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Chapter 107 - Moving Ever-Forward
🕑 Added 2018-07-17 17:15:48 +0000 UTC "You're Drills?" I speak out loud what I just thought. At that word, Hestia puts a hand over her mouth and turns away, suppressing a snort. Is calling Svanhild by the nickname of Drills that funny? It's what her hair used to look like at the Royal Academy."... you traitor!" Svanhild spits at Dregana and gets up, but is hindered by the chains around her ankles. Her expression is one of seething anger, as she regards her former teacher with hatred.
"So, can you imagine what I came here to do?" I walk forward and press my body onto the steel bars of the prison cell. Under the utterly bewildered expressions of everybody present, I seemingly phase through them unhindered. In reality, I simply let my matter coil around the round bars and reform on the other side.
"To bring me out for a public execution..." Although she is surprised by the casual display of my otherworldly body and inches back, she finds enough presence of mind to reply in a low tone.
"That's one of the potential outcomes of my visit, yes." Stepping right up to her fearlessly, I look down straight into her eyes. "Depending on how things go, you may get out of here alive though."
"I see." Svanhild lowers her head, and her shoulders shake. I don't for a second believe that she's afraid, and prepare for the obvious attack that's about to come. "Then I choose your death instead!"
As expected, she throws a right hook into my solar plexus, but her fist is surrounded by whirlwind shaped like a drill. I let the attack hit me because my mind is occupied by the thought that she's honoring her theme perfectly with that ability.
But of course, it has no effect on me at all. Due to my body's potential density even the force of Aorutihaua - without their Golden Shawl - is unable to harm me; what could a weak punch with some wind surrounding it do then?
"Wha-" She utters in surprise and tries to draw back her hand, but I grab it quickly and pull her closer.
"I'll ignore this pathetic attempt, but make it your last." I whisper to her coldly. Then I let go, and she falls onto her bottom, staring up at me with fearful eyes. "What I want from you is information about the movements of the other Chosen Knights, as well as which gods are participating in the war."
"Why should I-" She begins, but I interrupt her.
"Guards, leave us." I order the two crocodilian guards outside the cell, and they immediately do as they're told without question. They know first-hand how powerful I am, and that I don't need protecting. "Why should you tell me everything you know?"
"Because you will torture me?" Asking in an almost meek tone, realizing that her situation may be worse than she thought.
"Because I will tell you everything I know." With these words, I turn around and unlock the cell door by creating a key from my finger. "Come in here and make yourselves comfortable. This is going to take a while."
Waving Hestia and Dregana into the cell, I sit down on a mass of tentacles sprouting from my backside, before extending two of the tentacles to create two normal chairs. The dragonkin frowns at my display and is reluctant to sit down, but Hestia does so without hesitation. She has seen most of my true form already - and she has enjoyed being embraced by it greatly - so there wouldn't even be any apprehension if I had told her to sit on a chair made of tentacles. That actually gives me an idea, but I file it away in my mind for later.
Svanhild looks disgusted, as she retreats from me. It's to be expected, but I don't care about her opinion at all.
"Now, where should I begin?"
"And that's that." When I finish the history lesson and look between the people present, I find that they each have a different expression on their face. Hestia must be having an existential crisis at the realization that her race, and in extension she herself, was created on a whim. Dregana is skeptical, but mostly because she doesn't take all my words at face value just yet; it does sound too outlandish to be true for a person who was naturally born into this world.
Svanhild is staring at me like I just told a stupid joke. It's quite obvious that she doesn't believe a word I said, but I can tell that she's forcing herself to think that way. A hint of doubt appears in her eyes as she looks at Hestia, who has swallowed everything without questioning it.
"What was the point of telling me this?" Her aggression has subsided considerably, and she asks in a resigned manner. Maybe she's really thinking that I'm crazy enough to believe my own story and is pitying me.
