27 Interlude 01 : Azalia von Starfall

Inside the room, a black-haired girl is sitting on her bed. Sweats are dripping from her forehead and her clothes are drenched with sweat.

"I can now, hah, dance it all night, hah," she muttered while taking sharp breaths.

Then without minding the sweat on her body, she fell asleep just like that. It was already noon when she wakes up from her bed. This had become the routine after meeting the mysterious boy whom she accepted the engagement he offered and returned from the ruin.

It was a spur of the moment that she accepted the engagement. But she thought about it after cooling down her head. She will not reject the proposal even if she were in a clear head at that time. It seems hero saving beauty situation like from the books she had read really works.

"Uwaah, it smells," she said after smelling her hair. "I should take a bath first before falling asleep," she thought herself.

After taking a shower, she went to the dining room to have lunch. Rumors were spreading around the palace. That is 'Princess Azalia became colder and colder to the people' and that 'Princess Azalia has become crazy'.

The first one is true. Now that she is engaged, it would be rude of her to her fiancé if she spends time with other people. She might not have learned about the topic of marriage but she of course knows about this. This is elementary after all. When people got engaged, the woman will not spend time talking to other men more than necessary*. (*No, she is just misunderstanding about it.)

And the second part? She doesn't understand that rumor herself. She just lives like usual apart from talking less with other males. (*She doesn't know that her footwork is being heard from the outside when she was practicing Hinokami Kagura.)

"Good afternoon, Azalia!" she heard the voice of a male when she got inside the dining room.

She said nothing but nodded at him. He was her fellow student while studying under Hero. Bright Covan is his name. Because his grandfather the former Hero Nova Covan is staying at the palace, he also came and stay with his grandfather. But she knew the real reason why he is staying here. It is to get closer to her. How far did this male has fallen? He is a fiancé of her beloved sister and yet still lusting after her. She made a mental note to kill him if he made her beloved sister cry.

"Good afternoon, sister," she then heard the voice of her beloved sister near the table. She smiles warmly at the sight of her sister. Her sister is her pride and joy after all.

"Good afternoon to you too, sister," she said while taking a seat. The maid placed the plates in front of her to eat.

"I will be going now, Azalia. And Ulah too," Bright said goodbye as he went outside.

"By the way sister, I would like to ask you something," Ulah said while drinking the soup.

"Sure, ask! Anything for you," Azalia replied with a smile.

"Do you know a boy with white hair and purple eyes?"

She was stunned. She was pretty sure her eyes are also widened.

"How do you know –," just as she was going to ask, "About him?" her sister cut off her question.

"Yes," she could only nod.

"I met him when Bright and I went to the event hosted by the Oak family."

"Oak family?"

"The marquis' family, sister. You should sometimes go to the social gathering."

"I don't wanna!" she pouted at her sister. The two of them are in her personal room now.

"Hah," the girl just shakes her head. "Well, I met him at the event. Then he was challenged to the duel by one of the scions of the marquis family," she added.

"He won, didn't he?"

"Yes, what I wanted to ask is, why did the sword form he used in the duel look similar to the dance you were dancing during the night?" her sister asked her with a serious look.

"It is not just similar, dear sister. They are one and the same. The sword forms he used at the duel and the dance I have been dancing all these nights," she replied coolly. There is no reason for her to lie to her sister after all. Her beloved sister will never do her harm.

"Is that so? Then how did you, a princess and him a count from the frontier territory met?"

"Hmm? Well, let your sister keep her own secrets, okay?" she put her finger in front of her mouth.

Her sister was surprised. After all, she had never kept anything a secret from her. But Ulah understands her. "Why don't you go and see him, sister? I can tell you where is his territory if you want to go and visit him," she said.

Azalia let out a bitter smile. "No, not yet. With my current strength, I am not strong enough to face him yet," she said. Although she had accepted the engagement, it is not finalized. She has to prove her strength to him only when he accepted her strength or acknowledges her strength, will the engagement is going to finalize.

"Hmm? Anyway, I think I should at least inform you about him. His name is Urien Gregorios. His territory is northeast of the capital, bordering the Crystal Dew forest."

"Wait, that means?"

"Yes, the same Gregorios that fought together with our grandfather, the prime minister, and the former Hero. The grandchild of the same Shad Gregorios who was the teacher of our aunt," her sister replied.

"Such a small world," she muttered.

"Now sister, what are your plans after graduation from the Magic Academy? You will be enrolling to the Royal Academy, right?" her sister asked.

"I have already decided what to do, Ulah. I am applying for early graduation," she replied resolutely.

"What? Then what are you going to do during these four years?" her sister asked.

"I am going to travel around the world. I want to go on an adventure," she replied.

"But, sister!"

"Please, Ulah. Let me," she smiles sadly. She also doesn't want to part with her dear sister. But she needs to get stronger to get acknowledgment from him. She won't be able to break her limit when she stayed at the Magic Academy where spoiled kids playing magicians. And if she stays in this country, her brothers will never let her get stronger. The best bet is to go on the travel and get some experience before going to see him.

"I understand. Then please promise me that you will write me when you have time," her sister is on verge of crying.

"Don't worry. I promise you that I will write you once a week and send with the most expensive delivery," she could only console her sister. That night, her sister slept together in her room. And that was the only night she took a rest from dancing Hinokami Kagura.

