Chapter 195: Chapter 193: Those who are waiting

When Antares and the others decided to fight against Karelvo, Zald and Mika were steadily preparing for their escape. They acquired a large wagon, which seemed to have been abandoned by soldiers amidst the chaos, and were gathering necessary supplies from the homes and stores of the imperial capital.

It’s hard to say if it was luck, but they didn’t need to resort to violence to gather supplies. Due to the attack by Remus and the appearance of Karelvo, those without the power to fight were either huddled in their homes, waiting for the turmoil to pass, or fleeing to more sturdy buildings. The abandoned homes and shops were sufficient to gather the necessary supplies.

“Is this the second one?… It seems it didn’t reach the city walls this time.”

“Yes, but the area it swept through must be in a terrible state.”

Although they were far from Karelvo, they couldn’t ignore its massive size, its roars, and most importantly, the breath it emitted from its mouth. A direct hit would obliterate them just like it would a building.

The return of Gora, holding the severely injured Farl, made it impossible for them not to be on guard. They always had a few people monitoring the surroundings and Karelvo’s movements, ready to act immediately if there was any significant movement.

Farl, who had suffered heavy injuries, was receiving intensive treatment from a few capable healers skilled in healing spiritual arts, which included Sharl. Although her sister Tuhru could not use healing spiritual arts, her proficiency in ice spiritual arts was ideal for cooling burns. So she continued to cool her sister’s burns as she struggled to hold back her tears.

Gora, eager to distract himself from his concern for Farl’s condition, had climbed atop the tallest nearby building to keep watch. Zald could have allowed him to stay with Farl, but Gora had insisted on staying busy, so he let him be.

“We are ready to depart at any time, but… have the two of them not returned yet?”

“Yes. It’s difficult to discern the situation due to the noise, but it seems they’ve joined forces with Sir Marcellus and Sir Decius in battle.”

Among the demons, Mika was particularly gifted with keen hearing, but the chaos in the imperial capital made it difficult to distinguish sounds. In fact, it was commendable that he could accurately hear that they had joined forces with Marcellus and Decius.

Fortunately for everyone, Mika had not heard that the monstrous being that suddenly appeared in the city was Karelvo. Had he known, he would have been unable to avoid complicated feelings.

“To think all this happened while I was asleep… There’s much I want to ask the captain, but first, I must properly express my gratitude.”

Asumi was securing the cargo with a complicated expression on her face. When Antares neutralized the device that caused demons to rampage, a wave of light, akin to a neutralizing wave, spread across the imperial capital. This light not only dispelled Rinne’s spiritual art that had kept Asumi and the others asleep but also freed them from the binding spiritual arts.

After awakening and learning about Antares’s survival and the current situation, Asumi was overwhelmed with joy, surprise, and guilt. To her, Antares was her lifesaver. She had believed her benefactor to be dead, only to find out that he had returned while she was unconscious and that she was once again indebted to him. It was natural for her to feel ashamed.

“I don’t think he minds at all. But more importantly…”

“His aura seemed different, didn’t it? And he was wearing fine clothes and had some handy tool. What exactly happened to him after that?”

Linardo’s doubts were shared by the entire special operations unit. Indeed, it would be strange not to wonder. Antares, who was almost certainly thought dead, had returned. It was a joyous event, but he had come back not only alive but also in finer attire and with a mysterious tool that he didn’t possess before his disappearance.

Moreover, the change in his aura was concerning. The old Antares, like everyone else in the special operations unit, had given up on their future. They fantasized about freedom but resigned themselves to the belief that it would never happen.

However, the Antares who returned had dispelled that air of resignation. Not only that, although he did not exhibit any special behavior, somehow, to everyone in the special operations unit, Antares looked one or two times bigger than before, as if he had grown significantly in their eyes.

The reason for this change in Antares was his unwavering focus on a new firm goal. Those who act not by following orders but by fulfilling their own desires possess a certain vigor, regardless of their strength. His comrades had keenly sensed this vigor in him.

“We’ll find out when he tells us later. We can ask him in detail then. The boss might have changed a bit, but it’s definitely a positive change, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely. He seems more reliable than before.”

“Right? For now, we just need to wait for his return and focus on defending this place.”

“That seems wise indeed.”

Mika, agreeing with this sentiment, nodded to Zald before glancing sideways at the wagon. There, Lappy was swinging her legs, holding a box entrusted to her by Antares.

Although she usually lacked expression, those who had known her for a long time could clearly see she was in a good mood. The younger members, like Leo, had gathered around her.