"The Old Humans are deceiving everyone. I will put an end to those remnants of a past age and return control over destiny to the hands of the people." I maintain a serious tone and state my intentions. It's only half the truth; my main goal is revenge for my mother, with my secondary goal being to end the war between humans and demons. Only after that am I thinking of the free will of the people who have been treated as toys by the self-proclaimed gods for two thousand years.
"And you think I believe you?" Svanhild's expression grows increasingly impatient again when she remembers what I want from her.
"I know you believe me. Deep down in your heart, you already considered it yourself." That's obviously something I can't know, but it's watering the seed of doubt I'm seeing in her eyes. "Who did you get your power from?"
"Why should I-" She begins again, but I interrupt her.
"Come on. Not like that's going to make a difference now, is it?" I gesture at the situation she's in.
"The Lord of the Sky, Zenlith." Pressing out between her teeth, Svanhild lowers her eyes.
"It goes something like this, right?" I raise my forearm and summon a whirlwind shaped like a drill around it with a simple thought. Since I've been using wind magic the most out of all elements, and because I've seen Drills activate it several times, I have a pretty good grasp on how it works.
"How?!" With a surprised shout, she stares at the whirlwind before I dispel it.
"Because of the Imagination Engine." I turn to Hestia, who must have made peace with the world and herself just now and is no longer confused by my revelations. "You try it."
Wordlessly, the angel girl raises her hand, and soon a breeze starts up around it, which spins slightly. Of course, I don't expect her to achieve the mastery that Svanhild most likely spent a long time to attain, but it's proof for my story. It would be easier to bring Tahiri here and have her show off the abilities that Zenlith is known for, but it might not be necessary anymore.
"I spent... so much time... learning it from Lord Zenlith..." Svanhild holds her head and mutters as if what just happened has shattered her sense of self.
Really though, did she think that creating a shredding whirlwind was some kind of incredible and unique power? Compared to that, Colart and Folke's abilities are much more powerful - especially when they work together. Just the latter alone could be really difficult to deal with for normal humans and demons.
"I can teach you." I lower myself to the blonde and lift her chin so that she looks up at me. "Join me."
"Yeah, I obviously didn't think it would be this easy to convince her." I shrug, as we leave the barracks. Svanhild bit the hand I lifted her chin up with like a mad dog, although she broke all her front teeth in doing so. Even when I restored her to her previous beauty, she didn't trust me at all and refused to give me any information or even join me.
Well, I'll keep trying, though I won't give her too many more chances. Getting information on the other Chosen Knights and the Old Humans is not an absolute necessity. Ultimately, I want to lure the human army into one huge confrontation in which I can kill their beloved gods before their eyes, and expose the disappointing truth of this world.
"Onee-sama, can you teach me how to use this Imagination Engine?" Hestia nestles up to me and asks with upturned eyes. I would have done it anyway even if she didn't ask, because all those important to me should have a way to defend themselves in case the Old Humans attacked them. While I think that not even Tahiri would be able to defeat her counterpart if he got completely serious, it's better than nothing.
"Yes, I will start with your training tomorrow." Caressing her cheek with a suggestive smile, I continue. "Tonight we'll be doing something else."
Upon these words, Hestia's face reddens as she understands my intention immediately. But there is not a hint of embarrassment in her eyes, as she licks her lips and breathes out hotly in anticipation.
"I am looking forward to it, Onee-sama." She replies unhesitatingly, disregarding all the people within earshot - mainly Dregana and the castle guards. The former is very obviously frowning in my direction, though she should be aware that we've done it before; the latter tactfully act as if they didn't hear a thing.
We walk up the stairs and towards the dining hall, where the others should be having dinner already. Telling the history of this world took a lot of time, and the sun was about to set when we came out of the barracks. Right now the glowing disc is touching the horizon, and its reddish light basks the scenery in a warm tone.
Stopping to look out the windows and regard the city, where many lights have been turned on, and the streets are bustling with activity, I feel contentment in my heart - knowing that it won't last very long. I'll have to head out and face the Old Humans soon, and then there's still the matter of finding a way to coexist with the humans - or subjugating them if there is none.
So I'll enjoy this moment of peace for as long as it lasts.
