Chapter 47

"Orian Lorenz!" exclaimed Xain, completely taken aback. Jakel winced at Xain's sudden yell. "You didn't have to yell, but yeah, the deadliest man in Aetheria is working for Verandez," Jakel explained. Xain was left speechless, holding his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, the angel was confused by the name's importance and Xain's reaction. *Is he a big deal or something?* he wondered, scratching his head. Grace, however, understood the significance of the name. Anyone alive for the past decade would be aware of Orian Lorenz and the danger associated with him. *I wonder if I can...* Her thoughts trailed off.

Zee felt her legs wobble and her heart race as she started hyperventilating. "Zee?" Xain called out, but Zee didn't respond. She hugged herself tightly, looking down at the ground as disturbing images flooded her mind. The memory of a man without his limbs and the maniacal laughter rang in her head as she fell to her knees.

"Zee!" Xain exclaimed in panic, rushing to her side. Grace snapped out of her thoughts and joined them, seeing Zee's distress. "What's wrong?" Xain asked urgently, holding onto Zee. Grace, upon seeing Zee's distressing thoughts, turned to the angel. "Get that guy out of his ropes," she ordered, pointing to Jakel. The angel, along with Mar and Jakel, looked confused by Zee's sudden distress.

"Why?" the angel asked, hesitating to release Jakel. Even in his current state, Jakel was still a dangerous mercenary. However, Grace's glare silenced him, and he begrudgingly began undoing the mana-freezing ropes binding Jakel. "Don't you dare fucking try anything," the angel warned sternly as he worked, but Jakel simply rubbed his wrists, his mana circulating freely through his body once more.

As the angel finished untying Jakel's legs, Grace issued a command. "Heal her mind," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument. Jakel's glare met hers as he hesitated. "Why should I?" he challenged, remembering the mental torture she had put him through. But Grace's intense stare sent a chill down his spine. "Do it!" she growled, her voice echoing through the forest and making all the birds take flight out of fear. Even Mar felt his heart race, and the angel winced, ready to defend himself out of reflex.

Jakel nodded reluctantly and got down on one knee. He placed his hands on Zee's head and closed his eyes to focus, despite Grace's intimidating presence nearby. As his hands began to emanate a soft blue glow, Zee's breathing steadied, and her heart rate slowly calmed down. Her grip on herself loosened as she started to relax.

Jakel let go of her head and backed away as Xain looking at her with concern gently asked, "Are you okay?" He kept his hold on Zee, who looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She grabbed onto him, burying her head into his shoulder and openly sobbing. Xain held her close as he looked up at Grace, unsure of what to do next. Grace nodded, indicating that he should just keep holding her. Grace then stood up and walked toward Jakel, who had retreated to his original spot.

"What do you want now?" Jakel asked, his back against the tree. Grace began walking towards him, her expression unreadable. The angel interjected, "What's up with you?" But Grace remained silent as she walked past him, ignoring the question.

"Finish what you were saying," Grace ordered Jakel, her tone firm. Jakel seemed taken aback by the sudden shift in her demeanor but relented. "Alright, alright, just back off a bit," he said, visibly relieved as Grace crossed her arms and took a step back.

Jakel let out a sigh of relief before starting to recount what had happened once more, his voice tense as he delved back into the events at the Rasanto estate gates.

All the mercenaries were shocked by his words. "Tha-that's Orian Lorenz?" said one of the mercenaries, unsure if he heard correctly. "The leader of the Lorenz Mercenary Company," added another, gripping his weapon tightly. "The deadliest man in Aetheria," chimed in another, her voice tense. "You can't be serious," Jakel muttered to himself, disbelief evident in his tone. Suddenly, Orian appeared in front of him.

"Oh, I'm very serious, Jakel," Orian said with a smirk, causing Jakel to stumble back. Orian chuckled at his reaction. "You're called Jakel, The Bandit, right? I've heard a lot about you. And the two of you," he said, turning to Mar and Mincs, who both flinched under his gaze. "Mincs, The Joker, and Mar, The Immortal. All of you are pretty famous. Maybe when one of my boys dies, I'll get one of you to replace him."

Mincs let out a nervous chuckle. "I doubt anyone from your company will die before we retire," she joked, attempting to ease the tension. Jakel smiled at her words, and Mincs felt something trace all over her body.

"Just like I heard, you're never truly serious. And you, Mar, are the only one here who remained somewhat stoic throughout all this," said Orian, his eyes locked on Mar. Mar kept his gaze fixed on Orian, silent but watchful.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Orian was back beside Marcus and Verandez, who looked like he was about to vomit at the sight of all the bodies.

"Will you be able to continue, sir?" asked Marcus, his voice steady despite Verandez's evident struggle. Verandez nodded weakly, looking away and holding his mouth, trying not to vomit. Orian smacked him on the back. "Come on, it's just a bit of blood, get over it," he said, laughing.

"Don't, just don't," replied Verandez, his composure mostly regained. "Now that, uh, that's done with, I'll give you all your orders," he said, sounding uncertain. Seeing this, Marcus stepped in. "Half of you will be attacking Wolfdale, while the other half will remain here to guard the estate," he declared, his voice projecting authority.

The mercenaries exchanged glances, surprised by the sudden shift back to business as usual. "Seriously, they're just going back to ordering us like three people didn't just die?" one of them muttered incredulously. Marcus continued, undeterred. "Jakel, Mar, and the two of you," he said, pointing to two other company leaders, "and your mercenaries will be attacking the village. Your objectives are simple: attack the village, kill everyone there, and destroy every building, especially the church."

Jakel and the other two mercenaries were perplexed by Marcus's orders. "What do we do against the demon?" one of the leaders asked, utterly confused. "Don't worry, Orian here has done a spell that weakened the demon. You will now be able to defeat it," explained Marcus.

Jakel didn't believe his words, and neither did the other mercenaries. But they had no choice but to listen to him, or else who knows what would happen to them.

"Why do we have to protect the estate?" asked one of the mercenary leaders, seeking clarification. "Sir Verandez received a credible death threat earlier this morning. That's why half of you have to stay here to protect the estate," explained Marcus, his tone matter-of-fact.

Orian interjected abruptly, adding his own directive to Jakel, Mar, and the others. "Okay, now all of you head out and destroy Wolfdale. Bring the demon's head as a souvenir! Oh, and if any of you come back here without doing your jobs, I'll kill you. And if you escape, I'll find you and kill you. So, go on now, and crush Wolfdale!"