With Leo, the leader of the younger group, by Lappy’s side, it naturally drew the others. While some of the children were too young to fight, most, like Leo and Julius, were capable. As requested by Antares, Leo was subtly assisting Lappy.

“I wonder what’s inside that box?”

“I’m curious too.”

However, it must not be forgotten that those gathered were children. Living on the battlefield, they were forced to mature quickly in order to survive. Yet, this did not mean they completely lost their childlike nature.

They possessed a childlike curiosity, particularly about the contents of the box that Lappy had been handed, which was said to be important. They looked at the box from various angles with keen interest.

“Let’s open it and see!”

“Hey, Julius! Don’t; you’ll get us in trouble!”

“It’s just a little peek; he won’t get mad.”

Julius suggested opening the box. Ariel spoke sternly to him, but he didn’t seem to listen. However, someone was glaring sharply at him.

“No can do. Big brother entrusted me with it. If you try to force it open, then I…”

“It’s a joke, just a joke! Don’t take it so seriously!”

That someone was Lappy, who had been entrusted with the box by Antares. Startled by her glare, Julius quickly claimed it was a joke. He had a hard time shaking off his fear towards Lappy, remembering how she nearly beat him to death when they first met.

Lappy, considering that others might also want to open the box, held it tighter. Just then, a clattering sound came from inside the box.

At first, Lappy panicked, thinking she had disturbed the contents of the box. But she quickly realized that wasn’t the case. The box began to shake and move more violently.

“Eh? Eeeeh!?”

“Hey! What’s inside this thing!?”

The children hastily retreated backward. Although they didn’t expect Antares to entrust them with something dangerous, the irregularly moving box was eerie. It was a natural reaction to want to keep a distance.

While the adults were all on guard, wondering what was happening, only Lappy remained calm. She kept the box on her lap, watching it intently, ready for whatever might happen.

While everyone in the special operations unit, except those who were watching the surroundings, focused their attention, the box continued to vibrate. After a while, its latch came undone, and the lid opened to reveal a milky white spherical object inside.

This sphere had two blue, gem-like orbs arranged like eyes. Lappy, observing the mysterious sphere up close, somehow felt as if this clearly inanimate object looked up at her with a semblance of apprehension.

“I’m Lappy. Who are you?”

“…Acht.”

“””It,it just talked….?!”””

Following her intuition, Lappy spoke to it, and the sphere responded with a bell-like, cute voice, introducing itself as Acht. Acht was a crystalline life form that Antares was entrusted with by Aiwass.

At first, when Antares received it, Acht appeared only as a blue crystal orb. However, upon awakening its self-awareness, it followed the instinct of a crystalline life form to create a protective shell around itself. This shell was made of the same material as Eins’s skin; it was so hard that even Antares’ sword would struggle to scratch it.

“Big brother said you are important. That means you are important to me too. From now on, we’re friends.”

“Friends… Lappy and Acht, friends?”

“Yes. Friends.”

Lappy was unaware that Acht was a unique life form that was called a luminous crystalline life form, nor did she know of its abilities. However, her absolute trust in Antares prevented any hostility towards Acht from arising.

This is why Lappy’s sincere offer of friendship was conveyed clearly. Rolling around inside the box, Acht gazed at Lappy with gem-like eyes similar to Ein’s and gave a small nod.

“Friends. Lappy, Acht’s friend!”

“Yes. Friends with everyone…”

“An enemy! The enemy is coming!”

“They’re definitely heading this way!”

The brief moment of peace ended with the warning of an enemy attack by Gora and the others. The special operations unit, while preparing for their escape from the imperial capital, prioritized quick gathering of supplies without bothering to hide or erase their tracks. This is how their location was discovered.

They had already expected to be attacked, and that’s why lookouts were stationed. The special operations unit quickly prepared for a counterattack. Their movements, honed from long experience on the battlefield, were swift. Combatants armed themselves and assumed battle positions, while non-combatants boarded the wagon.

Lappy, being among the strongest of the younger group, needed to go to the battlefield. However, she couldn’t bring her new friend, Acht, along. Acht was important to Antares and was now a new friend to her as well.

“Acht, wait here for a bit. I’ll go take care of the bad guys.”

“Lappy, be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m strong.”

Having said that, Lappy joined her comrades in the battle formation to meet the attackers. They were now capable of fully engaging in combat, even against Imperial soldiers. As long as they could fight seriously, defending the wagon would be easy. With the highest morale they had ever maintained, they clashed fiercely with the Imperial troops.