During dinner, Hestia never left my side, much to the chagrin of Tokomaha, who has returned from the city with Tahiri. When I explained the situation to her, she frowned, but didn't say anything else and simply plopped down on my lap. Senka was nowhere to be seen, so that seat was empty. Maybe the doll girl saw this situation coming and created this opportunity on purpose.
I really enjoyed my time, smelling the little goddess' fragrant leaf hair and feeling her soft body leaning against me. Hestia would lean in on my arm and purposefully let me feel her large chest while insisting on feeding me. With Aurelia sitting on my other side and all the maids attending to me, I presented the perfect picture of a harem protagonist.
When we finished, everybody left for their rooms, and I had a maid show Dregana to one just for her. Only Hestia remained with me, as even Tokomaha understood that my priority tonight lay elsewhere. We quickly went to my room and locked the door behind ourselves, giggling like children before a prank.
I let the bath water in and undid the clothes I created from my own body, while Hestia slid out of her dress. As I saw her pure white skin in all its naked glory I felt my breath stop for a moment; I had sorely missed this sight. Extending my hands toward her, I feel my hands itch at the thought of what's to come.
"Alas, I won't show that to you here." Senka shrugs and flips over two pages of the flipchart.
"Wait, why did you build up the anticipation like that just to let everyone down?" I complain, not expecting a proper answer. But she fixes her large blue eyes on me and replies with a completely serious expression.
"Because we have more important things to do than showing that kind of thing right now." The doll girl uses a pointing stick to underline the title on the flipchart. It reads 'Visualization', with various bullet points underneath it. "You were the one who asked me to help you in this class."
My entourage, as well as Dregana and all the maids, are sitting in the room like a school class, while Senka and I are standing at the front as teachers. This is a lesson on how to use the Imagination Engine to at least improve their innate abilities so that they don't require incantations anymore.
I made the maids attend because they are supposed to be the elite forces directly under the demon lord's command. And I heard from Senka that they were defeated by the humans who infiltrated the castle that day my mother was killed. I can't have that happen again, even though I personally don't need their protection.
"Alright..." I stand down, seeing as the attendees of the class don't seem to mind the doll girl skipping a part that I feel would have been well-received, albeit maybe unnecessary to maintain context.
"So, next up is 'Visualization', and how to employ it to improve your magic." Continuing without lingering on our short exchange, Senka gestures at the first bullet point. "Having a vision is key."
It reminds me of my time on the moon with Aurelia. Juzual made the golden girl teach me visualization, saying that it was the key to unlocking my potential in magic. Back then I didn't fully understand its importance since I was still under the impression that magic was real. Now I know that magic has moved up an order because of the Imagination Engine; what used to be considered magic has just become something achievable through science, while real magic lies beyond that.
One example would be my body. To science, the infinite space inside me is nothing short of magic. Same for its complete disregard for the laws of physics, which the Imagination Engine still follows, when I store away matter so that it doesn't affect the outside world. If I were bound to the law of conservation of mass, my current form would probably be heavier than the floating rock this castle is built on.
"Each of you has magic unique to your clan." Senka begins and gestures at Amerega for a prime example. The frog maid blinks her round eyes and brings a bulbous fingertip to her chin in a thoughtful expression. "You cast your magic instinctively, without much thought."
"Some of your spells are the results of your line of ancestry. Others came about because of culture and society." I rejoin the topic and add to the explanation. Several demons that are one of a kind appear on the Demon Continent each year. Their memories of being created by Alverost must have been altered so that they believe they somehow came into existence naturally.
"Others have the natural mental inclination. It's what decides the so-called 'affinity' for the elements." Shaking her head, the doll girl takes back over. "Even though there are no such things as elements, and everybody should have the potential to do anything."
A murmur runs through the class at her words, and I see many confused expressions. Senka and I had agreed on not telling the maids the truth of this world just yet since it would be too much to process right away, but she just took a step in the wrong direction.
