53 Chapter 53

Arthur's Point of View

Three Weeks After Taking Control

"Are we really going through with this?" Aerowyn asked me nervously.

She stood behind me as I looked over the cliff at a large force of Demons from a crouched position. "Why wouldn't we? These Demons have been moving across Lestrania unchallenged. They won't be expecting a trap." The Demons in question were moving through a path that cut through the forest.

The Zugal frowned. "Maybe not, but this particular grouping of soldiers doesn't seem like the best idea…" She stated. "Surely this would be best suited for my people to fly over and launch a surprise attack?" Aerowyn offered.

Sighing at that, my eyes never left the Demons as I replied. "For the last time, either your people are going to come together and be just Lestranians, or they are going to die as mere Zugal, Elves, and Humans. If they follow my instructions, everything will be just fine."

"Okay, but are you really going to go down there? As our leader, don't you think you should give such a task to someone more expendable?" Aerowyn inquired, and I finally turned from the Demons to glare at her over my shoulder.

"Who would you recommend, Aerowyn?" My tone must've given away how I felt about the subject, and she didn't answer. "No one is expendable. I thought you would've learned that when your brethren massacred your other clans." Turning back to the Demons, I continued. "Were the Zugal of the Finch Clan expendable?" Still no answer. "I would not ask something of my soldiers if I didn't think it was important or if they were unable to perform such a task."

"Apologies, Mordred…" Aerowyn finally said softly.

"So am I. Bringing up the Massacre was rude, but if I'm sending soldiers to their deaths or to a tough position, I think they should know." No Ghouls or more powerful Demons seemed to be present. "The people of this land are loyal and want this Alliance to be a success. As it turns out, I've been the unifying factor for most of them to look to because I don't play favorites."

Aerowyn seemed to agree. "Yes, it has thrown several people off."

Humming out in thought, I replied. "I imagine Elias's support can do little to help you right now, but I am sure he is doing his best to look after your people." Standing, I readied to jump. "They're going to learn that I feel the same way during battle. You will either work together as one people, or you will all die." Taking a few steps back from the cliff, I looked at Aerowyn. "Give them the order." I told her before I took a running start and jumped off the cliff.

As I fell, my body twisted in the air as flames began to form around me. Landing in the middle of the Demon surprised them, but they were even more surprised when a ring of fire separated me from them. Hissing, snarling, screeching, and more greeted my ears. Naturally, many drew weapons, and some even flew into the air with webbed wings.

Before any of them could attack or try to talk, I used my eyes to crush a few of the Demons with my ability to bend gravity in small spaces and sent many of them ablaze. Roars echoed in the night as they charged through the fire to swipe at me, but I jumped and moved out of the fire. Landing a few dozen feet away, many of the webbed winged Demons dove for me as others charged on the ground.

Darting through some boulders and lone trees, I came to the tree-line. Immediately, I led the Demons on a merry chase as almost all of them followed. A few hundred Demons without any leader were easy enough to bait, making it almost too easy. They barreled their way through the trees and brush while shrieks could be heard above.

I pulled ahead of them and made sure to continually piss them off, so they'd proceed to blindly follow me. Whether it was throwing sticks at some, rocks at others, or hurling something large enough to kill one, anything that kept them riled. Eventually, I saw some magic signatures come into view, and I smirked as I launched forward.

Jumping up into a tree out of the Demon's sight as I hid, Aerowyn flew over to me quickly once she saw me. "Are you okay?"

"Aw. You do care." I whispered mockingly.

Rolling her eyes, she looked down at the Demons passing us. "You are positive this will work?"

"Let's find out!" My shout caught the attention of the Demons as I jumped out of the tree. "Looking for me?!" Shooting fire across the trees, I set the forest ablaze. "Now!"

While I could take care of these Demons, this was a live exercise meant to force the Elves, Humans, and Zugal to play nice. Everyone roared as they popped into place, and I darted through the trees above to keep an eye on things. Elves in the back with a handful of Humans armed with bows and another mixed group in front with shield spells and barriers while Humans moved about killing the Demons.

The Demons in the sky heard the fighting and roared in fury at their inability to join the fight. Thankfully, everyone was paying attention and sent a barrage of arrows along with several spells into the sky. Several demonic creatures fell from above and tumbled through the trees onto their Demon brothers. However, that wasn't all we had planned.

A whistling echoed throughout the area that sounded almost like a firework, and moments later, more of the webbed winged Demons tumbled down to the forest floor. Afterward, a large force of Zugal descended into the canopy and started raining arrows down on the confused Demons. The battle didn't last much longer, and I only helped here and there when someone let their guard down. Overall, it was a huge success, and I expected this to carry over to the rest of our forces.

