay, just be careful.”

“No problem~”

“Gui, stand down for the next round.” Kun switches the target of his message to give a warning to the gray fox that has been causing chaos below.

*fu fu fu*

A series of fires light up once more, but quite a few of the soldiers already backed away, returning from the direction whence they came. A handful joined the others on the leaf-littered floor for their sojourn in the dark. The remaining soldiers are veterans, veterans that noticed something odd. The attacks are terrifying, yes, but the damage is not proportionate to the attacks. As such, they stopped running and started to slash the fiery serpents and balls of flame while protecting their face, trying to scan the surrounding for clues.

*FUUUMU*

Suddenly, one of the fiery serpent billows out an explosive cloud of fire, singeing the soldier that was trying to attack it a moment ago.

*FUUMU*
*FUUUMU*
*FUUUUMU*

Likewise, other fires flying about are doing the same to the soldiers that have yet to flee or be incapacitated.

Although being chased by fire might not sound all that scary for those observing it from the outside, it is completely different for those experiencing it. The fear of the unknown wears heavily on one’s nerves, especially in the dark where friends and foes are next to impossible to distinguish. Then there’s the adrenaline rush tied into the fight or flight response of the body, this is something that can be controlled through training, but it is never the less taxing on the body. On top of all that, there’s the constant on and off with the flame, creating havoc for the soldier’s eyes.

The eye, regardless of species, requires a period of time to adapt to the different brightness of light. The human eye for example, can adapt to the differing amounts of light in several orders of magnitude due to the rods and cones within the ocular structure, but still requires an adaptation period of 10 to 30 minutes for the eyes to adjust via the iris and the photoreceptors’ sensitivity. The direct assault by the flames causes intense brightness that is centered on the soldier’s line of sight, easily overwhelming the cones located at the fovea centralis. The rods, being predominantly used in night and peripheral vision, are superior in detecting motions. With Gui running about along with the other soldiers, an individual’s mental fortitude will quickly wear thin, leaving them exhausted, tired, and ultimately incapacitated in one form or another.

Even for species with a quicker adaptation period, they will still suffer due to the sudden increase in intensity thanks to Till’s interference, as such, it’s of no surprise that the soldiers of the different factions are unable to cope.

[TL: Goddamn it, I didn’t think I would need to review highschool biology… in freaking nipnip and then to have to translate it into english where I had no idea what they are called, so I had to review it again in english (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻]

After the last standing soldier has fled the area, Kun raises his right hand to his ears. “Gui, make a quick round and see if more are coming.” A shadow streaks soundlessly on the jungle floor below, disappearing quickly into the dark. The young man turns his head towards another direction. “How did you do that, Till?”

“Welllllll~ I always wanted to try what you and Bell-ne were doing with the spells, so I figured if I remove a part of the spell, I can change the way it manifests itself like how your [Spell Modifier] works~” The girl sitting on another tree branch, further away, pauses for a moment to think of a way to explain what she did. “I got Bell-ne to explain what all those lines around the center symbol mean, and I figured, what happens if I just modify the ending~”

“Hmm… let me guess, [Gust]?”

“Nope~! I modified [Air Hammer]~!” The girl happily replies, finally joining her two elders into the experimental stage of magic. “According to what Bell-ne has figured out so far, [Air Hammer] is formed by creating a front in a given space, the air behind is compressed into this front, and then the compressed air is accelerated into a pseudo-mass that acts as a hammer~ So… I wanted to see if I can remove the front, will the hammer turn into a leaf-blower or just collapse~”

[TL: Till confirmed for talkative nerd! This is what you get for asking, Kun!]

“Wait, what?” Kun’s mouth curls up slightly, affecting his tone. “You mean Bell has stuff written down for you to access?”

“Ye…s?” The girl’s voice changes slightly, feeling as though she has said something she shouldn’t have. “Why? What’s the matter?”

“No reason.” The young man laughs soundlessly as he imagines getting his revenge. Previously, Bell had given him a hard time for not sharing his findings, the tables have turned. But before he can think along that line any further, the branch he’s sitting on waves up and down slightly.