"What she means is that affinities being inborn and unchangeable is a myth. Anyone can learn any element with the right mindset." I quickly backpedal on the doll girl's thoughtless statement, and I see understanding pop up in everybody's faces. Hestia and Dregana have been warned to stay quiet about what I told them in the prison cell, so they silently listen while thinking their part. "We'll take a lunch break and meet back in the courtyard to do some real training there."
"We did it, Your Highness!" More and more maids call out to me when they become able to use magic of an affinity they thought they did not possess before. Furthermore, they have learned to abandon the notion of requiring a catalyst - another lie the Old Humans ingrained into everybody.
"Why aren't you able to cast magic?" I turn to Senka, who's watching the students' progress silently. "Didn't you say you used to be human?"
"Because I'm not from this world." She replies quietly without averting her eyes from the training maids.
"Neither am I." I mutter, but she shakes her head and looks up at me with a strangely sad smile.
"No, this is your world." That's all she says, before turning away again. Does she mean this has become my world now? I know that I was reincarnated into this Crawling Chaos body and that there is most likely not a place for me to return to. So I guess in a way, yes, this is my world.
"Your Highness, Lady Chandra is asking for You." A bakari messenger comes up to me and kneels. He resembles Markor, like all his male clan members do, but is of slightly smaller stature.
"So she has decided to depart, huh?" It's a rhetorical question because I know that her army has finished resting and is ready to move again after the forced march back to Arkaim. "Tell her that I'm on my way."
"As You wish, Your Highness." Lowering his head to acknowledge my order, the messenger departs to fulfill it.
"I'll leave this class to you then. Don't teach them too many strange things." Patting Senka's hat, I grin at her.
"When you come back, they'll be ready to overthrow you." Looking up at me with an evil grin that splits her cheeks all the way up to the molars, the doll girl replies in the tone of a megalomaniac.
"Yes yes, I'm looking forward to that." Waving at her as I walk away, I signal for Hestia and Dregana to stay behind, before making my way toward the single large tree in the middle of the courtyard. The gods of Adanak are sitting in its shade and dozing off.
I look at the cute sleeping face of Tokomaha, as she lies curled up in the grass, her hair blending in perfectly with her surroundings. Korenga is leaning against the tree with her arms crossed, unexpectedly not snoring. Tahiri is the only one who is still awake, as she plays with the flowing white hair of her daughter, Aratio, who's resting her head in her mother's lap. Unfortunately, I have to disturb this idyllic image, because I need one of them.
"[Korenga, wake up.]" I put a hand on the Black God's shoulder and shake her lightly. She opens her eyes and looks up at me, not a hint of wariness or surprise in her features. In fact, it looks like she has found peace, as her eyes seem to have regained the life that I had been missing in them since I first met her. It surprises me so thoroughly that I forget to speak.
"[What is it, Chaos?]" She asks with a gentle smile, and I'm pulled out of the moment. There's a twinge in my heart when I think about what I have to tell her next.
"[Come with me. I'd like you to go to Erbilan with Chandra, and defend the city against the human attack that will happen there soon.]" Almost reluctantly, I explain the reason for disturbing her. I came to this decision after discussing my concerns about the difficulties of this war with Senka. She was the one to suggest splitting up my forces, because each one of us amounts to an entire army, and keeping us all in one place would be a waste of resources.
"[Oh, some action again?]" The gentle and peaceful Korenga is instantly replaced by her usual self, as her eyes lose their light. Instead, I see bloodlust in them as I have so often. "[Just point me in the right direction.]"
"[I'm sorry...]" I mutter quietly to myself, but she overhears it.
"[Don't be. I understand.]" She rises to her feet and pats my head. I feel my breath getting stuck in my throat at her expression and suppress tears from welling up as I look down. "[I'm the Black God. What am I without the fight?]"
At that moment, I swore to myself that I would return the light to her life and let nothing disturb it again. But for the time being, I need her dark and unbridled side - the side that can never find peace.
"[Yes, for the time being...]" Looking up at Korenga, I speak with determination. "[Let's go.]"