With a few cheers and high morale, we returned to the Capital. Horses were waiting for us on the other side of the forest, which allowed us swift passage. Aerowyn had left immediately to tell everyone the good news, and we entered the Capital streets to cheers and lines of people. Many of the soldiers waved, and I rode back to the castle with a smile, not that many could see it.

"There he is!" Aydan's voice rang out once we reached the courtyard.

Getting off my steed, I waved to him. "Aydan." Was my simple reply.

He merely smiled and shook my arms. "None of that! Aerowyn told us of your victory against a horde of Demons numbering in the hundreds! Come! We must celebrate!"

I chuckled at that, but before I could reply, a loud huff could be heard from the other side of the courtyard. "Arthur!" Kandma groaned out in annoyance, which always gets the attention of everyone in the area.

"Really glad no one else understands her." I commented to Aydan before patting his shoulder. "Give me a moment." He nodded, and I moved to the giant stone bear. "Hey, big bear."

Kandma groaned and nuzzled her snout into my chest. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"You like it." Was my playful response.

If stone bears could smile, you can bet she would have one. "Why didn't you take me with you? It would've been nice getting out of this place for a break."

Patting her snout, I answered. "This was to set up an ambush and was a stealth mission. You don't exactly scream subtly."

"I can literally turn into a giant boulder to hide."

"That would fool some Demons, yes, but we were unaware if there was a Ghoul or something present. If there was, you could be a big target." I told her.

Pulling back, she looked down at me. "Or a large ally."

Chuckling, I put my hands on my hips. "You are that. The next time we go out and are heading towards a more head-on confrontation, I will take you with me, but you are still growing."

"I'm big enough." Kandma pouted.

"Don't I know it! Most of the men won't leave me alone about how much room you take up!" The creature of nature rolled her eyes. "We'll get you a way to stretch and run around. Give me a bit longer to get things under control."

"Alright. Be safe. I worry when you run off without telling me." Kandma told me, and I smiled.

"I'll be sure to let you know when I leave then." Giving her snout a small rub, I made my way back to Aydan. "How were things in my absence?"

Aydan sighed. "Rudnurth has locked himself away in his chambers and doesn't respond to anyone. Someone is bringing him food and other necessities, but we don't know who."

Nodding in understanding, I replied. "Likely an Elf who can teleport stuff to him. I will try to speak with him again, but with him acting like this, I don't feel comfortable with him ever getting his crown back."

The Sage said nothing in return about Rudnurth. "On the bright side, Prince Elias and Princess Mara have both been very helpful. Princess Mara more than Prince Elias, but he is starting to do what he can to aid us."

"Maybe he finally realized that this was happening and wasn't going to change."

"Or," Aydan began as he nudged me. "He finally realized that going against the two strongest in Lestrania wasn't the best idea."

"Two strongest for now, but who knows for how long. Elias, Mara, Arceana, and even Elincia are showing great strides now that they can practice without the need to hold back. Elias has excelled in his magic ever since he no longer needed to worry about injuring you."

Aydan chuckled at that. "That, or he is trying to kill you during your training sessions!" After a moment, he smirked at me. "What about Princess Mara?"

Pushing him slightly at the look, I answered. "Mara has exceeded all expectations of her. That girl is a prodigy. I swear to god that she sees a move and copies it almost instantly. Like her brain visualizes the move in her head and then can instantly perform it. On top of her magic, her swordsmanship is getting more difficult to handle."

"Isn't that what you were hoping for?" Aydan inquired.

"Yes, it was. I just wasn't expecting Mara to stand out over all of them."

Aydan and I came up with the idea for joint training sessions with the Royal Family members. Elincia would participate at times, but her age kept her out of the more serious exercises for the moment, and Rudnurth never showed. However, Aydan was correct that I was also starting to train myself alongside the Royal Family. I was learning more and more every day, and it was starting to show.

Naturally, Aydan and I would also sometimes train in secret to really put what I learned to the test. My powers and abilities were rapidly increasing, as was my understanding of my new body. The only downside to this was that 'The Great Sage' was rather eccentric and loved doing weird-ass tests on me that I'd rather not talk about.

"Well, it's a start in the right direction. I've learned a few things here and there about the spells you asked me to look into. Nothing too solid yet, but I will keep you posted when I find something." Aydan informed me in a whisper.

"Thank you." I whispered back.

"Sir Aydan." A regal voice cut in and caught our attention. "Sir Mordred." Turning, we saw the former Queen of Elves waiting for us. "What are you two whispering about?" She asked in a more serious tone. "Not conspiring, I hope."

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Happy New Year!