Chapter 22: Home

As Catherine traveled through the air, she couldn't help but think about what may have happened if she had not heard about the Box of Bliss in time.

'Perhaps it's about time I truly accept the responsibilities that come with my self proclaimed title. I should have known I would need to begin preparations to create a force of my own. But who should I use as my first disciples?' Catherine asked herself as she flew back to the forest where she first arrived in this world, with her feeling it would be a great place to begin building her own version of Kamar Taj.

However, as she approached the forest, she saw smoke as if coming from a fire in the distance.

Catherine chose to discover the cause of this due to her remembering the kindness of the first people she met in this world.

As she arrived, she saw the citizens of the Village being attacked by men adorned in armors and spears.

Catherine looked on at this with cold eyes as she raised her hands and spoke.

"Bolts of the Balthakk!!"

The lightning that came from her hand blasted all of the attackers and turned them into charred corpses.

The villagers ducked in fear after seeing this, as they had never seen anything similar to the display of power.

However, the man Catherine had previous spoke to a few years prior seemed to recognize her, with him hesitantly standing as he questioned

"Lady Yao?"

Catherine nodded slightly to Hikaru, with him then realizing that she was the same person that he had spoke to those years prior.

"What happened? Why were those soldiers attacking a Village that holds no significant importance?" Catherine asked Hikaru, while he seemed hesitant to answer.

"The Land of That declared was upon us, and the Emperor decided that the best strategic move would be for them to counter them from the North. However, this left many Villages near the border unprotected." Hikaru answered with a downcasted look.

Many of their neighboring towns had also fell to the attacks from the Land of That, with them hoping that they would not join that growing list.

But their worried were justified as that exact situation unfolded.

Catherine looked around and noticed the extent of the destruction that occurred to their Village, causing her to grow an idea in her head.

"I believe many of you have already realized I'm not a normal individual based on what I have done already." Catherine began, her voice sounding slightly ethereal as she enhanced her voice with mana.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself, I am the Sorcerer Supreme of our would, tasked with guarding the people of our world from threats that come from other planes of existence. And it is due to this that I wish to create a force that shall aid me in this endeavor. I can promise all of you a home and protection if, in exchange, you aid me in the defense of our world. Do you agree?" Catherine asked at the end of her speech, the people looking at her with awe as they understood the level of importance she would hold in the world.

Hikaru was the first to react as he bowed and said

"It would be an honor for me to serve you."

The rest of the Villagers then did the same, as they all chose to join Catherine than deal with the harsh conditions that they would be subjected to if they remained in their Village.

"Then let us depart as I build our home." Catherine said as she cast a levitation spell on them all before she flew the to the exact location in which she arrived in this world.

"By the Vapors of Valtorr!!" she said as she arrived, shielding the forest from any forms of surveillance and making it similar to the Three Sage Lands.

Catherine then landed with the people, as she made a projection of what she wished for the Land to look like.

"Let us now build our home."