The next day, she filed for early graduation and immediately scored the highest score in the last hundreds of years. Then without waiting any longer, she grabbed the sword given to her by her fiancé and quickly get away from the capital city with the teleportation circle.

Only after traveling for a month did she arrived at the border going to the country of Beastkin, Leonidas. It was the moment of her life. This is the very first time she visited the other race's country and they were nothing like what she was thought in her country. There were no kidnapping humans, no killing humans, and slavery just like what she was thought in Magic Academy.

In that country, she got herself a traveling companion. A tigress beastkin called Novell Vanir. She is at the same age as her, 11 years old. She and Novell together travel around the Leonidas country for a year. During that year, she had heard the news that there was a monster stampede that happened in her country but was pushed back at the border. She immediately knows that it was her fiancé's doing. After all, she also heard that the beast hoard came from the Crystal Dew forest. She bragged to her new friend about her fiancé.

After traveling around the Beastkin's country, the two of them went toward the Elven country named Avalon. And unlike what she was taught in her country, the elves are friendly with humans. But they are vegetarians. So, it was hard for her to eat only vegetables at the start but she managed to stay like them.

There, she also got a new traveling companion. Her name is Arshes Miranda, a high elf who studied directly under the Elven Queen. Also after traveling for a year in this country, taking quests as the adventurers, she is now at the border of the Dwarves' country. During that year, unsurprisingly, she heard that there was a lab that made chimeras tried to take over the empire. The said lab was quickly abolished by someone unknown.

It was in Dwarves' country, Agrias that she found her final traveling companion, Yvette Marjorie, the daughter of the king of the Dwarves' country, Uvaritt Agrias. She was told that in the royal family, the male-given name is Agrias and for females, the given name is Marjorie. Yvette is also the same age as them which is 13 years old.

Something also happened in her country that year but she couldn't remember what it was. During all these years of traveling, she was not able to use her dance as a form of fighting. Her sister had told her that her fiancé used a simple wooden sword to perform the feat. So, she also tried very hard.

While traveling around the Dwarves' country which is the neighbor of the Demon country, Lilith, they found out that they were target by the demons to kill them. They are, after all, a group made up of the princess of one of the strongest human empires, the student of the Elven Queen, and the princess of the Dwarves' Kingdom. They were targeted because killing them will start the Great War again. Later, Novell informed her that she is the illegitimate child of the king of Leonidas.

"Great, all of us are a bunch of highly profiled individuals," Yvette muttered.

Later that month, they got beaten by a high-ranked demon named Agares whatever his last name was. All of them were beaten black and blue.

"Run! I will hold him off with everything I got," Azalia told her companions.

"Heh, don't try to be a hero. Do you really think I will leave you and run? Do you really think that us beastkin will leave our companion behind?" beside her Novell also stand up shakenly.

"As a daughter of nature, I had made a vow that I will never leave my companion behind. I will help you out with all I got," Arshes also stand up while using her magic staff as a cane.

"Father will beat me up if I leave you guys behind. I would rather die together with you all than face his wrath," Yvette muttered while holding the guns in her hands tightly. She uses duel guns.

"You guys," Azalia was moved. She would have never gotten to meet them if she didn't decide to travel around the world. She missed her fiancé. She hasn't seen her fiancé for over three years. She wants to see him again.

"I will not give up!" With the roar, she quickly rushed toward the demon.

Novell also rushed beside her. Arshes and Yvette give them support from behind. But still, they got beaten up again.

"No, I won't die here. I haven't gone back and marry him. Until then, I won't die!"

With that roar, she stands up again while all of her companions were not able to stand up again. She steadies her breathing. Then rushed at the demon again. But this time, something changed. Fires were burning from her sword.

"You damn human, why won't you just die!" The demon shot a barrage of earth magic at her.

But she doesn't stop her dash. <First Form: Waltz!> She cut through all the stones thrown at her.

<Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow!> Her speed got faster. So much faster than the demon who have superior eyes during the night could not catch her. When he shot her, he shot her after images.

She is getting nearer and nearer to the demon. And the demon also doing whatever he got to stop her.

When she got in front of him, her instinct is screaming at her.

<Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!> She quickly defended from the attack he sent with his sword.

<Third Form: Raging Sun!> She cut his body with the shape of V. The demon is screaming from the slash. For the final blow, she used <Eleventh Form: Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!> The Dragon formed from her sword and slash at the demon with continuous fast and powerful sword attacks. After making sure that the demon dies, she slumps onto the ground.

What she doesn't know is that her destiny was broken at this moment. She had survived at the place where she was meant to die. Without the world knowing the gears are started to move again. It is not known that it would be better for the world or it would drag it down to the abyss.

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Author's Note;

Longest chapter yet and I seriously need an editor for this chapter. And as usual, thanks to Jerry Kasker for the beautiful portrait of Azalia. You can check the portrait here.

And seriously guys, at least read the Author's Note, will ya? There were comments like 'Oh, I have read this kind of novel before.' 'I've seen this before.' in Volume 01 Chapter 01 and 02. I've clearly said in my Author's Note that I got an idea to write this fic after reading the said novel. Of course, I would inspire by it when I said I got an idea from the novel.