“Brother, more people are coming, people with big lids are around these fewer people with sticks.” The shadow with a pair of shining eyes shares the information while approaching on the branch.

“Alright, good job, track down Rick and follow him, we will join you guys later.”

“Got it!” The branch shakes softly again, then the shadow is no more.

“Till, they are bringing magicians this time, I don’t think I can trick them anymore… Not that it matters, since I only have about a quarter of those ropes left.”

“Then let’s go with a bang~”

* * * * *

Dawn breaks, the various factions have made their way home. On the Princess’ side, an official request for attendance to Zinnia Academy was petitioned and granted. Her guards are to be stationed indefinitely in a new housing district, with Zelara acting as the liaison between the Normans and the Academy (An actual meeting will take place the following day once everyone has settled in). This news is publically announced within the Academy’s territory, since Sardonian and Feian servants are already present preparing for the upcoming school year for their various masters and mistresses, the news spreads quickly. By the 4th day, it becomes the talk of the region as the Academy is now teaching not just the Feian Nobles and the Sardonian Royals, but now, the Norman’s 1st Princess as well. By the end of the week, the entire eastern half of the continent finally became aware of the existence of Zinnia Academy.

As for the Royalists and Republicans involved…

It was initially reported that the 1st Princess was kidnapped by a 3rd party by both the Royalist and Republican factions to escape from any potential responsibility on the 1st day. Blame and accusations flew back and forth, tarnishing both sides. At the same time, a rumour was spreading around. On the night of the alleged kidnapping, citizens within Lilyheim and other nearby settlements claim to have seen a giant ball of soft, bluish-white light fluttering over the jungle.

On the same night, an impossible event happened within the jungle itself, where the various factions were at. A strange, geological feature appeared overnight, rugged monolith spikes from the jungle floor with the odd tree hanging off of them, as though the earth was abruptly pulled up like potter’s clay. The canopy near the monoliths is bare and charred, people would’ve mistakenly believed that there was a fire if it wasn’t for the fact that the leaves are still green below the canopy and that the supposed burnt tree are still alive. The Royal Guards and 1st Division Army were immediately sent out to investigate what has happened. This was on the 3rd day, just before the news from the Academy reached the Norman Kingdom via Feian traders.

Rumours amongst the citizens spread like wildfire, some claim that the two factions were actually fighting for some treasures. Others, remembering the Request posted by a girl and a youth, mentioned divine intervention, saving their Princess. The incoherent soldiers that collapsed from Kun’s little fire show started to talk about the fiery serpents and balls of fire in the “Haunted Space”, and the odd fact that there was not a single casualty. The magicians and soldiers who saw the very earth raised from the ground to form the monoliths also talked about arms of muds that thrash around at the taverns as they tried to calm their nerves with liquid-courage.

The stories combine with one another, the newer ones ever more fantastic than the last, eventually a connection forms between the “Ball of Light”, the “Haunted Space” and the “Monoliths” with the soldiers’ tale and the news regarding the 1st Princess. It became an epic story all on its own, with bards and minstrels spawning their own songs; that night became known as “The Faeries’ Night March”. The wrath is obviously directed at those who angered the faeries, as for why the faeries became angry, there were many speculations. Some claim that the “Ball of Light” seemed to be moving toward the [Forest of Illusions], that the faeries were in fact protecting the Princess by bringing her away while keeping the soldiers at bay. Others are fearing Calamity, that the Jungle has finally abandoned them since the Nobles are corrupted, that they must repent to appease these Spirits.

Regardless of the versions shared within the bars and at the dining tables, the consensus seems to be that the Nobles involved were somehow at fault, and that something must be done. This view resonated with the vast majority of the country, as even they can see the decline of the kingdom despite the appearance of prosperity. Slowly, but surely, tensions are mounting with despair seeping in, all of the citizenry are now unconsciously looking at the two Princesses as they represent the hope of the kingdom since the current King seems to be unable to do anything.