Chapter 170: The Breaking Loose

Dakota was also having a tough time sleeping that night. Not due to any introspective reason, rather it was because of her choice of roommate.

Bansha had taken one too many naps during the day already. That meant, for the foreseeable future, she was Dakota’s problem.

This was how the two of them ended up scouring the halls, looking for something to do.

Bansha apparently only wanted to see new things. As Dakota carried her through the hallway, she would occasionally point her paw at anything that interested her.

“Treat?”

“That’s the royal insignia. I think it’s supposed to be modeled after the scary emperor guy.”

“Treat.”

“He is too scary, you’re only saying he’s not because you like anybody who pets you.”

For the first time since learning to talk, Bansha had no rebuttal.

“Who are you?”

Dakota turned around sleepily when she heard a hard voice come from behind her.

“Oh… It’s you.” Dakota yawned.

Andros, the golden giant, was completely stunned. The woman staring back at him was, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful he had ever seen in his entire life.

He became as rigid as a statue. All of his words became locked behind an ocean of white thoughts.

Dakota had a hard time understanding what was going on. The guy had called out to her, she’d said three words to him, and now he was staring at her like a cow about to be slaughtered.

She didn’t remember this guy being this weird at the academy. But since she didn’t actually talk to anyone outside of her group, perhaps he could have been like this all along.

“Uhh.. Do you need me to call for help or-”

Suddenly, Dakota also went rigid, and her eyes bulged outward.

She heard a voice so familiar that it shocked her to her very core, with a message that seized her heart with fear.

’My children… If you can hear me, something… t-terrible has happened… Listen closely, because… I am running out of time.’

–

Everett knew he never should have allowed these two to ride along with him.

Since Raizel wasn’t a horseman, that meant he would have to ride with either him or Nila.

Everett didn’t want some dude’s junk pressed up against his back. Which meant that his sister was stuck riding with the dude who was supposed to be her husband.

Even as the horsemen raced across the surface of the ocean, Everett could still hear the awkward silence that seemed to take up permanent residence between the two of them.

’…Hey, Riot, give it a little bit more go, would ya? I wanna be as far removed from this bad stage play as I can.’

’Okay.’

As the rider of the azure horse picked up speed, Nila knew exactly what her brother was doing, and she cursed him for it internally.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

Raizel spoke for the first time in several minutes, surprising Nila enough to make her jump.

“W-What a silly question! As if I, the great Vanquisher, could ever be made uncomfortable by a single acquaintance! My brother’s most cherished friend, at that.”

Nila laughed boisterously, unaware that Raizel could see the sweat running down her nape. She never should have tied her hair up before they started riding.

“…Is that all that I am to you? Your brother’s most cherished friend…?”

Nila’s mouth ran dry.

“…Y-yes, of course. I don’t know about the past you come from, or what relationship we may have had there, but my feelings are not the same here. I hope you haven’t… done what you did because of me. You being alive doesn’t change anything.”

Nila looked up at the moon overhead. “I do not wish to be entangled with anyone, Raizel. What I want is-”

“To travel. To explore with your siblings and fight in glorious battles until all of the realms know of the scarlet rider… Do you think we would have been as close as we were in the past if I did not understand that?”

His simple words were all it took for the bloodthirsty elf to fall silent once more.

Sometimes, she genuinely hated interacting with Raizel. It was as if he knew everything about her, and yet she knew nothing about him.

Nila didn’t fancy being in disadvantageous situations, whether it was a battle of words or blood.

“I’m not going to rush you to do anything. And I’m certainly not around to make you uncomfortable.” Raizel finally said.

“I-I’m not uncomfortable, you undead bastard!”

Raizel grinned warmly. “Good. Oh, and by the way… if I see you getting cozy with a man that’s not your brother, I may just carve them into ribbons in front of you. Perhaps I’ll even arrange the pieces into a nice little bow.”

*Ba-dump..!*

Nila unconsciously clutched her chest. Her cheeks became hot enough to fry an egg on, and the sweat running down her nape only worsened.

She couldn’t pinpoint why his words made her feel so… strange.

However, she was given a lucky break.

When a familiar voice played in the mind of Everett and Nila, they both turned their horses around and rushed back home at nearly double their usual speed.

–

Dakota burst through the door in clear alarm.

Jiaoying sat up in bed, clearly alarmed by the sound of her bedroom door slamming open.

Her hand flew out, pulling her sword into her grip from across the room.

“For the love of the stars, Dakota! What is the matter!?”

“I-It’s Eir’Vael! I heard them talking to me again, and they said that a bunch of elves took Ms. Giselle and Ms. Yari!”

“What..? But..”

Jiaoying scoured her bed, but Yari was nowhere to be found. She lunged to her feet quickly, already getting dressed.

She held out her hand and pulled open the dresser on the opposite side of the room.

Dakota saw flashes of a red fabric inside, along with gilded shoulder pieces and a design depicting some very monstrous creatures.

“Where is your brother? Has he not made it back from-” Jiaoying paused just as she was about to start pulling on her battledress.

Light flickered against her cheek.

She looked out the window, only to see the sun rising far before it was supposed to. But when she saw the sun heading in the wrong direction, she realized that her Bear already knew what had happened.

Jiaoying heard a yawn come from the shadows at her feet. Fury’s voice seemed to caress her like an excitable young lover.

’Mmm.. I just love the smell of a bloodbath in the morning, don’t you?’

Ordinarily, Jiaoying would have tempered down her darker half’s interest in violence.

But because she was hyper aware of what had been taken from her, she was more than just a little bloodthirsty herself.

“Today… I actually don’t mind it much.”

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